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Fancy & Formal
The kitchen at underwent a personnel shift this fall. Chef Kevin Cape has moved elsewhere within Shook!'s parent company YTL. Matthew Ona has now taken his place. His entry into Shanghai was with Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen back in 2009. After a two and a half year stint there he spent a few months at . With Cape at the helm, Shook's menu was too broad. There, Southeast Asian delicacies like laksa and gato gato juxtaposed with steaks and chops. Ona's pared it all down and given it some focus. Only a few awkward obligations like their "jumping prawns" smothered in mayonnaise remains. If his work at Napa is any indicator, his should be worth a try. And at an oddly priced 323rmb per person, that's pretty decent value too. You can learn more about it .
Speaking of Napa, they've got a new chef, too: Patrick Dang. If you've lived here long enough, you might recognize that name from when he ran the kitchen at . I haven't tried his Napa food yet, but his menu descriptions sound intriguing. His Thanksgiving dinner got all metaphysical with a "Thanks for all the elements of nature" theme. Heady stuff. For he's cooking langoustine carpaccio with ossetra caviar and vanilla creme fraiche, caramelized black cod with citron miso, roasted muscovy duck breast with medjool date and duck confit samosas, and more. Admittedly, none, if any, of it's traditional, but you're in China for Christmas; that's probably not traditional either. Live a little. Also, Napa's moving to next year. This will be the last Christmas they celebrate in that unique shikumen space. 620rmb per person. Add 480rmb for wine pairings.
Or, you could celebrate a first. has just opened up on the North Bund. The luxury resort's Western restaurant is serving a six-course of French oysters in champagne, foie gras cr猫me br没l茅e, king crab, roast turkey, black cod "al pil pil" and a chocolate dessert. That's 1088rmb+15% per person. For every 2000 kuai you spend 鈥� pretty easy to do that here, I might add 鈥� you'll get a chance to win a two-night stay with breakfast for two in any Banyan Tree property in China. Bonus.
is one of my favorite restaurants for any special occasion, let alone holidays. For five years they've been doing, hands down, the best steaks in town. Their dinner is several courses of classics like pan-seared foie gras with pineapple reduction, grilled rack of spring lamb with mushroom risotto, stone-roasted USDA prime filet au poivre and, for dessert, a chocolate fondant. That's all 888rmb per person.
Finally, there is . These guys no doubt have some talent in the kitchen. I mean, they got three stars in Hong Kong. But what impresses me more about 8 1/2 is its wine and spirits program. They've had a revolving door for wine titans all year, and have you ever gone for a cocktail in their lounge around back? To cap it off, they've put together a with seasonal specialties such as roasted venison loin, chestnut soup and homemade lasagna. For a little extra money, they'll pair each course with wines like Cakebread Sauvigon Blanc and Banfi Brunlello di Montalcino. Price is 988rmb per person. For dinner plus some really primo wine pairings it's 1888rmb. A 10% service charge applies. Pricey, but still not crazy for this kind of quality.
Less Fancy, Less Formal
is another place that has impressed me this year. I'm not entirely sold on the decor, but I love the concept: simple food and unique wine that you can actually afford. Their sounds tasty. It starts with a Sauternes cocktail and an amuse bouche and then on to a foie terrine. For the mains, you've got a choice of roasted salmon or duck confit parmentier (that's basically French for "shepherd's pie"). After that, it's a brie cheese tartine followed up with a roasted pineapple tart. That's 298rmb per person. Meanwhile, you can get tanked on some very reasonably priced wine (though that's not included in price).
Or, for you health-conscious types out there, there's . Their is a three-course meal for 389rmb per person. This gets you several starters like steamed mussels, chicken consomme and cold cuts, plus stuffed chicken for a main, lemon pie for dessert, and a glass of bubbly. They're taking reservations only until December 21, I guess they're taking this Mayan calendar thing pretty seriously...
Buffets
Of course, if you've got youngsters in tow, the buffet circuit might be more your speed. is a good bet. From 11am to 4pm they'll be serving a of "Christmas Classics." They wouldn't go into specifics with us, but you can probably deduce what that entails: turkey, ham, yams, mashed potatoes... They've got English folk working for that company too, so maybe a Yorkshire pudding or two? Don't quote me on that... Price for this is 350rmb.
all-day dining restaurant no long sits next to a construction site, which is a good thing. Their buffet will feature, again, an array of holiday classics. Again, you can safely assume that there will be no shortage of roast fowl, ham, tuberous roots boiled, mashed and flavored with cream and butter. Maybe some cruiciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts, too. There'll be all that in addition to their normal selection of seafood and dim sum. For 1188rmb per person you get all that and free-flow booze and champagne. Oh, and Santa will pay a visit at some point in the evening, so look alive.
Family Style
I like the looks of what has in the works, too, in spite of the awfully alliterative "family-style feast of festive favorites," that it's described as in (God, I really hope those aren't my words...) Chef Adam Levin's doing his roast turkey with glazed ham and USDA roast prime rib, with all the requisite sides. More importantly, drinks are free-flowing. That means loads of eggnog, mulled wine, California red and white wine, beers and soft drinks.488rmb per person.
Arguably the coolest-looking restaurant to open this month, Capo is doing a traditional Italian Christmas dinner that they've aptly titled . Dinner is four courses of Italian Christmas classics and Chef Enzo Carbone's special roast turkey stuffed with chestnuts and prunes. Parties of eight to 10 get a whole turkey for the entire table. That's 588rmb for adults, 288rmb for children.
As always, you can click on our Christmas Events Page for a more detailed rundown of where to dine and party for the holidays. Everything should be there.
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