Restaurant Review: Shake

2016-08-11 ThatsShanghai

By Betty Richardson

The Place
From the same guys that brought the city Heyday jazz lounge, Shake is a live music venue, restaurant and bar that strikes a considerably more upbeat tone than it's sultry older sister.

Modeled after a "hip 60s Mad Men style supper club," Shake is part of a new generation of F&B concepts that redefines the traditional nightlife model to suit local tastes. Come on a Wednesday and Shake is full of chicks sipping free Ladies Night martinis and downing oysters, come after 10pm Thursday to Saturday and find the place alive with live soul and funk music.

The Food
Unlike Heyday, which focuses on music and cocktails, Shake is very much a restaurant too. In the kitchen is female Chinese chef, Danyi Gao, who also holds a stake in the venue. Having cut her teeth in Mr & Mrs Bund and Calypso, Gao achieved renown after establishing her own private kitchen business, which according to Shake has a waitlist of "typically two months."

Plates are typically small, tapas-style eats – and the prices reflect this. There are plenty of wallet-friendly dishes to be had for well under RMB100, meaning you can divert more funds toward cocktails from Shake's mixologist, Colin Tait.
All the drinks we tried were good quality, but our favorite was the 'long tall sally' (gin, cherry, basil and soda, RMB77), a drink we could easily drink all night, or at least until we passed out. Seriously, can we have the recipe?
Back to the food, Chef Danyi's menu focuses on 'Asian fusion' with a vague Japanese leaning. We particularly liked her RMB48 daikon and cucumber salad with zingy shiso dressing, which comes in a portion big enough to share.
Same with the beef carpaccio (RMB77), which is shaken awake by a few splashes of bright Thai lime fish sauce.
Philippine-style pork knuckle (RMB138) has a fantastic crispy texture on the outside, and strikes us as a dish that ought really to be eaten alongside beer (à la Paulaner Brauhaus), or failing that an old fashioned.
Chef Danyi takes a gamble with a few more offbeat dishes, some which work and some which don't. 'Honey cheese tofu' and lots of flowers (RMB60), is like a vegetarian version of Laughing Cow cheese and surprisingly moreish on toast, though it feels more like a dessert than an appetizer.
Less successful was the roasted bottarga (RMB128) – we weren't feeling the wet radish slices tbh.
Food verdict: 2/3

The Vibe
Given its upbeat vibes, Shake strikes as a fun option for dates or drinks with friends. The Wednesday Ladies Night is also a great deal, they have a selection of quite good drinks that are free for betches and an oyster deal too (RMB98 for 10).

Service was also on point, waitresses prompted us about free cocktails, and were otherwise welcoming and helpful. We particularly liked that the drinks come quickly, is there anything worse than overly complex cocktails that arrive ages after your friends' do? Vibe Verdict: 1/1

Value for Money
Our only qualm with Shake is that currently the live music doesn't until 10pm, so you're not going to be eating dinner and watching the show. However, management tells us they'll be launching a late night menu starting from mid-August, and lord knows Shanghai needs more late night dining options.
It might not be quite the Mad Men 'supper club' we envisioned, but ultimately Shake's concept works thanks to its friendly price point, great drinks and effervescent, light-hearted atmosphere. Value for Money: 1/1

TOTAL VERDICT: 4/5
Price: RMB150-300 per person (including alcohol)
Who's going: locals and expats, lots of ladies on Wednesdays
Good for: casual dining, small groups, cocktails, dates, live music

Shake, 46 Maoming Nan Lu, 3/F, by Jinxian Lu.