You'd have thought you were watching a British parliament session taking place if you'd seen my family argue over which restaurant to go to. It's always such a tricky situation. You have to play your cards right, agreeing with your parent's and sibling's choices but finding one reason or another to object. Until...they run out of ideas and you suggest that burger spot you've been wanting to go to. Lenbach Fountain solves this dilemma. Despite the fact that the name of the restaurant itself is German, and while they do in-fact serve sausages, Bistro Lenbach has all types of dishes ranging from shakshuka, tacos, fajitas, all the way to pizzas. While you might expect the quality to be sub-par since they don't specialize in any particular cuisine, that is not the case. Try Lenbach to solve your indecisiveness in choosing restaurants!
Lenbach is also located in a stunning mall, facing the river and the newly developed Qiantan area. Apparantly, they've rennovated a boat-anchoring doc to create the structure in the picture. The mall is very brightly lit and it almost feels like you're in a futuristic city outside of Shanghai.
Interior Design
Every Lenbach location has a mural with a colorful image on it. Illuminated with lights and contrasted with the generally-dim restaurant setting, it really catches your attention. Interestingly, each lenbach location have different mural paintings.
The walls also have special patterns inscribed into them. It almost feels like you're eating at an ancient temple. However, the decorations and artwork are not too flashy and blends in well with the rest of the restaurant interior.
The cyan blue windowsills are beautiful, offseting parts of the wall and pillars that are purposefully kept in an industrial style, and really emphasizes the French "Bistro" feel of Bistro Lenbach.
The bar adds to the atmosphere, with row after row of glass cups latched onto the panels. The restaurant also has a bartender, and seems to have a wide drink selection. Additionally, they brew their own beer, which makes sense for the German namesake of the restaurant.
Dishes
Get out of here with fried chicken, maybe fried scallops are the way to go. Of course I'm kidding; That would be a controversial statement to say the least. Crispy and golden brown on the outside, with juicy scallop in the center, it is fried-food perfection. Usually when proteins like chicken are fried, they take on a very greasy and oily juiciness. The scallops maintain the fresh and sea-breeze flavor. Dipped into that spicy aoli, the battered scallops are a must-try at Lenbach. The chili on top are an elegant and simple garnish that presents well with the dish. If you want, you can take a bite to keep it healthy.
This dish is inspired from Meditteranean cuisine. The hummus and the diced tomato & pesto dressing envelops the squid in a perfectly balanced sauce. The richness of the velvety hummus and the acidity of the tomato dressing create an amazing combination. Grilled to a perfect tenderness, the squid also melts in your mouth. While you might expect the dish to be very mushy, the diced tomatoes and onions in the topping adds variety to the texture.
I hesitated while ordering the dish, because it seemed like something I could cook at home. However, the buttery and juicy chicken is never the same at a restaurant. With the oven-roasted exterior, the skin is crisp and crackly. The flesh is so juicy, that you'd suspect that extra chicken broth was injected into the chicken while cooking. The butter also comes through in the chicken's richness. While the first few bites were divine, it's definitely meant as a sharing plate. The fries and sauce are okay, but nothing special compared to the chicken.
Unfortunately, the german sausages were the only item that was slightly dissapointing. The sauerkrat and mashed potato are solid, but the sausages themselves are not the best quality. It's overly salty and doesn't taste meaty. The pork sausage doesn't taste like pork, and the chicken sausage doesn't taste like chicken. While it's okay as a complement to a drink, I'd definitely skip on the sausages at Lenbach.
Marinated chicken topped with fresh cilantro, cabbage, and lettuce, all wrapped in a soft taco shell - while the chicken tacos at Lenbach are nothing too special, it can definitely solve your craving for Mexican food. The chicken is slightly bland and it seems like the marinade wasn't totally absorbed. Otherwise, the creamy and spicy sauce works well to create a decent taco. It's at least better than the taco bells in Shanghai.
Mussels are a classic french dish that combines tender, briny mussels with a fragrant and buttery wine sauce that incorporates the fragrance of shallots. Served with some garlic bread to dip into the remaining sauce, the mussels at Lenbach is a great deal. The mussels are fresh and exploding with flavor. The sauce is tangy but balanced and cuts through any excessive seafood fishiness. For a seafood main, try it out!
Summary
Bistro Lenbach is difficult to categorize. Is it Mexican cuisine? Is it European cuisine? Or is it German cuisine? While it may not be a concept that everyone enjoys, the best way to describe the restaurant's dishes might be "whatever tastes good, goes on the menu." Bistro lenbach represents the dishes of many different cuisines and cultures, contextualized by the international setting of Shanghai. For a great casual bistro atmosphere and friendly service, Bistro Lenbach is an amazing option for a Friday night dinner. There's way too many menu options to showcase on this blog, so you'll have to go try them yourself!
Address: GATE M Center, Floor 2
Featured Branch: Lenbach Westbund
What a beautiful spot! I really like that you included an outdoor photo, it helps readers like me get a sense for where the restaurant is located.