The inviting environment of Trattoria Isabelle sits in an ideal location on the sleepy pedestrian street of Xing An Road, an offshoot of Yan Dang Road. Long rumored to be a refuge for insiders seeking simply prepared, home-style Italian food, Trattoria Isabelle has managed to escape most of the glare from the expat media limelight. When trolling the expat discussion forums, reactions to Trattoria Isabelle are varied - there are fanatics and the dismissive alike. I'm unsure of what to make of this as my friend Sherry and I stroll towards the entrance and push through the door.
Take one step inside and you understand the appeal of the intimate, dimly-lit interior, and why Trattoria Isabelle scores such high marks for ambience. The unassuming three-story house sits one in a row of similar buildings. In contrast to the rather plain exterior, inside is lovely and unpretentious, with dark hardwood floors and original architectural details. Absent is the overly-slick decor that seems to plague so many restaurants in our commercial capital; in its place is low-key charm.
My online nosing around produced some worthy intelligence - one of the draws to Trattoria Isabelle is the lunch set, where for 38-48rmb you can choose from pasta or pizza and also receive a salad and a choice of soft drink, coffee, or tea. I like this option because how well a restaurant turns out set menu items (have the salads been prepped hours ahead of time and been drying out since then?) is often a useful litmus test, and the fact that coffee is included as an option for a set beverage. Caffeine is one of my major food groups. My coffee arrives quickly after being ordered, another brownie point.
Our meal begins with an impressive bread basket - focaccia, brioche, bread sticks. I am definitely appreciative - finding good bread in Shanghai can sometimes prove daunting. In the absence of table olive oil, our request for butter is accommodated immediately, and the correct term for it provided (Sherry attempted the Cantonese translation, cow oil, but our northern counterparts use the term, yellow oil). After our server sets down the green salads - another sticking point for me - I decide that Isabelle has potential. The salad is so simple it's nearly unadorned, but the mixed greens are fresh, properly spun, and lightly dressed, not soggy or drowning in dressing. The vinaigrette is nicely balanced and there's a light smattering of cherry tomatoes and olives. Our consensus: so far, so good. Minimalist. We can dig it.
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