Sober Company Sushi Bar

I was invited among other VIPs to have lunch here on July 20, 2018. Its elegant decor aside, the food and its presentation were on par with any ordinary restaurant. When I checked out, I was surprised it was Nadaman!

Nadaman restaurants have a long tradition going back to 1800 in Japan. It evolved into a chain located in some high-end hotels. There are two Nadaman restaurants at the Shangri-La East, Pudong, Shanghai. We went to the Kaiseki Nadaman main restaurant and not to the "Sushi by Nadaman". The interior is very stylish, minimalist. Located at the hotel, the space is not very intimate but rather open and cold. The menu is very extensive with many small dishes but also menus. We chose a traditional Kaiseki menu and a set of a la carte dishes and a bento box. The food was of very high quality and nicely presented. The sushi course was very fresh. The other courses also very Japanese but not unusual or surprising. On the negative side, the service was not up to par; a common problem for many Chinese restaurants. The staff was not very attentive nor friendly. The place was almost empty and still no effort to select a good table. We were left with our jackets alone. No Oshibori for us while the other group got them. The pace and the order in which the different courses arrived was not well timed. Kaiseki usually has a rather formal concept to emphasize the individual dishes, the ingredients and the order is part of an overall plan. Here, the courses came in almost arbitrary order and partly at the same time. This lead to a quicker dinner than expected. The restaurant is at the higher price end with 100-150 USD per person with a full menu and some drinks. It was okay, but I would not go again and prefer some original Kaiseki in Japan where the ambiance fits the bill.

We tried to find the place, and it was not easy. There are two places Nadaman Sushi and Nadaman. The last one is located in the building. Sashimi were very good as well as other food. Good atmosphere and was not crowded.

Surprisingly mediocre given its pedigree and location, likely attributable to less than ideal sourcing of major ingredients (e.g. sashimi that doesn't taste fresh). Pales in comparison to other Nadamans in the region both in Japan and in Hong Kong.

I've had the eel set meal here; the eel rice was really delicious, fatty but not greasy, although the sashimi was just average. The service staff were very friendly, but they didn't proactively offer many things, such as spoons, napkins, and ginger slices.