[Radar]: The Geisha

Pictures by Joshua Tintner / SmartShanghai

 

Area: The intersection of Sha'anxi Lu near Fuxing Lu. Wining and dining-wise there aren't many offerings on this corner, except a Yakiniku joint and a gelateria up the road a piece.

What it is: The latest move in Collective Concepts' rapid expansion campaign. Last year they brought us the wildly popular Apartment and followed it up with The Food Central not even four months ago. Not even a SNAFU at the still-yet-to-open Portman House development on Jianguo Lu could deter this opening. With three concepts up and running in such a short time, I assume an extended period of laurel resting is in order for Collective Concepts.

The Geisha offers three services: a restaurant, a club, and a lounge. The restaurant occupies the ground floor, so let's start with that. To helm the kitchen they've brought in a young chef by the name of Hashida Kenjiro, but you can call him "Hatch." Hatch was born and raised right next to Tokyo's world famous Tsukiji Fish Market. His father is a chef and owns a restaurant bearing their family name, so you could say that Hatch has got a leg up, genetically speaking. It should work in his favor as he was only thrown into the mix about a week before opening. There was already the beginnings of a menu in place by Mark Baar, Collective Concepts' executive chef. Hatch had some of his own recipes ready from the moment he touched down on the tarmac. Some of them are quite promising, like a vichyssoise, that classic creamy cold potato and leek soup, made with a dashi stock and pureed with the leafy Japanese herb shiso. Another dish to look for is his avocado salad tossed with chunks of pork, shrimp, and peach. If these dishes aren't getting the point across, his hairdo will. Hatch has little use for rigid tradition. He's keen to mix it up and experiment.

Other items on the menu are pretty much what you'd expect in a place like Geisha: Japanese cuisine with some gaijin influences here and there. There is a long menu of maki selections with novelty names like "The Foolish Monkey" (yellow tail, salmon, eel, tobiko, and cucumber) and "Ho Chi Minh's Horse" (tuna, hamachi, salmon, gobo, and chives). The sashimi selection is pretty standard. No surprises there. And there's a small mains section with dishes like center-cut salmon with a crispy tonkatsu-like crust, and for the big spenders, a wagyu steak with that Pac Rim standby wasabi mashed potatoes.

That's the "F" portion of this if F&B operation. Onto the "B." The next two floors are dedicated to it. Cocktails, once again, come courtesy of George Nemec, whose work you've likely sipped at the Apartment and Food Central as well as Lost Heaven, and Hof. Drinks attempt to invoke themes and flavors of Japan, like the "Yamazaki Julep" with Japanese whiskey, plum wine, simple syrup, and mint. Or there is the "Bamboo Cocktail" with Amontillado sherry, dry vermouth and orange bitters served martini style. They're also working on barrel-aged cocktails, which should be available in the coming weeks. And if you're into the whole pure Japanese drinking culture thing, there is a small selection of sakes and shochus available as well.

Atmosphere: Once again, RED Design is responsible for the design and in light of some of its recent studies in corporate cookie cutter aesthetics -- think Element Fresh or glo London -- this is one of the firm's better efforts. The dining room is a small, candlelit affair. Beatific Buddha statues smile upon you from every corner and provocative pictures of sushi served on the female form line the walls. A second floor club is fitted with spacious booths wrapping around tables with built-in champagne buckets. The walls are splashed with collages of Japanese urban life and painted geishas posed like pin-up girls. Behind the bar is an installation of TV monitors flashing montages of manga and other Japanese cultural touchstones. Toward the back is a bathtub of polished concrete reserved for nightly geisha entertainment. Beyond that, a DJ booth and just a enough space for a few people to dance. Upstairs you can take refuge from the nnn tsss nnn tsss in the sake lounge and rooftop terrace on the third floor.

Damage: First course plates range from 58 to 128rmb. Signature dishes, 108-528rmb. Nigiri sushi is 20 to 35rmb with a few "market prices" here and there for things like fatty tuna. Maki are either 88 or 98rmb. Surprisingly, steamed rice is free. Desserts are 118rmb across the board. Cocktails are anywhere between 60 and 80rmb, or there are the teapot cocktails for 190rmb (serves two or three). Sake and shochu are 240 to 775rmb per bottle.

Who's going: Judging from the A-listers in attendance at the grand opening, it seems like Collective Concepts is trying to hit a more local demographic with this spot. I'm not so sure about that. It lacks most of the hallmarks of success you find in your 88s, your Dubais, and your Paramounts. But it seems to have all of those elements that have worked well for The Apartment, namely, atmosphere. So look there for your answer.

First impressions: As a nightlife spot, it's solid. There are plenty of interesting drinks to warrant return visits. But, if they're really going to do this whole "Japanese" thing, why not really commit to the role and get a serious shochu and sake selection? Nevertheless, like its predecessor on Yongfu Lu, The Geisha is unique by Shanghai standards, classy without feeling too exclusive, and the terrace wins it some points, too. As for the restaurant, it has promise as well. Hatch has made some fun and interesting contributions. I want more. Ideally, he'd co-opt the rest of the menu and return the items like wasabi mashed potatoes back to the mid 90's where they belong.