A special Christmas dinner featuring traditional European and American holiday dishes and desserts.

Having just dined at the Hongquan Radisson's Chinese Restaurant ü last month, I returned to the hotel to try what Executive Chef Daniel Turner had to offer on the Christmas Party dinner menu at the Peony. The gingerbread house in the lobby (that took two weeks to bake and two more days to assemble!) is a great touch to the festive holiday decorations throughout the hotel. The menu features traditional European and American holiday dishes like roasted turkey breast and stuffing, honey-glazed Christmas ham, and mashed potatoes and grilled meats.

The highlight of the meal would definitely be the grilled station: we tried the local beef filet, a New Zealand lamb chop, and a silver hake filet. The lamb chops were grilled medium rare and amazingly tender and flavorful, simply seasoned with cracked black pepper and salt. The turkey breast and honey ham, though good, did not quite match up to the quality and taste of the lamb chops.

The hotel is a popular dining option for many of the locals, and the seafood selection and hairy crab is what really attracts Chinese customers and keeps them coming back. Hairy crab is still in season, and every table of Chinese diners had a plate piled with the steamed crustaceans. They're made to order and the servers bring the whole crabs out piping hot and with vinegar to dip the meat in. Although the crabs are smaller now that it's the end of hairy-crab season, they were still full of creamy crab roe and flavorful meat, so they are recommended.

The roasted duck breast with orange and apple was another highlight, with tender pieces of duck in a tangy and sweet sauce with chunks of real apples and oranges. And from the assortment of side dishes, the baked pasta with cheese sauce, made with blue stilton cheese, was a delicious addition and so were the roasted potatoes with herbs.

But you must save room for dessert, as the choices at the dessert buffet seem to be endless, and it features a chocolate fountain. With options like marshmallows, biscotti, cookies, and even gummy candies, you can cover anything with some Callebaut Belgian chocolate. The mixed berry Christmas pudding and minced pies are must-tries, but the pecan pie was unlike any pecan pie I've had before. Loaded with pecans, chopped walnuts, whole hazelnuts, and sunflower seeds, this pie certainly hit the spot and went perfectly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The Christmas buffet is a holiday treat from the Terrace, where Turner plans to alternate dishes on a weekly basis and have other themed specials throughout the new year. For only 168 rmb (+15% service charge) you get the buffet, one hairy crab (while they're still in season!) and unlimited drinks including juice, soda, tea and beer. The cornucopia of dishes along with the reasonable price makes this buffet a great pick for the holiday season.

Location

210 Taopu Rd., Putuo District, Shanghai // 上海宏泉麗笙酒店牡丹廳，上海普陀區桃浦路 210號 Tel:021-5355-9999

Service quality:

good

Food quality:

good

Price per head (RMB):

100-200

Environment:

good

Feature dish or menu:

Roasted turkey breast with stuffing, Grilled beef and lamb chops, Honey-glazed ham

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