[Shanghai] Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen (2)

NAPA Wine Bar & Kitchen

Add: 2F South Bund 22, 22 Zhongshan Dong Er Lu / 上海市中山東二路22號2樓近新永安路
Tel: 6318 0057
Hours: [lunch] Tue-Fri 12-2:30pm, Sat-Sun 12-4pm [dinner] 6-11pm
Price: [brunch] 238 RMB + 15%/person, drinks extra [dinner] 500 RMB/person
Website: www.napawinebarandkitchen.com
Visited: Dec 2010

Venue has now moved to Bund 22. This review refers to the original Jiangyin Lu location.

I was absolutely enchanted with Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen when I first visited in October 2009. The combination of delicious food, warm service, and elegant setting still occupies a corner of my memory till this day. With high expectations, I went back again this past Sunday. The dining room was lovely as always, and the service still attentive. However, a new chef was in throne, bringing with him a new style of cooking that is home-styled and rustic, as opposed to the more sophisticated, meticulously-plated dishes that wowed me during my first visit.

The interior was bright and comfortable, with warm Christmas music in the air.

We started the meal with a bottle of wine, and since Napa was having a Christmas wine promotion, we tried another one, and another one, and another one, and ended up bring more than a few bottles home.

The menu has been shortened significantly and now contains less variety, and everything is served family style. The only thing remaining unchanged is that you can still order an unlimited amount of each dish.

Appetizers: house cured salmon and beef carpaccio with Parmesan cheese and champagne vinaigrette. Both dishes were simple, fresh, and a pleasure to eat.

Second courses: chestnut soup with rouge duck confit and wild herbs, and roasted mushroom vol au vent. I absolutely loved the chestnut soup, a little ode to the winter with its soul-warming wholesomeness. The roasted mushroom vol au vent, chunks of juicy mushrooms in thick gravy nestled in flaky cursts, was also delicious.

Main courses: black pig honey roasted ham and roasted lamb shanks, served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Nothing seems particularly remarkable about the main courses – they were served in huge portions, unadorned – until I tasted the pork. Though slightly on the salty side, it was juicy and full of flavor from the onions. The lamb shank, on the other hand, was rather bland – I couldn’t barely finish half of piece.

The dessert sampler was the trio of creme brulee, a fruit tart, and a vanilla ice-cream puff. Everything was alright, but nothing stood out as extraodinary.

Dessert wine to finish.

The dishes were overall very satisfying, but I do prefer the old fine dining style better as the homey cooking just doesn’t seem to fit the elegant interior. Having said that, Napa is still be a lovely brunch spot worth visiting.

And we went home with…