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A perfect culinary setting to delight the taste buds
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TEST your taste buds and spoil yourself in the upscale setting of Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen — a venue with an amazing night view of Shanghai’s skyline.
The view and the locale is undeniably a great reason for coming here but the key attraction is the extensive list of fine wines and beautifully presented seasonal dishes.
Executive chef Francisco Javier Araya has been heading the kitchen here since September 2015, with a strong focus on seasonal produce and his very own avant-garde style of cooking.
The Chilean chef has traveled extensively and has experience at Mugaritz and elBulli, as well as working alongside the legendary Ferran Adria. Before joining in Napa, he had joined two fellow elBulli alumni as the executive chef for an 8-seat Tokyo restaurant, 81, marrying Latin American cuisine with Japanese aesthetic and ingredients.
“My philosophy at Napa is the reflection of the season thus we change 70 to 80 percent of the menu every three months,” Javier Araya said. “The current summer menu is dominated by seafood and vegetables and will take your taste buds on a journey of refreshing balance.”
The chef loves to source fresh local produce according to the availability. “I don’t like to use frozen things; the only one item I source from Europe is the Carabinero shrimp from the Mediterranean sea,” he said.
As indicated on the menu of Napa, the restaurant’s concept is to capture seasonal ingredients at their peaks.
Javier Araya specializes in making dishes shine through their simplicity, based on the right amount of cooking temperature and timing.
The clean and subtle flavors of the summer dishes perfectly go with the selected wines for the tasting menu.
The chef’s Chilean root and Asian influence create beautiful sparks. For example, Scallop Ceviche was based on the Chilean Ceviche version yet Asian ingredient ginger had replaced chili to give it an Asian touch. It was relatively mild in seasoning compared to the original Ceviche.
Chilled green pea soup with ricotta and pickled shallots was one of my favorites.
Generous amounts of bright green peas and fresh mint made up this delicious, refreshing healthy chilled soup. When ricotta and pickled shallots are mixed in, the minty flavor got enhanced to another level.
Arroz Verde was another dish I personally liked a lot — the thinly sliced Carabinero shrimp carpaccio atop the spinach arborio rice for a contrast in flavor and texture.
Not to be forgotten are the wines at Napa. It has an impressive underground vaulted cellar featuring rows of fine and rare wines with a main focus on the Old World.
The wine menu is more like a wine bible at Napa. If you are a wine amateur overwhelmed by significant choices, go for the seasonal gourmet experience menu thoughtfully prepared by chef and the sommelier together. The accompanying wine simply elevated the whole experience.
Napa
Opening hours: 6pm-10:30pm
Tel: 6318-0057
Address: 2/F, 22 Zhongshan Rd E2
Average price: 550 yuan (US$73.5)
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