(smartshanghai.com)
Updated: 2008-05-08 15:38

Paulanerwas just a few blocks away, offering a better view, a beer garden (known to non-German's as a "patio"), and better food at lower prices. Shanghai's Hofbrauhaus might as well have printed "doomed" on its steins.

But last week, Hofbrauhaus took over the former "Castle Oktober," a beautiful old villa in the French Concession. With cosy wooden rooms spread over three floors, this venue at last captures the ambiance of a traditional Bavarian restaurant.

Lovely beer garden aside, I pondered if it was smart business to replace a failed German restaurant in a high rent location with another German restaurant.

My initial visit to this Hofbrauhaus was short-lived. Thanks to a construction site next-door, even O'Malley'swith its hordes of kids and red-faced Irishmen posed a quieter alternative.

In the name of good journalism and with my eye on the Pulitzer, I returned for dinner. The menu is even smaller than in the Pudong outlet, and only seven dishes are actually German, while the others are categorized under "International Kitchen." Food is as bland as it is inauthentic, and there isn't nearly enough on the plate. And they charge extra for bread. Once again, Hofbrauhaus chose a location four minutes walking distance from (the much better) Paulaner.

So, why bother you ask? You'll visit the Hofbrauhaus for the same reason its parent branch has been packed for more than 500 years in Munich: the beer. For fans of sweet wheat beer the Hofbrauhaus is a paradise. They serve three excellent self-brewed beers on tap (a dark beer, a lager and a wheat beer). I wasn't surprised to hear my local dinner partner saying it was some of the best beer she'd ever tasted. Beers are priced in the 60rmb-90rmb range for pints.

When the construction next-door ends and the management figures out how to play German music, Hofbrauhaus could potentially become a suitable spot to swig a cool wheat beer this summer. We'll check back later.

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