New & Noted: Organic Kitchen

What: Organic salads, sandwiches and more
Where: 57 Fuxing Lu, near Yongfu Lu. Tel: 6288 3312. Web: www.organickitchenshanghai.com
Why: Because eating healthy can taste good

If the logo on Organic Kitchen’s storefront looks strangely familiar, it’s because it has already been delivering wholesome food to Shanghai’s health-conscious residents for almost two years. Its recent opening marks its first foray into sit down dining, a transition the restaurant seems to be managing well as it continues to juggle its delivery business from its new location.

Organic Kitchen has given the space that once held the bewildering Boxha Café a face-lift. It seems to have taken a page out of the Wagas playbook – there’s counter service, a solid wifi connection and a mid-priced menu that caters to the lunch crowd. And while it sells a healthy lifestyle alongside the fresh juices, it is also serving some good food.

The menu, a pared-down version of its delivery website’s offering, spans the globe from a Mediterranean kafta wrap (RMB 58) to Thai green chicken curry (RMB 58). The authentic chicken shawarma (RMB 56) is our go-to order when popping in for a bite. The tender grilled chicken is pounded with Middle Eastern spices, heavy on the pungent cardamom that adds a complex richness belying the wrap’s simple presentation. The house-made chewy pita soaks up all the flavoured juices and tangy, homemade tahini.

The Oriental sesame chicken salad (RMB 62) was another hit, with its sweet sesame dressing and crunchy bell pepper freshness. It would be even better if served over cold soba noodles, but the leafy green base makes it a diet-friendly pick. The pesto pasta with chicken and feta (RMB 62) is made with spinach instead of the typical basil here, and while it’s probably not what you’re used to, the earthy spinach melds well with the snap peas, feta and sun-dried tomatoes that garnish the dish. And we love that they offer whole wheat noodles in addition to the spaghetti and penne options.

The black bean and cashew nut chicken (RMB 52) tastes like it came straight out of one of those high-end 90s cookbooks that extolled the caloric virtues of Asian stir-fries – and we mean that as a compliment. It avoids oil, doing a Thai stir-fry instead using chicken stock, so it’s even better for you. With a colourful array of veggies to give it to some crunch, the dish was as healthy as it was tasty, but the same cannot be said of the side dish of rice. Cold, with dry grains on top, it looked day old and tasted it too, a mistake we chalked up to soft opening jitters.

There’s a noticeable lack of meats besides chicken on the menu – a fact the owners attribute to the prohibitively expensive sourcing of organic beef and seafood. They aim for 90 per cent green, organic or traceable ingredients, but are quick to note when they aren’t able to adhere with the restaurant's name. There’s even a sign on the menu that notes “Sorry, our desserts are currently not organic”. You can’t blame ‘em for trying.