New & Hot: Caminetto Italian Restaurant
Sponsored by Caminetto
Caminetto is a modern Italian bistro with a local twist, led by chef-patron Kelvin Chai, former executive chef at Mercato.
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About
Caminetto Modern Italian Bistro
Caminetto is located within The Roof, the new “red building” in Xintiandi. The restaurant is stylish and spacious with a semi-open kitchen, wine cellar, and outdoor seating.
There’s also a private room towards the back and a fully stocked cocktail bar. It's a cozy, casual space.
It's led by Shanghainese chef-owner Kelvin Chai, who has been cooking for over a decade, most recently at Mercato, and has traveled extensively throughout Italy. He's one of the few in the new generation of talented Chinese chefs. Caminetto is his first independently run restaurant in Shanghai.
Chef Kelvin Chai
The Food
Fresh Pastas & Pizzas
The food at Caminetto is Italian at its core, but chef Kelvin has given some of the dishes a
local twist, inspired by his childhood memories and Chinese ingredients.
These influences are subtle, like the spicy shrimp and celery
pizza, the cabbage with the halibut, or the fermented chili that goes with the pan-roasted chicken.
The
specialties here are wood-fired pizzas and pastas, which are made fresh daily, and locally sourced, organic seasonal vegetables.
Here’s what to expect from the menu:
Tagliatelle (¥158) with housemade lamb sausage, olives, fennel, and French beans. Silky ribbons of fresh pasta in a rich tomato sauce with fluffy lamb sausage. This is my favorite pasta at Caminetto.
Silk Handkerchiefs (¥138), also known as mandilli de saea in Genoese are traditionally large sheets of thin pasta with a pesto sauce. Kelvin's done a twist on the pesto with a basil-mint blend, topping the pasta with housemade fresh ricotta cheese and roasted cherry tomatoes. A lighter option vs the lamb tagliatelle.
Pancetta Pizza (¥148) with baby potatoes and spring onion. Excellently chewy pizza crust with a medium thickness. The combination of salty pancetta with carb on carb is very satisfying.
Ma Jia Gou Celery Pizza (¥168) with shrimp, garlic, chili, lemon zest, and lemon juice. I wouldn't have tried this if not for the chef's recommendation, but I'm glad I did. It's a light ricotta base pizza topped with plump shrimp and plenty of crunchy celery. Very enjoyable and I would definitely order again.
Slow-Braised Beef Cheek (¥288) with roasted spring onions, shallots, and creamy polenta. The sauce is fortified with red wine and beef cheek fork tender. Definitely get a nice strong wine to go with this.
Crispy Skinned Halibut (¥188) with saffron glazed baby cabbage braised with chicken stock and lemon juice, and dusted with bottarga. A light and delicate fillet accented with tarragon oil and mildly sour cabbage.
Dark Salted Chocolate Slice (¥68)
Tiramisu (¥68) with a touch of baijiu
Caminetto also has a curated wine selection featuring mostly regional Italian wines, but also French and organic wines, and of course, the premium stuff like Ornellaia. Wines by the glass start from ¥75, bottles from ¥330.
Brunch
Eggs, Pastas & Wine
They’ve also just launched brunch. It's a short and sweet menu of eggy mains, pastas, and pizzas; a la carte from ¥58-¥168.
Poached Organic Eggs (¥98) on sourdough toast with asparagus, prosciutto, and truffle hollandaise.
Chicken Liver Mousse (¥98) topped with truffle honey and served with toasted sourdough bread and radishes. Simple, and oh-so comforting. (Also available for dinner.)
And there are also specials on bottles of wine, starting from ¥199 per bottle.
In Summary
Excellent Pizzas & Pastas
If you haven't attempted making fresh pastas at home before, I'll have you know it takes time and patience. (And boy can it get messy.) I really do enjoy the fresh pastas that Caminetto has to offer and would recommend it, same goes for the pizza. Suitable for date nights and brunch on the terrace.
Caminetto will be adding lunch hours soon.
Deals
Nomfluence Readers Deals
The deal below is valid from now until November 7, 2021 for Nomfluence readers. Applicable for brunch and dinner. Scan the QR Code to book!
Get 10% off your food bill at Caminetto
Caminetto
Address: 1/F, 458 Madang Lu, near Jianguo Dong Lu 马当路458弄, 近建国东路
Tel: 17126677323
Hours: Mon-Fri, 5:30pm-10pm; Sat-Sun, 12pm-3pm, 5:30pm-10pm (10pm last order)
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