/ Reviews / Italian
Spaghetti with a Splash of Paint
by Jaki Faulkner
on Friday, April 02, 2010 12:00 AM
There seem to be so many budget Italian restaurants in Shanghai you can almost step off the street anywhere and walk into one. In fact, that's just what we did the other day.
Grazie on DaGu Road opened five months ago and is co-owned by Chef Jonny Jiang, who lived and studied in Italy for seven years, where he completed his master's degree in restaurant management. He greets his customers warmly at the door with a huge smile and a cigarette in hand, as if we've been teleported back to Italian osterias in a time before Euro-wide smoking bans.
Jumbling together a bit of background muzak and some simple décor, the place is hushed and quiet, with plenty of space. Abandoned on a nearby table, a forlorn cup of some previous diner's milk tea lies half drunk. Clusters of small, simple and mildly quirky design features are dotted about the diner, including a set of wall murals done by Jonny himself.
Taking the common idea of private rooms down a more artistic path, upstairs spaces are available for painting parties on weekends and in the evenings, starting from RMB150 per person. Hiring a dedicated painting teacher and working in conjunction with AJ@P, the Paintmob crew, Grazie facilitates a mini conclave for burgeoning Picassos and would-be Rembrandts. Before, during and after these creative diversions, you can also eat and drink to your heart's content.
Despite these fun concept innovations, the Carpaccio de Manzio, a thinly sliced beef tenderloin scented with mushrooms and arugula salad (RMB60), failed to display any similar artisanship. A redeeming Insalata Mista was next up, which is only RMB30 and a decent munch.
Most starters range from RMB30-55 and their Antipasti are RMB50-75. The Gnocchi alle Moci e Zola, scattering walnuts and gorgonzola cheese sauce through the dish (RMB65), is worthwhile. You'll also find all those nice, regular-sounding mains and pizzas for around RMB60-80. The bolognaise pizza arrives with a perfectly thin crust and is accompanied by a very good homemade chili oil.
If you should find yourself craving an evening at home, you can instead just buy the Italian condiments from the restaurant, and go home to cook up your own batch of palatable pasta.
The Bottom Line: Budget-priced Italian eatery; not a lot of thrills but reasonable considering the price range.
