My “occasional craving for indulgence” led me to M on the Bund in Shanghai.

M stands for Michelle, the first name of Michelle Garnaut, the Australian who founded the first of the M restaurants at Fringe Club, Hong Kong.

Situated on the top floor of an early 20th-century European-style building, M on the Bund offers a panoramic view of the Bund, although these days the view is veiled by heavy smog and marred by ugly road works.  

The restaurant also has a terrace which doubles as a smogging smoking area – where smokers can the inhale the unlimited supply of smog as a free alternative to cigarette smoke. It is as thick and blackens the lungs just as fast.

Here’s my lunch:

Goose liver. Not the fatty foie gras I expected. This was another example where the sidedish steals the show. The bed of pastry, soaked up with the sauce, was wonderful, especially when eaten with the hazelnut. In fact, it made the goose liver seem rather unnecessary.

The salmon cake was also good:  

You must leave room for the signature Pavlova – a lot. If you have a small appetite you’d better skip one of the first two courses, because it’s huge:

The kiwi slice on top should give you an idea how big it is.

Much of it is cream and meringue, which melts quickly in the mouth, leaving only the intangible fruity aroma – like waking up from a sweet dream. This place is worth coming back, even just for the dessert.

I left the restaurant as a puffed lover of Pavlova.