Every expat magazine this month prominently featured Matreshka, with positive reviews overall, so we thought we'd try it on Saturday night. How many things can a restaurant do wrong on a given night?

Where do I begin? Before anyone says I have an agenda, I have to say that the food was relatively good taste wise and the quality of the ingredients seemed ok. That's where the good news stop.

We called to reserve, stated the time and No of persons and the guy on the phone said "ok, thank you". "Don't you need my name???". "It's not very busy tonight". Fine...

We arrive, party of 4. The place is big, well-decorated but uneven. We sit upstairs (downstairs is only the reception and kitchen). There is a stage on one side, with a projector screen and two huge speakers. There is no music, just a small TV screen showing Russian programming (complete with annoying commercials). There is a chinese 40-something waiter and a younger Asian-looking girl but who speaks English with a soviet accent (probably from one of the -stans). They bring us menus but then disappear for 20 minutes. They show up but ignore us but we manage to get their attention and order. The girl informs us that basically they don't have half of what's on the menu, but only every time we try to order one of these items. We manage to order a full meal, the menu does not include beers but she says they have them (no Russian beer to my disappointment, Qingdao, Stella, the usual) so we order beers and specify we like them cold. One girl orders a margarita. The beers come, Stella and 1 Qingdao are cold, the other QD is room temperature. Girl comes to say that they don't have the kind of russian dumplings we ordered. I ask whether they have the other kinds and I order another (different filling). I tell her one beer is warm and she says "oh yeah, we have no more cold ones". I manage to extract the information that only Qingdaos are warm and order a cold Stella. She comes back to say that they don't have ANY russian dumplings after all. Fine, we order another dish.

Dishes start coming, in the most bizarre order, mains first, soup later (awful borscht), the salads nowhere to be seen. Some portions are small (especially the main courses) but tastes are ok, except for the borscht. All the dishes have exactly the same presentation, with a light brown sauce sprinkled on one side and some spices on the other. At least they try to make them look good.

The margarita is not here yet (30mins after order) so I remind the chinese guy, who say "in 2-3 minutes". After 5 minutes the girl brings another dish and I remind her the margarita again. "yes I know, we cannot make it". "Where you going to tell me?". "huh?". "You didn't tell me, I had to ask you and your colleague just now said it's on its way". "he he, um..., we cannot make it, sorry". Fine...

I just notice the two salads haven't arrived yet, while everything else is on the table, even meat dishes. As a note, the Russian salad's preparation consists of taking a spoon and serving the thing from the container to the plate and adding a couple of lettuce leaves as decoration. As soon as I tell my friends this, a very young Russian-looking guy we hadn’t seen before shows up carrying a tray with our two salads. He goes past us and places it on an empty table. He then proceeds to help the Chinese guy move some furniture. He then picks up the salads and goes back towards the kitchen. 2 minutes later, the girl brings the salads. By that time we have almost finished eating.

The chinese waiter takes away a couple of empty plates and then the girl tries to take away another plate with food still in it (a very obvious piece of meat included), while we are still eating. I ask her to put it back down. It is now 10pm, most of the other guests have left (there were 4-5 tabels when we came in) and now the lack of music and the Russian TV ads are really annoying.

We ask for the bill. Naturally, the margarita is in there, as are the Russian dumplings. These are items we ordered but they didn’t have so we ordered something else. The replacement items are on the bill as well. I ask the chinese waiter to go check again and bring me the correct bill. He comes back, the margarita is out, the dumplings still there. Back he goes again. Finally we pay 440 for 4 persons, a reasonable price.
That was one frustrating experience, even for Shanghai.

margarita with beer and borscht ..

I was having beer, to each his own

That sounds like a very normal experience.

What an experience They don't make movies like that anymore. And as you said, even for Shanghai a diabolical level of service.

Nice review Verbal

Nine paragraphs which would have made a better read edited to one of 100 words.Anyone who says that they don't have an agenda, has an agenda.

Good review! An all too common story in shanghai unfortunately.. Although not always quite this bad..

I meant it was well written and explained. Not good review as in "oh must go there and try some delightful food"

Hi Janlynn, how you doing honey ??

ATP you really have issues. For the last time, I m not a writer or a journalist. I don't want to please any audience. I would actually be very happy if you in particular did not read my posts. I disagree with djpaul, it was not a good review. Not even a review, I described a situation and vented my frustration. As for having an agenda, after 1000 posts, which you read and drop your poison on religiously, it s clear that I have no affiliations. Now go back to your petty miserable life

Verbal Kint wrote:I disagree with djpaul, it was not a good review. Not even a review.

Maybe not, but it was a good tale. Puts the complaint from someone about getting coleslaw on his hotdog in perspective.

Puts the complaint from someone about getting coleslaw on his hotdog in perspective

?????????

