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Crave: Comforting Bistro Fare At This Intimate Wine Bar

Rachel Gouk nomfluence 2023-11-23


Sponsored by Crave


Crave is a café and wine bar on Xinle Lu. It’s a cozy space with an enviable patio for al fresco eating and drinking. They’ve recently added a dinner menu, serving some crave-able small plates and simple yet comforting bistro fare. 

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Crave opened in April last year, a project conceived by power couple/co-owners chef Holly Lian and sommelier Yaniki De Brouwer.



During the day, it’s a bustling café with folks stopping in for quick bite or a coffee and pastries. In the evening, it’s warm and inviting with an excellent vibe set to the soundtrack of an upbeat indie playlist. Tables are intimately spaced and accommodate up to only four people. It's small, but that's a big part of its charm. And when the weather is right, you’ll be hard pressed to find a seat on the terrace. 




The Food




Bistro Bites & Comforting Plates


When Crave opened, the highlights were limited to fantastic pastries, sandwiches, and wines. (The mini Kouign Amanns are to die for.) For dinner, chef Holly has added some comforting bistro-esque dishes, including crave-able small plates like the roasted duck puff pastries and a satisfying bavette steak. 


Here’s what to order for dinner:


Foie Gras Jam Toast with Nuts (¥78) – Foie gras mousse with a touch of port studded with nuts and raisins, served on house-baked toast. It’s tasty, but a petit portion.


Beef Tartare (¥88) – An excellent beef tartare with capers, finely diced shallots and a hint of Asian flavors, served atop a fried potato cake. The spices are subtle, and it tastes closer to a traditional beef tartare to me, which I prefer.


Endive Salad (¥68) with slices of apple and pear, walnuts, crispy bacon, croutons, and grated parmesan.


Roasted Duck Puff Pastries (¥68/four) – Absolutely love these. Holly’s pastry craft and French cooking background shines through with these dainty bites. The pastry is thin, crispy, and light, encasing a moreish roasted duck filling.


Pan-Fried Squid (¥98) with pea purée and plump shrimp croquettes. Excellent. The squid is perfectly tender with a slight char and lightly glazed in sweet Thai chili sauce.


Spicy Tomato Cream Gnocchi (¥128) with onion, garlic, cherry tomatoes, and peas. Pillowy gnocchi drenched in a spicy tomato cream sauce. Substantial, comforting, easy to share.


Seafood Pasta (¥168) - Pasta with garlic oil fried capers, olives, and cherry tomatoes finished in fish stock, topped with pan-fried prawns, clams, and squid.


Pan-Fried Snapper (¥158) with red pepper cream sauce, gigantic onion rings, lemon butter sauce, and a salad of watercress and radish. Snapper pan-fried to a crispy finish—simple and lets the quality of the fish shine. Would order again.


Roasted M9 Bavette 250g (¥328) – One of my favorite steaks. Bavette, also known as the butcher's cut, is a highly flavored cut of beef. Here, it’s cooked perfectly medium rare. Served with sautéed mushrooms, kimchi (unusual accompaniment but it helps cut the rich flavors), and a potato pavé.


Seasonal Tarts (¥68) – Currently there’s a lemon tart and an apple tart. I love lemon tarts, and this one makes it onto my list. Zesty lemon curd topped with meringue and lime zest in crispy tart shell. Straightforward, classic. 


Apple tart with vanilla chantilly.


There are also wine bar requisites of cheese and cold cuts, as well as fresh oysters.



When it comes to wine, it's mostly a natural wine selection with a few conventional gems. Wines by the glass start from ¥60, bottles from ¥300.


As house somm, Yaniki also does a monthly wine "Craving Selection," a house choice of wines with stories and a touch of education. It’s selection of about six wines, which are available as tasters (8cl), glass (12.5cl), or by the bottle, at a slightly reduced price than per usual. You can also get a flight of four from the Craving Selection for ¥220.



The dinnertime atmosphere at Crave is electric, intimate, and convivial. It’s also a place where you’re likely to run into someone you know, by which time you’d have gravitated towards the bar (or joined tabled) to share a bottle of wine.


Deals




Nomfluence Readers Deals


The deal below is valid from now until March 31, 2022 for Nomfluence readers. Scan the QR Code to book!


  • 20% your food bill.


Deal is only applicable on Sundays to Thursdays for dinner, 5:30pm to 10:30pm.





Crave Cafe & Wine Bar

Address: 208-1 Xinle Lu, near Donghu Lu 新乐路208-1号, 近东湖路

Tel: 18964622405

Hours: 9am-11:30pm, dinner last order 10:30pm.




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