The Place
The third project undertaken by wandering chefs/restaurant consultants Anna Bautista and Sean Jorgensen, Calix is a new restaurant by the Barbarossa Group, whose previous projects include, well, Barbarossa.
Bautista and Jorgensen designed the primarily Americana-inspired menu, but cooking the food is Javier Carissa, a Spanish chef who cut his teeth with famed fellow Spaniard Paco Roncero at his Michelin two Star restaurant in Madrid, La Terraza del Casino. Carissa most recently worked at Estado Puro just across from Calix.
The Food
If you're familiar with Bautista and Jorgensen's cooking from their earlier outposts (the latter was the chef at Liquid Laundry, and the two recently collaborated on Al's Diner), Calix is very much in that vein.
We start with kimchi and pork belly baos (RMB48/68 lunch set/dinner), some of the best we've tried recently. The pork inside is tender and flavorsome with a good layer of fat, and the crumbled peanuts on top make for dash of texture. It's also pretty spicy, which is a good thing.
At RMB128, the charred octopus is a little pricey, but luckily it's a decent-sized portion, and the awesome smoky 'chickpea purée' (otherwise known as hummus...) goes brilliantly with the chargrilled artichokes, cherry tomatoes and squid ink sauce.
Now, we need to talk about this burger.
Here are some more gratuitous shots of it.
Do you really need me to tell you this was a great burger?
Ok well, just to be clear, this was a great burger. The smoked bacon makes a huge difference, and be sure to ask for it medium rare. It's RMB128 on the à la carte menu, but RMB98 at lunch time.
'Million Dollar' lobster mac 'n' cheese (RMB188) was good but more of a thousand dollar mac to us. Maybe if it had more cheese on top and grilled to a golden brown.
On a side note, very tasty garlic and chili broccolini (RMB48).
Food verdict: 2/3
The Vibe
During our experience, service was above average efficient and attentive, despite the place being rammed full of customers. Our waiter even pointed out that several dishes (pork belly baos, hamburger) were cheaper if we ordered them from the set lunch menu.
Outdoor seating is the obvious choice if the weather is nice, but inside, Calix hosts live music during the evenings. But is this enough to draw us out to Xintiandi on the reg? We're going to tentatively say yes, if not least for the great atmosphere on the al fresco patio.
Vibe verdict: 1/1
Value for Money
Xintiandi rent is expensive, and lots of restaurants charge a premium to account for this. Calix isn't one of those 'tourist trap' places where a cheap glass of wine costs RMB120 (red, white, rosé and prosecco by the glass from RMB68, cocktails from RMB75), and in any case, the food is thoughtfully cooked and decently sized. We'd definitely return, and especially to sit outside.
Value for Money: 1/1
TOTAL VERDICT: 4/5
Price: RMB150-300 per person
Who's going: locals and expats, wandering Xintiandi tourists
Good for: al fresco dining, set deal, cocktails, Western food, burgers, Mediterranean food
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