SmartShanghai | Finestre

Finestre

By Maya Poulton, Mar 26th, 2007 | In Dining

For those of you that have been living under a rock since September, there is a massive club on the Bund called Attica. What not all people realize however is that perhaps the best aspect of Attica is its sister restaurant, Finestre.

My accomplice in gluttony and I dined on a plethora of plates prepared and even served by (!) Chef Sean. And yes, he does do this all the time, even for non-reviewers. He will even humour your ignorant food-related questions and requests with passion and lack of 'tude (which comes in handy when going with vain gay boyfriends that ask for everything on the side).

We were first teased and tantalized by a selection of the 8 antipasti - highlights included the prosciutto and pear with candied crystallized thyme, tomato & artichoke (with bocconcini, basil, and balsamic drizzle), and the roasted vegetables (simplicity perfected ... and ideal for those on a post-weekend-champagne-binge-health food kick). Perhaps my favourite item was the spanikopita (which I feel are very underrated in this city!) with kaffir lime sauce, served over hydroponic weeds (man). Not those salad packs from Carrefour that so many "fine dining" restaurants use. Finally (and before you read further please do realize that we were gluttonous pigs), we had the calamari starter- which was great because it was mostly squid and not so much batter. For 30-80 RMB a plate, the antipasti/appetizers were plentiful and quality items.

The first disappointment (because nothing can be perfect, unless you're being paid to advertise it) were the zucchini courgettes (little fried French things). Although warm and melty in the middle, they had been doused in an amount of salt that would make the Dead Sea jealous. What they accompanied however was 'parfait' - Chef Sean's gourmet version of fishsticks on skewers- swordfish involtini (aka seared steak of the sea), which were far superior to the kind found so plentifully in the frozen foods section of American shops. They were served with charmoula sauce (yes, I did bring a pen and paper to dinner) which is in essence a moroccan "relish" made of oranges and grapefruit.

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