By Sophie Steiner
On days like this, you can hear winter’s last dying breath fading as spring peeks her floral-covered head out, beckoning the sun to shine a little brighter, the birds to sing a little louder, and Shanghai to finally wake the f*ck up.
Hibernation time is over; no more excuses. Shanghai’s F&B scene is busting out the A-game, bringing forth all the ideas that have been lurking in the trenches these last few years due to COVID.
Everyone’s got a new menu, a new concept, a new chef to trial, and after living at a snail’s pace lately, Shanghai is ready to spread those wings and soar. Let’s see what you got.
8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana
An extension of the three Michelin Star venue (of the same name) in Hong Kong, Chef Bombana and Executive Chef Gabriele Delgrossi from Milan have recreated the same lux, fine dining affair on the north Bund at now two Michelin Star venue 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, the *spoiler alert* That’s Shanghai 2022 Food & Drink Awards Restaurant of the Year.
This month saw the launch of the seasonal Winter Truffle Menu (RMB3,380) – a lavish eight-course set that will be available through mid-March, featuring truffles from southern France included in six out of the eight dishes.
Thoughtful wine pairings curated by F&B Director Gian Luca Fusetto are also available for an additional RMB2,380.
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The meal experience begins with freshly baked bread, sliced tableside and still steaming – filling the room with a yeasty perfume. It’s served with your choice of olive oil, spanning an aromatic Sicilian blend to a delicately herbaceous Puglian alternative with a slightly bitter, earthy finish.
An amuse bouche of fresh mozzarella siphoned into subtly acidic tomato water and sprinkled with dried tomato powder whets the appetite.
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Alternating pleats of paper-thin slivers of green apple are interspersed with delicately marinated Japanese yellowtail carpaccio as the Ricciola.
A gasp of calamansi vinegar is contrasted against smoked superior Oscietra caviar from Sichuan that adds a nuanced salinity that salt or soy alone couldn’t provide.
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Undertones of tartness from pickled morel mushrooms pervade the Manzo, an M7 Wagyu beef tenderloin tartare plated with dots of buffalo ricotta cheese gel marinated in mascobado dark sugar and a velvety quenelle of mushroom bavarese – or Bavarian cream – that acts as a runny yolk, lending a lushness to the ambrosial bite.
Here, it’s double truffle, rather than double trouble, with truffle mixed into the tartare and shaved on top.
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Curiously, the beef is paired with a skin contact Pinto Grigio, rosé in hue, rather than a hefty red, due to the wine’s structured full body and depth of flavor that matches the tartare’s bold tastes.
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Lurking beneath a sheath of tableside shaved fresh black truffle, the Capasanta – a pan-seared Hokkaido scallop – floats in a mushroom and anchovy extraction, while crisp Jerusalem artichoke cubes add a textural contrast.
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An alps butter, 36-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano and truffle cream sauce slickly coats curling Fettuccine pasta ribbons, anchoring them to the plate.
All swaddled in more freshly shaved black truffle, of course.
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Traditional Milanese saffron Risotto is textbook precise, showcasing al dente rice kernels, each experienced individually on the tongue.
The addition of pudgy roasted quail breast, crispy bits of aged duck breast prosciutto, and aromatic sage round out this clandestine and coveted recipe.
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Gently steamed, supple Boston lobster is best savored when swiped down the middle of the two amber-hued sauces as the Astice.
First, cabbage is marinated for seven days before the juice is extracted and reduced down into a sticky jam of sorts, while a lighter lobster consommé is steeped with star anise and butter, showcasing how Chef Gabriele derives matchless flavors with fastidious care.
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The meal culminates in a crescendo of charred New Zealand Te Mana lamb ribs, glazed with Sicilian Marsala wine, lamb jus, and baked garlic cream – resulting in a glistening rack of mutton as the Agnello course.
Puffy smoked leek and potato cream round out the plate.
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Both a play on words and the senses, the Tartufo is a chocolate covered truffle – of the dessert variety – shaped like a black truffle – of the mushroom variety.
Crack open the outer chocolate shell to reveal a bulls-eye of layers: whipped white chocolate and truffle ganache – the fungi’s earthy musk juxtaposed against decadent, treacly cocoa butter; port-marinated cherries; and a truffle gelato center.
It’s an opulent truffle enigma designed by none other than Head Pastry Chef Jacky Zhao.
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Chef Jacky also recently upgraded the meal’s finish with a stunning set of Petit Fours.
On our most recent visit, we filled ourselves to the brim with chestnut mousse chocolates, mini black currant macaroons, pistachio mousse pearls, Sichuan pepper mascarpone cream cakes, and star anise, fennel and white chocolate bonbons – artfully presented in bone-white custom-made serving dishes designed to fit the petite four display.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That’s
Image by Sophie Steiner/That’s
Not into truffles, but still interested in the Bombana experience?
