T8 Restaurant & Bar
Add: Xintiandi North Block, Lane 181 Taicang Lu / 太仓路181号，新天地北里
Tel: 6355 8999
Hours: [lunch] 11:30am-2:30pm [afternoon tea] 2:30-5:30pm [dinner] 6:30-11:30pm
Website: www.t8shanghai.com
Price: [dinner] 500+ RMB/person [brunch] 258-498 RMB/person
Visited: Sep 2010
Restaurant Week Stop #2: T8 Restaurant and Bar, Asian-inspired fusion cuisine tucked away in one of the back alleys in Xintiandi.
Like the utensils, dislike the bread.
As part of the Restaurant Week, T8 put together the following menu (lunch 118 RMB/person), starting with poached local baby lobster, Spanish ham, asparagus, burnt onion mayonnaise, radish, crispy rice paper. Alright.
Beijing duck and anise consommé, tempura mandarin spiced duck, spring onion, coriander, pineapple. The duck tempura was more duck liver than duck meat and had an intense flavor that went well with the light consommé. Not a fan of the presentation on sticks though.
Australian Wagyu Beef Striploin Grade 5+, edamame, chanterelles, potato and black garlic, charred peppers. A painting of a dish, with the black stone plate as the canvas and the edamame, chanterelles, potato mousse, and the steak as the colors. Though it came out to be a bit more well-done than as we had ordered, the wagyu was still quite nice especially when paired with the intensely garlicky potato mousse.
Pan Roasted Sea Bass, Spanish puree, seared scallop, shimeji mushrooms, mushroom consomme, sea grass. The sea bass itself was rather bland, but the seared scallop in combination with the sea grass was a delicious, buttery piece of the wide ocean.
“Choco Cherry Sundae” Chocolate and Vanilla Sablé. This was really mostly just whipped cream…more fruits and more sablé please.
Toasted Marshmallow, coffee ice cream, coffee cake soil, glazed figs, lemon balm, local flowers. Liked the flower petals and the coffee cake soil…but the coffee ice cream was already melting as it was brought to my table. Prompt delivery would’ve been nice.
End with a cup of not so great coffee.
T8 seems to be more about flair than food…but a later visit proved to be a better experience.
Looks like their meal has improved and worth trying again.
My first T8 experience with my family wasn’t as pleasant though. Starting by they told me the restaurant was full when there were only one table of dinners. 2 mins later my sister went in and got seats when she spoke “English”.
But then this was many years ago when they first opened…
Unfortunately speaking English is a good way to get good service in Shanghai :(
I am usually skeptical about Best in Fine Dining assertions but T8 Restaurant & Bar has truly lived up to its name. I went and dine for an important business luncheon and my companion (a culinary enthusiast) and I were impressed. From the Foie Gras Journey to the Suckling Pig appetizer, and the well prepared Australian Wagyu Beef Tenderloin and Spiced Lamb Tenderloin, you get what you pay for when you dine at T8. Slightly pricey yes, but it managed to tick-off all my dining requisites: Quality, Service and Fine Dining Ambiance.
The information needs update.T8 brunch prices have changed. 258 for 2 courses, 328 for 3 courses and 498 for 4 courses.
Thanks for the info, I’ve updated accordingly.