La Belle Epoque
13/1/2006 8:12
Shanghai Daily news
Occupying a fond place in
many a Shanghai diner's heart, the success of Trattoria Isabella is easy to
understand even if it does have a certain invaluable je ne sais
crois.
Douglas Williams
Mention Trattoria Isabella in front of people who
have been in Shanghai for a while and the response will generally be something
along the lines of a benign smile and a nod.
You can bet your last jiao
they've been and what's more, that smile probably conceals some fond memory
almost guaranteed to involve romance. There: it's said, this place is romantic,
no question about it. Queen of Spain, Columbus, Aragon, Rossellini and all that,
the name sure helps as does its relative obscurity geographically in this here
megalopolis. Stumbling across Trattoria Isabella would be fortuitous but very
unlikely.
It is at 139 Xing'an Road, just back from the junction with
Chongqing Road, where the terrific pedestrian walk-over is.
That's the West
side of Chongqing Road, about 400 meters back from where Xing'an meets Huaihai
Road M.
Trattoria Isabella is cute: basically a small restaurant in a small,
ornate house on a short, otherwise unremarkable, street. The small but perfectly
formed proportions of this trattoria certainly add to its appeal and charm. The
restaurant is on three levels, a private room occupies the second level.
Trattoria Isabella is very popular, only the very optimistic optimist would just
turn up. The atmosphere is lived-in conviviality drizzled with romance.
The
food is Italian, continental and despite the classiness of the surroundings,
it's quite outstandingly good value.
Let's start with the wine, why
not?
Food and wine have an association that dates back millenniums. Around
town, most house wines start around the 200 yuan (US$24.69) mark. These are
frequently of a standard that are drinkable but only just.
Let's face it,
without going crazy a table of four could easily, over the course of three
courses, get through three bottles and thereby bump their bill by a hefty 600
yuan. Trattoria Isabella's house wines, also called Trattoria Isabella, are
Argentinean, a Chardonnay Chenin and a Medoc both at 98 yuan.
The white was
served perfectly chilled and though it could have been drier, it was perfectly
drinkable, the red was a jolly decent drop.
A dining couple in a hypothetical
restaurant, having finished their starters, their mains and their non-house 280
yuan wine are probably inclined to skip desert and coffee, order the bill and
not return. That same couple in Trattoria Isabella are more likely to order
another bottle, ask for the desert menu and they'll be back next week.
Restaurateurs pay head: affordable wines are good for your businesses.
The
carpaccio with olive oil, cream and capers was good, as was the smoked salmon
with roe, capers and sour cream.
My tuna and parmesan was good, although less
olive oil and stronger parmesan would have benefited the dish. Parmesan is
required to deliver what only it can, when it doesn't, dissatisfaction
follows.
The now famous cod baked in a paper parcel with prawns, clams and
asparagus never fails to impress.
My special Ossobucco with a red wine gravy
and lightly cooked vegetables yielded loads of easily carved off tender meat.
The crunchy colorful vegetables were excellent. Cheese cakes, blueberry and
mango, delicately presented, were a fitting conclusion.
Five of us ate, three
had three courses while the two with New Year's resolutions skipped deserts. We
had two bottles of house and a 188 yuan bottle of Chilean red. The bill came to
less than 1,000 yuan.
Finer cuisine is available.
Slicker, posher
surroundings are also available, but there can be few western restaurants in
town delivering such high quality food, in such an agreeable setting quite so
reasonably.
Address: 139 Xing'an Road.
Tel:
5386-0827
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