Located down the alley just off of bustling Huanshi Dong Lu, you’ll find 37 Degrees 2, a quaint European styled restaurant specializing in French-Vietnamese cuisine. The restaurant has a large, wraparound outdoor terrace with plenty of seating and an impressive tree canopy to dampen the noisy street below.
Serving weekend brunch, lunch, afternoon tea sets, and dinner, 37 Degrees 2’s menu is extensive: soups, salads, pastas, steaks, fish, seafood and pastries. But when it comes to their set lunch menu, they wisely keep it simple: three courses from a choice of two soups, four salads, and nine main courses for the bargain basement price of RMB33-46. Add a coffee, milk tea or lemon tea for an extra RMB5.
For my soup I chose the sour and spicy fish bisque. Advertised as French, the soup tasted remarkably like a Thai tom yum. The broth was just the right amount of hot, cut with just the right amount of coconut milk. My guest chose the grilled mushroom soup with bacon, which while not as impressive as the bisque, was a respectable take on the classic cream of mushroom soup.
For the salad course I had the smoked duck breast salad with sesame dressing. Served thinly sliced, the duck was lean, and tender. Unfortunately the salad component was little more than iceberg lettuce, and half a cherry tomato drowned in a creamy dressing. My guest had the Vietnamese water chestnut and shrimp spring roll. Accompanied by a similar salad, albeit with romaine lettuce, the crispy spring roll was served with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. As for the contents, the shrimp was a pureed cake as opposed to whole shrimp, which depending on your tastes is either a good or bad thing.
For our mains, my guest chose the sautéed sole fillet with fruit sauce and mashed potatoes. The sole was tender, lightly breaded, and peppery to the taste; not too heavy, and not too light. However it could have done with a bit less of the mystery “fruit sauce”, which quickly congealed and had an odd consistency. I went with the lemongrass pork chop with rice. The boneless pork was lean, and well cooked. It was served with Nuoc Cham, a traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce.
Although neither of us partook in dessert, there was no shortage of stellar looking pastries, available for take-away from the adjoined bakery. The popular choice appearing on several tables was a stacked mille-feuille, or vanilla slice. The generous portion looked large enough to share between two or three people.
Despite a few small grievances, 37 Degrees 2 is a solid lunch option. The setting and service is better than comparable restaurants, and considering the price, is serious bang for your buck. Service is fast if you need to be in an out on a strict lunch break, while the pretty outdoor setting may leave you wanting to linger.
Set lunch served daily from 11:00-14:30 for RMB 33-46, afternoon tea set from 14:30-17:00 for RMB 88 for two.
View the restaurant’s address and contact info here.
