New & Noted: Hunter Gatherer
What: Shanghai’s answer to the omnivore’s dilemma
Where: 308 Anfu Lu, near Wukang Lu. Tel: 5461 0552. Web: www.behuntergatherer.com
Why: Farm-to-table dining is more than just a gimmick here
Did you know that farmers in China use about 10.3 kilograms of pesticides per acre? Almost five times as much as the US or Europe? That unpalatable tidbit - decorative food for thought hanging on the walls of Hunter Gatherer - is one of many foodsafety news reports that gives residents of Shanghai pause before they dine.
Despite these fears, Shanghai still lags behind global trends of responsible farming and sustainable eating, thanks to the necessity of imports and a resulting carbon footprint that Michael Pollan would not approve of. Hunter Gatherer is trying to change that, capitalising on the trend of healthy dining by serving what they refer to repeatedly as “real food” grown using organic practices (certification pending government approval) on their farm in Yantai.
A chalkboard sign hanging outside the open kitchen notes the percentage of the menu on any given day that was grown at the farm. One day it was 53 per cent, another 62. To get to the dining room, you have to walk past the pantry on the first floor, where chemicalfree imported products like Brooklyn Brine’s pickled okra and Sir Kensington’s ketchup are sold. Upstairs, refrigerators are packed with bushels of farm fresh vegetables, and trail mix dispensers and DIY almond butter and peanut butter stands line the walls.
The kitchen is set up like a Chipotle counter, leaving the composition of dishes in the hands of the customers. RMB 62 gets diners a staple “base”, protein, two vegetables and garnish. Diners mix and match a foundation like chilled ricenoodles or five-grain rice dotted with goji berries then pile on the rest to make a meal. Soft tofu braised in bulgogi marinade paired nicely with the aforementioned rice, while crunchy broccoli pumpkin pancakes offered a textural contrast to the silken beancurd.
Seasonal roasted vegetables, typically autumn’s best gift to the table anyway, delighted in the changing seasons with sweetly caramelised whole garlic cloves, carrots and onions. Notoriously tough, shredded beef brisket (RMB 16 extra) needed a little extra chewing, but was so rich and meaty that it made all that masticating worthwhile. Sliced sous vide chicken breast are our favourite topping at the moment, surprisingly flavourful and tender for what can normally be a bland meat. A topping of just-picked cherry tomatoes served whole were enough to have the whole table reminiscing about childhood gardens. With red and yellow skins pull taut over the juicy flesh, they were crisp in the way only farm-fresh tomatoes can be.
There are more drinks on the menu than foods, but the deep drinkable bench means there is something for everyone, like the Mo Mo Melon (RMB 42). After receiving an eager recommendation from a helpful staff member (one of several instances where the smiling army of waiters exceeded expectations), we tried the blended cantaloupe, tomatoes,honey, cucumber and coconut smoothie, so much better in practice than it is on paper.
The simple concept of real food and a transparent supply chain is one we can get on board with. With one less thing to worry about when sitting down to a meal in Shanghai, the food just tastes better. And we can expect more from Hunter Gatherer in the future: they’ve got seeds in the ground on a new Chongming Island farm, and desserts will join the mix soon.
