While waiting in line to eat dim sum at Crystal Jade you might notice Michael’s, a new Hong Kong-style restaurant that has just opened up in the shadow of the maturer, more recognized chain. Created by the same company that owns the estimable Shanghainese fine-dining venue Fuxing Hui and high-end karaoke bar Fame, their newest concept is a quirky Cantonese establishment located right in the middle of the Xintiandi South Block fray.
To differentiate themselves from their next-door neighbor, Michael’s aims for a younger clientele with a lower budget. This means you’ll find everything from classic Cantonese to Western dishes on the menu. Of these, the waitress may recommend stodgy mashed potatoes baked with onions, bacon and cheese (RMB48) or a lightly-dressed salad of shrimp and pomelo (RMB42) showered with cracked pepper. It’s best to stick with Chinese offerings, though. A platter of well-executed roast honey pork (RMB48) and crispy pork belly (RMB45) is neither over-sauced nor greasy, while claypot rice, topped with sausage and smoked meat (RMB49) is loaded with toppings and big enough for two.
As for decor, you might find yourself wondering how you ended up through the looking glass. White chairs are offset by a dizzying cacophony of checkered floors, striped wall paper and bright orange and lime-green booths. Funky, bumpy lamps hang from ceilings and multitudes of mirrors stare at you from the walls. Playing along with the idiosyncratic theme, the kitchen has fun dressing up some of their dishes – to greater success. Little nuggets of shrimp meatball are wreathed in filmy sheets of tofu skin (RMB22) and then cooked so the crispy layers melt away at the touch of a tongue. Oleaginous flounder gets cut into batons, rolled in perfectly-cut mini squares of spring roll wrapper, fried golden and topped with a trifecta of chopped peppers (RMB48). Also excellent is a block of fragile, homemade tofu covered with a rich mushroom stew (RMB32), redolent of wild and earthy flavors. If the kitchen at Michael's can turn out fare like this consistently, they’re sure to attract diners, even in the cutthroat Xintiandi environment.
See listing here.
