New And Noted: Pirata
What: A tapas bar with late-night nibbles from elEfante’s former head chef
Where: 136 Xinle Lu, near Xiangyang Lu. Tel: 5404 2327
Why: An easy frontrunner for 2014’s best new restaurant
In the past, Ling Huang’s presence in Shanghai kitchens has lent credence to the old adage: “Behind every successful man, there is a great woman”. The Taiwanese native put her tasty talent to work at T8 and Qimin Organic Kitchen, before making Guillermo Trullas Moreno look good at el Willy, and then even better as his head chef at elEfante. Now she’s set out on her own, and the city’s F&B scene is the better for it.
Her first solo stint is the swashbuckling Pirata (or “Pirate” in Spanish, Portuguese, Galician and Italian, a peripatetic nod to the inspirational looting she’s done from menus around Europe). From Burgundy’s culinary treasure trove, gougère (RMB 40), pillowy cheesy dough balls stuffed with cured ham, are served piping hot out of the oven. Spain’s bounty is grilled chorizo (RMB 85) ground and packed in-house. Sliced rings of the spicy sausage sail to the table atop a piece of soft white bread, the perfect vessel for catching all the juicy pork drippings. Pillaged from the shores of Greece is a hummus that is anything but ordinary (RMB 68). Hidden under a pile of docile baby fennel fronds, whole chickpeas and their silky- smooth puree are joined by buttery slices of octopus for bites that are bewilderingly good.
The menu is small, but tight; there are enough dishes to make you think you can eat your way through it in about five meals (and after your first dinner, you will want to try). The list of tins is a great place to start, like the codfish liver (RMB 72), creamy offal with such a marine smack that you’ll wonder why anyone ever called monkfish liver the foie gras of the sea. If you prefer the real thing, try the foie gras toast (RMB 75). It’s gluttony on a plate, thanks to the thick homemade mayo buttressing the generous slabs of silken pate.
When the savoury portion of the meal is that good, it’s hard to save room for dessert, but we managed to find stomach space when our dining companion waxed lyrical about Ferror toasts (RMB 40). Indeed, they were worthy of poetry, thanks to the double whammy of hazelnut from both the Nutella and crushed chocolates, and a restrained sprinkle of crunchy sea salt.
Open Tuesday through Sunday until 1am, Pirata serves up a special dish du jour, including moules frites (RMB 125) every Friday to help get the weekend started right. Meaty green lip mussels the size of fists are imported from New Zealand then steamed in cream and white wine sauce. We haven’t had the pleasure of trying Sunday’s paella yet (RMB 88 per person), but it’s just a matter of time before the siren call of Pirata brings us back for more.
