" Osteria! Just AWESOME! "

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

Wow! We've only been in Shanghai a year and a 1/2 or so and have tried many, many noted places on the Shanghai Dining Scene (with terrible experiences at a few, recently), but after our recent experience at Osteria, we truly have to say it's one of, if not THE best dining experience we've had. Everything seemed to be perfect!

We were led to a great table for 2 upstairs in the non-smoking area, and started with a couple of pre-dinner cocktails prior to ordering wine w/ dinner. We selected a flight of oysters to start, and although they were out of 2 of the 3 types they typically included on the platter (due to a shipping delay), we opted for 1/2 dozen of each of what they offered and couldn't have been more pleased. The French fine de claire's were amazingly fresh, cold, salty and tasted of the ocean in all it's glory. Perfect start, along with the fresh baked bread basket that was served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Next, a kind gentleman (owner? gm?) approached our table to share with us their prixe fixe specialty menu (198rmb) which included unlimited antipasti and hot appetizers, in addition to a chosen main and dessert. Was fabulous! The starters were terrific and in great, simple portions. I selected soft shell crab as my main, and my husband selected the filet. Both were outstanding. The highlight was the gnocchi. The best I've ever had..soft, light pillows of perfectly cooked gnocchi swimming in an unbelievably rich, creamy butter, cream and cheese sauce...we ordered seconds of the dish and can't wait to return for more! Dessert was light and simple, and was a perfect ending.

The only downside I could say we experienced was the stench of cigar smoke that wafted up the stairwell making the non-smoking section we were seated in, now part of the smoking section. The restaurant allowed cigar smokers to sit and smoke at the base of the stairwell leading upstairs, and therefore the upstairs patrons had to endure the unpleasantness smell while they dined. While it didn't necessarily spoil our evening, it put a slight dent into the overall experience, but a small price to pay for excellence. Woo hoo, Osteria! Can't wait to return...and with lots of friends! Kudos!

" Great Cosy Restaurant "

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

Great cosy place. Food is great, nice atmosphere, great service, we love it.

" Best Dinner In Shanghai In August "

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

I went there with my friend who has been raving about Osteria's oyster selection for weeks...service was friendly and efficient, even warm without being invasive. That night oysters from the US were available and these are not my favourites so I went for the smoked salmon/gravlax and it was OH SO GOOD!! The Chilean Riesling we ordered was value for money, the cold cuts were very good and varied. A relaxing night in a beautiful cosy restaurant in Shanghai with VERY good food and warm but discreet people is something rare enough to be mentioned. I have been talking about Osteria everyday since then and am planning to go back tonight for my last night out of the month :)

" Recommendable For Oyster Fans "

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

Icy martini with a trio of olives: resuccitated me up after trawling through typhoon rain to get to jinxian lu

subdued lighting and easy listening: soothing enough at 8.30 on a tuesday evening

the decor of stripped, chinese lane^housish slate (?) brick walls and low-hanging lanterns: exuding warmth, but not obtrusive

seven lovely oysters from Washington State, seven milky tears of the sea, lying on a bed of white ice: squeeze ze lemons and douse with rasperry vineagar, slurp, chew, and find yourself taken far, far away from the murk and muck of most seafood in shanghai.

(the oysters were so truly delicious, it brought out my inner walrus)

the little wooden carrying box of breads and bread^sticks and such with a bottle of olive oil: all warm (the bread that is, though may not be freshly baked) and all nice to chew onbetween bouts of oyster slurping

three glasses of complimentary wine: nothing brilliant, but does the job.

antipasti familigia: quite a platefull of things: salami (pepperoni?), cured raw ham, a spicy Italian sausage, artichoke hearts, grilled bell peppers, and a nice rucola salad. All rather benign, but heavy on the salt. My wife, being slightly meat-averse, though the salami to be pig-sweaty and condensed pig smell... but I thought it functional. Unexpected rolled-up slice of eggplant had a pleasant, herby taste and crunch. Found the inexplicable pinneaple pieces in italian anti-pasto actually nice to cut all the piggy tastes with.

Bufalla mozarella: haphazard presentation but that uplifting punch of basil wetted the slightly dulling apetite

pizza osteria: promising thin crust and classic presentation of asparagus heads, artichokes, mozarella. first bite and was immediately tasting the sugar in the dough. you don't want to taste sugar in the dough (unless you are eating pastry or brioche or something desserty) or so i think. cut the sugar in the dough, i say, but then maybe they are catering to a more shanghai taste where things have to be so unnecessarily sweet. dunno. but i hate noticable sugar in my pizza crust.

tiramisu: nice texture and yummy, no doubt, but seems feeble, lacking that something. maybe that coffee liquor or zabagilone (checked the spelling there) kick. very comforting and undemanding dessert, but the orange mandarin slices with lime shavings on top of a chocolate smear on the side made it less boring. I'd leave the orange and lime at the end to get a real "ti ra mi su".

With coffee and two glasses of wine (plus three from the oyster set for tuesdays), 650 kuai.

Very happy campers, but next time I'm going to go for the 14 oyster set (or was that 17) and stick to my inner walrus. recommendable for oyster fans

" Empty Pizzas "

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

Went to Osteria for lunch. The place was empty and yet we had to wait more than 40 minutes for our pizzas to be served. When they finally came they were so bad they were almost unedible. Cheap ingedients and poorly prepared pizza dough. Don't go.

" Sunday Night BYO Wine - Great Experience "

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

I had read mixed reviews of Osteria but decided to give it a try based on a friend's recommendation. I read an advertisement about their Sunday night "Bring Your Own Wine" night (no corkage), which seemed like a great idea since my wife and I have a lot of wine at home, but few opportunities to drink it, given the abundance of Chinese food here...

Anyway, the place was not too busy, and service was great. The environment is tasteful, rustic and laid back. There seemed to be a trainee and a manager, with the manager clearly understanding what good service was all about, and between the two of them, we were well attended too.

They decanted our wine for us and brought out complementary bread very quickly and was replenished just as quickly . Dishes were family style, so my wife and I both ate as dishes came out. Food was good - not Jean Georges good - but good, and for 8 RMB, I think this is one of the best values around. Gnocchi and other pasta was tasty, and ribs with polenta were very good. Chicken was a bit bland, but I had a bit of a cold that night so I probably missed some of the flavor. For dessert, we had profiteroles and tirimisu - both very good.

Overall I was really pleased with Osteria, and we will definitely return and will tell friends. They "get it" - good service, good food and an excellent value - especially the BYO wine night!

I am not affiliated with the restaurant in anyway - just someone who is generally disappointed with western restaurants in Shanghai, but who wants to give props to the few who get it right.