Shanghai Restaurant Review: Diner

By Betty Richardson, June 7, 2017

The Place

It's a fine line to tread, taking the quintessential emblem of working man's food and 'elevating' it without looking like a condescending patrician knob. At Austin Hu's Diner (he of now-closed Madison and its subsequent spin-off delicatessen Madison Kitchen) it has been done with surprising tact, keeping greats like meatloaf, spam, breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, and smashed burgers, front and center.

The difference is that smooshed meat products are homemade not canned, paired with artfully scrambled eggs, house-cured bacon, tomato jam, simple but rich gravies and other pleasures that require deceptive levels of preparation.

The Food

Firstly, we need to talk about the burgers. They are the smashed, thin-pattied style found at old school American diners, which fell out of favor to thicker ones that could accommodate tastes for medium-rare beef.

It's a shame they did, because the smashed patty has one, enormous advantage over its portlier cousin: flavor. Tons of caramelized, Maillard reaction flavor that close contact with a screaming hot griddle affords. Contrary to assumption, 'smashing' does not squeeze out the juice of the patty if done early in the cooking process.

Austin Hu Diner Review Shanghai

Behold, the Classic RMB88 Diner burger, double wagyu patty, 'secret' sauce and American cheese doing the job it was born (well, scientifically engineered) to do: melt into a beef patty. The other, more elaborately topped burgers are cut of the same, delicious meaty cloth, but the Classic delivers a pure hamburger flavor that is hard to beat.

The breakfast 'egg sandys' (RMB62) are also a very solid order for the hungry and hungover. Each contains your choice of homemade spam, sausage patty or bacon, and an envelope of expertly scrambled egg with American cheese melting into it.

There are other standouts. Meatloaf (RMB128) – a dense and juicy pork and beef wedge that is a million miles away from the bready mush of school dinner yore. It is served on cheesy mash with pickled cucumbers, a lick of ketchup and delicious chicken jus brandy gravy.

'Disco fries' (RMB72) with lightly crunchy pork jowl, black pepper gravy, cheese and gremolata – an apex predator in the world of French fries.

Salad isn't something that springs to mind in the self-professed "home of judgement-free indulgence," but it is when topped with this much cheese. This beast combines apple, kale, radicchio, endives, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, gruyere, soft goat cheese chunks, Parmesan and green goddess dressing (RMB62), and will take you as close to Nirvana as vegetarianism can get.

We didn't feel the same way about the gnocchi with fried egg, Parmesan and 'spring stuff' (RMB108) a perfectly fine dish but not a priority when there are more vivacious dishes for less on the menu.

Sweet dishes like pancakes and French toast also have a home at Diner. Our favorite incarnation of the latter is the 'Fun' (RMB68) – eggy slices of brioche wearing a fetching ensemble of blueberry, peanut butter syrup; powdered sugar, walnuts and Cheerios.

Finally, pancakes. The 'Gold Standard' (RMB78) ones are the way to go for obvious reasons (i.e. bacon, crushed Ferrero Rocher, hazelnuts, and caramelized bananas). Their texture is a good balance between fluffy and filling, and kudos to the waiter who – unprompted – offered extra maple syrup halfway through. Nobody likes a dry pancake.

Food verdict: 2.5/3

The Vibe

When you put high quality yet inexpensive food in a tiny restaurant with a no-reservation policy and unpredictable soft opening hours, you have a recipe for uncertainty, so expect to wait for a table and then maybe share it if you're less than a four-man squad. Once you are seated, the vibe is surprisingly relaxed with tasteful design that harks back to a bygone America.

Overall, Diner accomplishes what it sets out to do and then some, thanks to quality ingredients in generous portion sizes, and avoidance of a hipper-than-thou attitude that often hinders new restaurants in Shanghai. If Hu doesn't drop the ball – and he hasn't so far with Madison Kitchen – we could be looking at one of the best new restaurants of 2017.

Vibe verdict: 2/2