A Chinese take on an Italian Cafe

by Zach Etkind
on Friday, December 09, 2011 12:00 AM

Having been around for 9 years and with two locations in the Jing’An and HongQiao districts of Shanghai, Tima Harbour Café has become a popular Italian eateries among locals. Owner John Wang has always had passion for Italian cuisine and opened his first Italian restaurant and café while living abroad in Melbourne Australia. However, after noticing the growing interest in Italian cuisine in China, he decided it was finally time to open a classic Italian style café in Shanghai.

Tima Harbour, located on Zhenning Rd, features two floors filled with an assortment of comfortable chairs, couches, and tables. The first floor is non-smoking and has a bar where customers can order a variety of Italian desserts and wine, as well as Lavazza coffee imported straight from Italy.  Currently the second-floor is geared towards either patrons looking for a more private setting or ones that simply want to enjoy a few cigarettes with their coffee.  Both floors are quite large and the staff is attentive enough to ensure everyone is adequately catered to.

When it comes to the menu, Tima Harbour offers an impressive array of Italian favorites. Those looking for a simple lunch can choose from a wide selection of sandwiches, soups, salads and appetizers.  One of the most popular of these lighter options is the Minestrone Soup (RMB38), which is filled with chunks of zucchini, onion, carrot, celery, cabbage, chickpeas, beans, eggplant, and bacon. With such hearty ingredients, this soup could be a lunch all its own. Another popular starter is the Antipasto for two (RMB75). For main courses, Tima Harbour offers anything from pizzas, risottos, and pastas (RMB40-70) to fancier meat and seafood dishes (RMB98-168).  According to John, the pasta and steak dishes are the most popular among his patrons. We, however, decided to order the Seafood Risotto (RMB108), which contained large pieces of lobster, shrimp, and salmon. The lobster and shrimp tasted extremely fresh and the creaminess of the risotto was the perfect compliment to the salmon, which is often served too dry.

While some people may be skeptical of an Italian restaurant with a Chinese manager and chef and which caters to a local audience, they might be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the ingredients and the service of Tima Harbour if willing to give it a chance.