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One Ristorante vs Two Critics
By Sam Riley |
January 25, 2009, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THERE is a certain magic in a great restaurant and like most things that have a sprinkling of genius it seems from the outsider to be breathtakingly simple and effortless.
In the restaurant game that elusive harmony between ambiance and style and what appears on the plate is something accomplished restaurateurs seem to know at the level of gut instinct.
In Shanghai, this happy marriage between atmospheric style and culinary substance is the difference between those that survive this notoriously tough restaurant industry and those that fall by the wayside.
And one of the toughest restaurant games going around in this city is the Italian restaurant.
They have sprouted up like mushrooms across Shanghai recently and one wonders how many will still be around in a year when the grip of the financial crisis starts to feel vicelike on the wallets of diners.
Casa Mia is one of the latest offerings in the Italian genre and a case in point in how a restaurant that fails to capture that quicksilver-like restaurant magic struggles to make an impact in Shanghai.
The restaurant is situated on Shimen No. 2 Road near Xinzha Road in Jing'an District. A touch off the main downtown shopping area it faces stiff competition from some well-known competitors situated closer to the office hub of Nanjing Road W.
As a diner, one sits in Casa Mia and is drawn to ponder what is the missing ingredient. For once it is not the food.
First impressions count and the bread basket contains offerings freshly baked on premises, including a fragrant fennel and raisin bread that catches the eye.
The set lunch provides two courses ranging from 58 yuan for a minestrone soup or salad and a margherita pizza to a 68-yuan version with choice of pasta and soup representing good value.
It is no surprise that the restaurant is typically busier over lunch. The minestrone soup is a light-clear broth version packed with vegetables and bacon, but would benefit with some more panache in the seasoning. The pastas range from a hearty tagliatelle alla Bolognese to a spaghetti pesto that will please vegetarians with a quality pesto that doesn't skimp on the basil and a decent serve of vegetables.
Casa Mia also offers a range of pizza (48-78 yuan) cooked in the kitchen's pizza oven that are consistently good, with the pick being the salty flavors of the cosa nostra. Anchovies, salami, capers, black olives and jalapeno chillies make this a robust, bold standout.
Desserts are a highlight, with the kitchen turning out a range of Italian home-style classics, including a well-executed tiramisu and a rich vanilla cheese cake, that is one of the best in town. Diners will have to ask for it because it does not appear on the menu.
But Casa Mia's missing ingredient is simply that it feels like it has an identity crisis.
Its Russian owners have other Italian restaurants overseas. The restaurant can't shake that cookie cutter feel that a winning formula has simply been transplanted to Shanghai with little consideration of the nuances of the local market.
With its polished interior of leather couches and flat screen televisions playing vintage Italian movies, Casa Mia seems neither cosy and intimate enough to be that neighborhood favorite nor poised enough to be a more sophisticated eatery.
In the Italian restaurant market where another similar competitor seems to open for business every other week, Casa Mia, while providing an honest, reasonable value meal, doesn't do enough to stand out from the herd.
Address: 221 Shimen No. 2 Road, Jing'an District (near Xinzha Road)
Tel: 6271-9881, 6271-9883
In the restaurant game that elusive harmony between ambiance and style and what appears on the plate is something accomplished restaurateurs seem to know at the level of gut instinct.
In Shanghai, this happy marriage between atmospheric style and culinary substance is the difference between those that survive this notoriously tough restaurant industry and those that fall by the wayside.
And one of the toughest restaurant games going around in this city is the Italian restaurant.
They have sprouted up like mushrooms across Shanghai recently and one wonders how many will still be around in a year when the grip of the financial crisis starts to feel vicelike on the wallets of diners.
Casa Mia is one of the latest offerings in the Italian genre and a case in point in how a restaurant that fails to capture that quicksilver-like restaurant magic struggles to make an impact in Shanghai.
The restaurant is situated on Shimen No. 2 Road near Xinzha Road in Jing'an District. A touch off the main downtown shopping area it faces stiff competition from some well-known competitors situated closer to the office hub of Nanjing Road W.
As a diner, one sits in Casa Mia and is drawn to ponder what is the missing ingredient. For once it is not the food.
First impressions count and the bread basket contains offerings freshly baked on premises, including a fragrant fennel and raisin bread that catches the eye.
The set lunch provides two courses ranging from 58 yuan for a minestrone soup or salad and a margherita pizza to a 68-yuan version with choice of pasta and soup representing good value.
It is no surprise that the restaurant is typically busier over lunch. The minestrone soup is a light-clear broth version packed with vegetables and bacon, but would benefit with some more panache in the seasoning. The pastas range from a hearty tagliatelle alla Bolognese to a spaghetti pesto that will please vegetarians with a quality pesto that doesn't skimp on the basil and a decent serve of vegetables.
Casa Mia also offers a range of pizza (48-78 yuan) cooked in the kitchen's pizza oven that are consistently good, with the pick being the salty flavors of the cosa nostra. Anchovies, salami, capers, black olives and jalapeno chillies make this a robust, bold standout.
Desserts are a highlight, with the kitchen turning out a range of Italian home-style classics, including a well-executed tiramisu and a rich vanilla cheese cake, that is one of the best in town. Diners will have to ask for it because it does not appear on the menu.
But Casa Mia's missing ingredient is simply that it feels like it has an identity crisis.
Its Russian owners have other Italian restaurants overseas. The restaurant can't shake that cookie cutter feel that a winning formula has simply been transplanted to Shanghai with little consideration of the nuances of the local market.
With its polished interior of leather couches and flat screen televisions playing vintage Italian movies, Casa Mia seems neither cosy and intimate enough to be that neighborhood favorite nor poised enough to be a more sophisticated eatery.
In the Italian restaurant market where another similar competitor seems to open for business every other week, Casa Mia, while providing an honest, reasonable value meal, doesn't do enough to stand out from the herd.
Address: 221 Shimen No. 2 Road, Jing'an District (near Xinzha Road)
Tel: 6271-9881, 6271-9883
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