Bund dining can be tricky. Diners must consider the view and the price before worrying about other concerns such as actual food. And this is if you can manage to get a table reservation. From the reliable favorites to the flash-in-the-pan hotspots, enjoying a meal on the Bund is a requirement for anyone living in the city. After dining at relative newcomer Hyatt on the Bund's Aroma Restaurant, the competition just got a little more heated. 

Found in the underdeveloped area north of the Bund and Suzhou Creek, Hyatt on the Bund has the enviable claim to, quite frankly, perhaps the best view in Shanghai. While Aroma Restaurant may offer the same standard "international buffet" option as its competitors, their selection, affordability, and attention to detail elevate them towards the top of the pack.

The food is separated into stations, wrapping all the way around the dining room. Once diners begin filling their plates, it's apparent that Aroma is special. In the Chinese section, the most noticeable addition to the scenery is a large barbecue oven used to make succulent Cantonese-style treats like roast duck and char-siu pork. Both were tender and fresh, bursting with savory, dripping juices. Next to the barbecue oven is a towering stack of steam baskets that are used to cook large batches of Aroma's specialty jumbo xiaolongbao. The traditional Shanghainese dumpling is filled with crabmeat and dunked in vinegar, served in mini-baskets at your table upon request. This level of freshness and quality is truly hard to find in the average hotel buffet.

Moving past the tossed-to-order salads, cheese plate, fresh bread, imported Italian Parma ham, and chilled shellfish, the next eye-catcher is the big brick oven, which bakes up amazing pizzas. On our visit, they served a sausage, spinach and garlic pie with just enough cheese and sauce atop the perfectly crispy crust. Even after our meal was done and desserts had been consumed, I admit I had to go back for just one more slice.

Towards the rear of the dining room lies the final section of the already impressive line-up: Japanese cuisine. Indeed, the basic sashimi and sushi selections make appearances, but they also serve chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), soba noodles with dried onion and icy cold soy sauce, freshly grilled yakitori and made-to-order crispy tempura. Diners could be sufficiently stuffed at this station alone. However pacing is of the utmost importance, for one station remains: desserts.

Try as I might, I admit I usually do not eat desserts at buffets. I am either too full to stuff anything else in or the selection just isn't worth it. At Aroma, I tried every single dessert and even had seconds. Mountains of fresh seasonal fruit, blended chocolate mousse (passion fruit, hazelnut), raspberry panna cotta, hot bread pudding, apricot fruit tart, dark chocolate cake, a chocolate fountain with dippable fruits, and the crown jewel, fresh crepes and Belgian waffles (ice cream optional). Delicious, competent and highly recommended.

Amazing view, decent price (198 per person, plus service charge) and good food make Aroma a no-brainer for buffet lovers who want a change from the overpriced Westin gorge-fests or boring competitors around town. The selection is satisfying and pleasantly surprising, the atmosphere calm and relaxing. When the meal is over, be sure to take a trip to the top floor Vue Lounge for an amazing view of Shanghai that is guaranteed to inspire an ear-to-ear smile on even the most jaded expat resident. The perfect nightcap on an already lovely meal.

Location(s)

Location: 2F, Hyatt on the Bund, 199 Huangpu Lu, Shanghai

Tel:021 6393 1234 * 6322

(China Daily November 12, 2008)