No problem. The restaurant also offers a six-course Degustation Menu (RMB1,980) with optional wine pairings for RMB1,080, plus an expansive list of a la carte starters, pastas and mains.
For lunch, there’s a four-course set for RMB888, available Wednesday-Saturday.
For those visiting Beijing, the one Michelin star branch, Opera Bombana, is celebrating its 10 year anniversary this year. Also operated by Gian Luca, it maintains the same look and feel as the one we know and love here in Shanghai.
Bambino
Chef Lucky Lasagna’s neighborhood trattoria, Bambino – *spoiler alert* the That’s Shanghai 2022 Food & Drink Awards Casual Italian Restaurant of the Year winner (yup, its awards season) – is set to launch a weekday lunch menu this March.
It’s actually already available at weekends, so we were lucky enough to snag a sneak peek and are currently counting down the days until we can score these Italian comfort eats on the daily.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That’s
The menu lasers in on the classic Italian flavors Chef Lucky craves from home, presented in a way that won’t have you asleep at your desk by 2pm.
Think lighter portions but still that same homey thread running through each plate.
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A flaky, buttery grissone breadstick is cut lengthwise and topped with housemade ricotta, diced tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and crushed pistachios as the Bruschetta (RMB72).
Humble in its ingredients yet executed with the utmost care, each bite changed our perception of an appetizer that all too often becomes an afterthought at so many other venues.
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Green minestrone is the Soup (RMB48) of the season, featuring winter vegetables like Chinese shan yao – or mountain yam – zucchini, spring peas, celery and basil, topped with a garlic-forward broccoli pesto.
It’s a spring garden in a bowl that makes it all the easier (and tastier) to get your daily serving of five.
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Chef Lucky Lasagna endorses the Formaggi (RMB108) as the best cheese’s he’s ever eaten, and after just one nibble, we get why.
This Occelli-sourced cow and goat milk cheese from Piedmont, Italy is aged 18 months in chestnut leaves, resulting in a Roquefort-esque funk and a Pecorino sharpness, mellowed by Chevre’s creaminess.
The crystallized, crispy edges give way to a creamy mouthfeel that just melts into the warmth of your tongue – each nuanced flavor experienced individually, then as a whole, like an epiphany of cheese.
We recommend first tasting it on its own for the full effect, followed by a shmear of it on toast with the accompanying chestnut jam, walnuts and a syrupy caramelized pear wedge.
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Spring has come early with the seasonal Salad (RMB78) – a refreshing toss of sugarsnap and snow peas, radicchio, arugula, whorls of celery, crispy chickpeas and salty feta, tossed in a house vinaigrette.
A zippy hint of horseradish adds extra bite.
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A modern Italian-American interpretation of a Big Mac, the “Big Mike” Panino (RMB108) truly is the McDonalds classic on steroids… just with a lot more expressive hand-gesturing, passion for football and rolling Rs.
The short rib is braised overnight in basically the entire spice cabinet – cloves, cinnamon, mustard seeds, ginger, dried chilis, coriander, coffee beans… the list could go on – then dried outside for a day, followed by an overnight slow-cooked session in the oven with a balsamic glaze.
It’s a labor of love, with zero shortcuts (we’re looking at you, sous vide machine), that can be tasted in every shmaltzy morsel – from the succulent ruffles of meat to the crackly scorched bark that forms on the outside from caramelized sugar, rendered fat and smoke.
Following a hefty scoop of short rib, the pagnottella style bread (think an artisanal Italian ciabatta roll) is stacked with marinated capsicum, pickles, caramelized onions, and a gooey cheese spread made from bechamel and melted cheddar.
Wine merchant’s sauce – a beef jus reduction – is served on the side, a sauce we could drizzle atop cardboard and happily still eat.
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The Gino Panino (RMB98) is the pride of Italian paninis in one sandwich – piquant Nduja sausage topped with cured Coppa ham, mozzarella, rocket and eggplant pickles.
Each thoughtful ingredient adds balance in flavor and texture so that the sandwich hits every high note, brought together with that powerful toasted crunch.
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But these paninis are just the beginning. Chef Lucky’s got other scrumptious combinations in the works.
Think sandwiches focused around stewed tripe, braised eel, frog or crawfish, all set to be released in the coming months.
Iced Tea with Sicilian Lemon (RMB40), Image by Sophie Steiner/That’s
Image by Sophie Steiner/That’s
A handful of other dinner items make their way onto the lunch menu – namely a few pastas and desserts – but the focus will be the mix-and-match options: choose your own permutation of a half salad, half panini and/or a cup of soup, rotating regularly for seasonality.
Bambino600 Shanxi Bei Lu, by Xinzha Lu 陕西北路600号，近新闸路.
