During our time in shanghai we were invited in the cafe gray deluxe one of the three restaurants in “the middle house”. The middle house offers a wide range of possibilities for their guests. The “Sui Tang Li” with a range of culinary delights of all areas of China with an Cantonese, Sichuan and Shanghainese influence gives all the tourists the chance to experience the taste of China. The “Frasca” is the Italian place to be with a mixture of local ingredients and the finest things from

Italy. And last but not least the “Cafe Gray” which is a collaboration with the famous chef Gray Kunz who is based in New York City. Showcasing seasonal ingredients, Café Gray Deluxe is the perfect spot to grab breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

When we arrived a young hostess accompanied us through the modern and chiq restaurant and gave us a table right next to the vast open cuisine.

After a short while of studying the menu we decided to take a couple of starters to share. The first one was the truffled tarte flambée with lardons and crème fresh a light but delicious dish - and as you know everything is getting better with truffle. Then we had the heirloom tomato salad with burrata, sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. Burrata is probably our favorite starter. And the third one was the steak tartare a classic but delicious starter with gaufrette and the home made “Kunz ketchup”.

As a main course we made our own “Surf & Turf” with the grilled Canadian lobster with sauce hollandaise and fresh lemon. The taste was amazing but the lobster wasn’t a 100% cooked but nothing to bad. And a rangers valley M3 Côte de boeuf to share with a thick pepper crust, creamy spinach a homemade BBQ sauce and a garlic lemon butter. I’m not a big fan of a pepper crust because the pepper is so overwhelming and the meat is loosing its own special taste but it was heavenly grilled and a huge portion. 

Our wine pairing was a bottle of the 2013 deep blue of the grace vineyard. A Chinese wine which surprised us all and definitely can compete with good Bordeaux wines. 

A tiny little thing they can improve is the service. In a western restaurant even in China with lots of western guests they have to train their stuff differently. For example after dinner we were sitting in front of our empty plates for over an hour and no one asked us if we want another  bottle of water or wine or some deserts. Then after an hour a young waitress came to ask us if we would like to order deserts and we wanted to check the menu first. But then she said sorry but the kitchen is closing at 10:30p.m. and it already was 10:45p.m. so we couldn’t order a desert. 

All in all it was a lovely evening with just some tiny little ups and downs but definitely worth a try and as it was just the beginning of the restaurant I’m sure they will do their best to improve very fast and offer an amazing experience combined with delicious food.

We were guests of The Middle House and hosted for the dinner. However all above written expresses our own opinion and has not been influenced.