Restaurant Review: Sabatini

What: Classic, but unpretentious Italian fare

Where: 1717 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Huashan Lu.Tel: 3127 8577

Why: Tried and true dishes, with a few hints of innovation

A chain that harkens back to Rome in 1954, Sabatini is a family-owned business. Despite their international presence, the brothers who started the restaurant more than half a century ago still check in on the menu of Roman favourites, but it’s by the hand of the Brown Sugar group that Sabatini has made its way to Shanghai, taking up residence in Wheelock Square next to the group’s recently-opened Japanese concept DOZO.

The space is big and airy, with tall ceilings accentuated by floor-to-ceiling windows – a pain to heat in the winter, but it projects a subtle fine dining feel. Soft chandeliers and tableside lamps give you the intimacy you need with your food.

For starters, the Roman Antipasti Table (RMB 138) was underwhelming. In the mozzarella and eggplant combo, the cheese was flavourless and the eggplant needlessly chewy. An assortment of fried seafood lost its crispness, while the rest of the platter barely registered for us.

We cleaned our palate with a clean and simple porcini mushroom consommé (RMB 98), and moved on to our fish course. The sea bass in a light tomato consommé (RMB 228) was simply stunning. Pan-fried to perfection, the fish was crunchy on the outside and flaky on the inside. A garnish of sautéed fennel added just the right amount of zest and tang to round out the flavours.

What seemed like a simple dessert of fresh ricotta and pear (RMB 98) was far from straightforward. The pear was marinated in liquor and, of all things, garlic, but the finished product was so subtle we couldn’t quite put our finger on the mystery ingredient until the wait staff kindly let us in on the deliciously strange secret. We left happy and full, wondering what other tricks the chef has up his sleeve.