" Best Rolls In The City "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

As the sister restaurant of Beijing's Hatsune, Haiku boasts the same busy casual yet chic atmosphere that serves up unique specialty rolls and traditional japanese cuisine. The food is great here, especially the rolls. Opt for the moto-rolla when ordering for the first time as the melding flavours of avocado, tempura fish and special sauces pair well together with the tobiko and green onion topping. The spicy 118 roll is great if you are looking for a something a little more exciting. It is not too spicy, but perfectly done with tuna and the special 118 spicy sauce. Lastly, I would recommend the clayton roll with the king oyster mushroom topping. It is flavourful and nicely spiced with a perfect blend of fish and rice.

Another must-try is the hatsune seafood salad that consists of fresh romain lettuce, baby tomatoes, onions and carrots topped with fresh cooked shrimp and octopus sashimi. You can choose between three dressings: original prune dressing, miso dressing, and wasabi dressing. We always get the miso dressing, and it tastes great.

Their assorted tempura is well done with a light and airy crust on asparagus, shitake mushrooms, green beans, broccoli, yams, potatoes, and shrimp. There are only two shrimps that come with the assorted, so it is better for you to order an extra shrimp or two when dining with more people.

The green tea soba is nicely flavoured with a hint of green tea, but cold and satisfying when dipped into the soy sauce, quail egg, radish shavings, and green onion. The beef sashimi was fresh and delicious. It is thinly sliced beef with onions served with a ponzu sauce. The assorted sashimi was also fresh and presented nicely.

While the menu shows great variety of both traditional and contemporary japanese cuisines, it is really the rolls that you come to Haiku for. They are unique and you probably won't find them anywhere else! One thing to comment is that the service is decent, but the food is on the slow side when being served.

" The Potential Is There - But What A Pity "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Place with potential – but really what a pity –
The service is terrible – you can order your rolls and for sure each time I went (more than 5) one roll will be bring at your table once you have finished your diner !! – And need to fight not to pay it and explain that you don’t like rolls with your tea or coffee.
The service is very border line, and don’t even talk about the management politesse to welcome you – I guess they have never been in a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo !!! –
What a Pity the potential was there!!

" Power Lunch "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Business lunch at Haiku was very satisfying. Motorola and the England roll were tasty, while the seafood hot pot and miso soup were very nice complements.

This is the first Japanese restaurant that I've eaten at in Shanghai but it stacks up well with slightly above average Japanese food in NYC.

The prices are a bit expensive but understandable for the quality of the food.

" Love Love Love Their Rolls... "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

As I'm originally from California, I can really appreciate the creative freedom they've extended to all their rolls. You can find anything that suits your tastes and even have them tailor-make special requests. The rest of the menu is quite good, but let's face it: people come here for the rolls.

" Sashimi Heaven "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Went here for the first time - an Au Revoir to Shanghai meal. I was taken by how good the food was; especially the Salmon and Ahi sashimi. Just pure melt in your mouth heaven! The quality and freshness was spot on. The Amy rolls were also fantastic. Definitely a place I'd go back to - 420 Yuan for two including Sake...

" Overrated "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Haiku has always been over rated. People go on about the rolls, but we're not sure why, they are very average.

" Haiku Is Going Downhill Fast "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

What was once a great restaurant where, even though expensive, I would happily spend 300-400 RMB for a dinner for two, is now a place I would seriously recommend people to AVOID.

I also must agree with the comments in others reviews that the service at times is dire, but it is the sad deterioration of what was once excellent food that has inspired me to warn others.

Having lived in Shanghai three years, I think I have a reasonably resistant stomach to bad food, but the last three meals at Haiku have resulted in frequent trips to the toilet the following day. Not severe food poisoning but enough to tell me that the fish they serve is no longer cared for in the manner that raw fish requires.

I also ordered delivery last night for two sushi rolls and the taste was actually terrible. The soft shell crab tasted old and the other ingredients were also far from fresh.

That will likely be my last attempt at hoping things have improved. I will have to start the search for a new sushi restaurant to replace my old favourite.

Seriously hope the owner pulls his finger out and sorts out the problems in his flagship location.

" On A Roll "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

HBH was all in all a good experience. After having heard all the praises abouthis place we decided to head there ourselves in a group of four last saturday. First impression, nice decor from the outside, easy to find on the re-re-renovated Taojiang Lu. 2nd impression, no staff at the door, just one busy completely helpless receptionist on the phone.Noto to self: BAD. Ok, we got a great table at the many windows but no real attention by the not scarce staff. What is WRONG with you people? I sit, i need a wet towel, and a tea. Not rocket science, but comon courtesy in OTHER upper class joints. The Sake infused Martini-like Cocktails were nice though. So was the ice cold draft (asahi) after. The choice of rolls is incredible. Even the pickiest diner will find something to his or her liking. If rolls don't do it for you (well, why are you here in the 1st place ?)-there is sushi/sashimi and hot japanese food to choose from. The Beef Tataki for example was sublime (even though we tried the 'normal' variation and not the 288RMB Wagyu one). All in all a very pleasant evening, if you have the right seat AND get the attention of the waitstaff. Still, after the place filled nicely up after 21:00 it got rather noisy. Nevertheless, we will be back for more delicious roll-tasting.

" Good But Please Have The Chef Lay Off The MSG. "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Food once again was very good and prices remain reasonable including those in respect of wine. One critical comment is that there appears to be a bit too much MSG being liberally sprinkled into the sauces or fillings of the sushi.Presumably the sashimi is exempt from this. Not everyone in Shanghai needs an MSG fix when they dine out (togehter with the dry mouth and sore head repercussions that follow the next day) and if Haiku can remedy this and reign in their chefs/cooks in this regard I will be back and also recommend it to others.