SexyDjPaul wrote:

Puts the complaint from someone about getting coleslaw on his hotdog in perspective

?????????

Ditto.

My guess is that the issue with the coleslaw on the hotdog is small potato compared to the experience at Matreshka.

SexyDjPaul wrote:

Puts the complaint from someone about getting coleslaw on his hotdog in perspective

?????????

Paul, this is a reference to a recent post about Munchies I believe

Oh ok thanks. I thought it was a euphemism that had flown over my young naive sexy head

Verbal Kint wrote:ATP you really have issues. For the last time, I m not a writer or a journalist. I don't want to please any audience. I would actually be very happy if you in particular did not read my posts. I disagree with djpaul, it was not a good review. Not even a review, I described a situation and vented my frustration. As for having an agenda, after 1000 posts, which you read and drop your poison on religiously, it s clear that I have no affiliations. Now go back to your petty miserable life

Interesting, I have issues you say? My how you are so quick to forget. Let me help you with your understanding of the _adult_ world, to which you clearly are yet to come to grips with. But then again, you are only what-23?

You don't want me to read your posts, simple--don't post. Not that there is anything much of great merit or communicative value.

As for you claiming that you have no affiliations, this may or not be true. But this is what you say. BUT it didn't stop you from using innuendo to indicate, quite falsely and in public, that I was undertaking commendation of one of the establishments that advertises here, for compensation. And of course, nor does it stop you from utilising a distinctly private communication in the open forum. Distinctly adult, credible and trustworthy, hey?

How is that again...? A lamb bleating complaints about my comments?? Here's an idea. Wouldn't it be better for you to return to the safety and bosom of home, to your entry level clerk position in the government--sorry, I am wrong; this is aspirational for you, isn't it? Or whatever meagre position you occupied?

Issues? Me? What ever gave you that impression? But to aid your slow, desperate, writhing, hanging-by-the-nails crawl into adulthood and maturity--neither necessarily conjoined nor a given--I very strongly suggest that you go and get a reality check, & examine the nature of libel and slander on the internet. Plain enough for you?

A Russian restaurant in China.


Russia, China...that should have been the clue, the best of the best.

popcorn..


where to get best popcorn in shanghai ??

The little old bloke on the street with the machine on his wheelbarrow.

It's actually quite excellent popcorn.

I was thinking of investing in one of these machines myself, but I doubt I'd be able to source the recycled oil they no doubt use to make it taste so damn good...

Not going down to his level anymore

Not going down to his level anymore

OK, got the popcorn and am sitting comfortably. ATP?

NorthernLights wrote:The little old bloke on the street with the machine on his wheelbarrow.

It's actually quite excellent popcorn.

I was thinking of investing in one of these machines myself, but I doubt I'd be able to source the recycled oil they no doubt use to make it taste so damn good...

If you are talking about the popcorn maker that explodes oil is not needed.

Popcorn pops because when heated the small amount of moisture in kernel increases pressure and finally ruptures the air tight outer shell and flashes into steam making the popcorn.

Back to the old guy in the street, in addition to the popcorn is wanting to pop but it can't because of the high pressure in the pot. When the pot explodes the popcorn is puffed as well as pops the sudden release of pressure and the moisture inside the corn flashes into steam and expands the kernel into the popcorn we all know.

This is also how they make puffed rice.

Back to the flame in progress .............

SexyDjPaul wrote:Oh ok thanks. I thought it was a euphemism that had flown over my young naive sexy head

For your reference

ATP wrote:I very strongly suggest that you go and get a reality check, & examine the nature of libel and slander on the internet.

libel and slander on the internet??

OMG when did this happen ???

Verbal Kint wrote:Also, it s funny that you make a baseless conclusion about my professional status,

- HomoSapience English Teacher Tesol ?

tihZ_hO wrote:
If you are talking about the popcorn maker that explodes oil is not needed.

Popcorn pops because when heated the small amount of moisture in kernel increases pressure and finally ruptures the air tight outer shell and flashes into steam making the popcorn.

Back to the old guy in the street, in addition to the popcorn is wanting to pop but it can't because of the high pressure in the pot. When the pot explodes the popcorn is puffed as well as pops the sudden release of pressure and the moisture inside the corn flashes into steam and expands the kernel into the popcorn we all know.

This is also how they make puffed rice.

Back to the flame in progress .............

So what magical ingredient makes it taste so damn good? They have to add something to it because it doesn't taste like plain corn...

NorthernLights wrote:So what magical ingredient makes it taste so damn good? They have to add something to it because it doesn't taste like plain corn...

MSG. Right tihZ?

^ they raise the corn with MSG water... its in the corn

Klick wrote:

NorthernLights wrote:So what magical ingredient makes it taste so damn good? They have to add something to it because it doesn't taste like plain corn...

MSG. Right tihZ?

SNAP!!

Beat me to it mate!!!