Douglas Williams/Shanghai Daily news

Shanghai is occasion-ally referred to in some quarters as a "hardship posting." If that's so, what on earth would these people regard as a "cushy posting?"
If a city's restaurants are windows on the health and vigor of its soul, then surely Shanghai is well positioned to give almost anywhere a run for their Escoffiers.
With a good handful of restaurants that wouldn't be out of place in any of the world's culinary capitals and chefs packing their whites and knives and making for China by the jumbo load, diners in Shanghai have never had it so good.
The result is that a group of diners seeking serious haute-cuisine can usually find a table in a top-class restaurant with one phone call. The same cannot be said for the likes of London or New York where monthlong waiting lists are de rigueur.
T8 in the achingly hip and trendy Xintiandi area may test navigational skills in the finding but the rewards outweigh any frustration in the proportions of an elephant to a mouse. Situated in a 19th-century shikumen (stone-gated) house, the genuine history of the building allows the carefully crafted atmosphere to seep out giving an unfeigned relaxed feeling.
The lighting throughout is dim, accentuating the radiance shining out from the centrally located open kitchen and giving it a theatrical, center-stage presence. The high open ceiling - neutral gray with pipe work and dappled with star-like spots along with the exposed brick walls - are most definitely a contemporary touch.
Rush-matting table tops, lanterns and candles, Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) oil paintings, flowing water and large bug-eyed gold fish are determinedly and tastefully traditional.
There's also a large bank of glasses behind a bar like area which reflects the kitchen, contributing a dash of informality to what is an otherwise relaxed, but formal, restaurant.

Stephen Wright, T8’s executive chef, in action.

Executive chef Stephen Wright has been conducting all cuisine related proceedings at T8 for a year and a mighty fine symphony he has created. Having done his European tour and after a spell in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, Wright, originally from Melbourne, Australia, brought his modern French-style cooking to Shanghai.
"I did a little research and when I discovered that the likes of Jean George, David Laris and the Purcell brothers were in Shanghai I thought I've got to go there," the amiable but intensely professional big Aussie says. "I saw an opportunity to make a name for myself."
And that is precisely what Wright has done. As with 99 percent of chefs, Wright isn't a great fan of the open kitchen although he does concede that it contributes to the food being the star of the evening. It's not the biggest kitchen but, as the saying goes: "The best food comes from the smallest kitchens."
"Our kitchen isn't much bigger than the larders in some other establishments and because we regularly do two sittings downstairs and another one upstairs, the kitchen is seriously busy," Wright says.
I query how much fun is involved in that and Wright retorts: "That is what I live for - all that buzz, all the food that we have to get out. It's incredibly exciting."
Kicking off proceedings the night I attended was a lobster bloody Mary. Zingy and cheekily indulgent, it involves tiny bits of cauliflower, parsley and kingfish in a refreshing and enlivening vodka and tomato froth. With this came some smoked salmon ice cream on a bed of mashed avocado. "Smoked salmon ice cream! Are you sure?" I can hear you asking. And I tell you: "Yes" and oh my goodness, it was obscenely good.
The melon, goat's cheese and water cress salad with raspberries in a jus is crisp, clean, healthy and delicious, the ensemble cleverly producing a delightful harmony. A New Zealand Sacred Hill sauvignon joyfully abounding with gooseberry helps the digestion not that any assistance was required.
Black-and-white sesame seed coated seared tuna with radish carpaccio and caviar proves to be another triumphant whole; scallop tortellini with eel and asparagus looks too good to eat and tastes better. The main is a magnificent piece of roasted Norwegian cod. Chunky and gorgeously flaky it is perhaps a little overwhelmed by the foie gras and possibly a little light on the celeriac puree.
Dessert of red berries ice cream is taken in the lounge bar upstairs, a glorious space which is a sort of ultra-luxurious barn. Open rafters, a big, long, airy space, chenille-clad sofas, slate-topped tables, hydrangeas and symbolically empty bird cages. This space is available to the public at weekends and for private parties looking for something a little bit extra special.
T8 is a class act and charges accordingly with prices similar to those in top restaurants in Western capitals. Four people eating and drinking will struggle to get away with a bill under 2,000 yuan (US$247) and without much difficulty (say, an extra bottle or two of wine) it could breach the 4,000 yuan mark.

Address: North Block, Xintiandi, 181 Taicang Rd
Tel: 6355-8999
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