Shanghai Restaurant Review: Xime

By Betty Richardson, December 19, 2017

The Place

Skipping the serious and esoteric side of Japanese cuisine in favor of the kitsch and casual, Xime is a contemporary izakaya that’s tearing up the restaurant rulebook. Its proprietor is British-born Sam Norris – whose previous efforts included Wishbone, and who counts experience in the kitchens of London’s upmarket restaurant Nobu. Xime’s chef is Kobe-native Jun Nishio.

The word ‘Xime’ has two meanings – on the one hand it’s a traditional Japanese seal symbol, but in the context of noodles it means ‘tasty until the last drop,’ a fitting name since udon and soba dishes feature prominently.

The Food

Xime’s long, rambling menu takes more time to ingest than perhaps it should. Even on our second visit, minutes of silence pass as we scan through pages of yakitori skewers, sushi and sashimi, hot pots, udon, soba, rice dishes lunch sets, whisky, cocktails and highballs.

But these are small gripes. Once you’ve wrapped your head around what to order, many of the dishes at Xime are wonderfully simple and ingredient driven. The standout for us was the Japanese-style lemon and pork hotpot (RMB98). Prepared at the table, soft and silky tofu cooks with a hearty assembly of grated radish, chrysanthemum leaves, ribbons of fatty pork belly and fresh lemon slices, which release acidity and a welcome bitterness into the broth as it cooks.

DIY sushi (RMB188), a spread of sashimi, each with a different flavor pairing of delicious pickles and seasonings is a fantastically fun dish to share, though it could just as well be enjoyed solo.

Those less into playing with their food can opt for the scarf-able sashimi donburi (rice bowl, RMB96) – salmon, tuna, mackerel, salmon roe and shrimp atop nicely seasoned sushi rice.

Sweet and crispy-skinned sardines stuffed with mentaiko (pollock roe, RMB48) were simple and perfectly grilled; the ideal accompaniment to Xime’s house-infused shochu liquors (RMB50).

Available neat, on the rocks or mixed into thirst-quenching highballs, these shochus are one of the best reasons to visit Xime. Choose from flavors as wild as coffee, coconut, shiso leaf with cucumber, honey melon, persimmon and even tomato.

But like nearly all overly long menus, your chances of ordering a bum dish are higher than they should be. All the fun of the cheese, mentaiko and egg yolk udon (RMB68), got lost once stirred into the noodles. (But the wildly curly and crunchy deep-fried udon 'chips' with Japanese curry dip – righteous).

XO sauce draped over the octopus umami bomb (RMB42) was clumsy and salty, rather than exploring the mellow, fermented flavors possessed of this classic Cantonese condiment.

Wagyu beef sushi with sea urchin (RMB128) also didn’t work; the straggly texture of the beef overpowered its delicate little tongue of sea urchin perched on top.

Food verdict: 2/3

The Vibe

Xime’s dishes might vary in their potency, but one thing that unites them is their price – nearly everything on the menu is affordable, and yet driven by premium ingredients. Given that you could be in and out with a belly full of fresh fish and a whisky highball (RMB40!) for under RMB150, Xime scores top marks on value for money. It’s an easy, no-fuss, zero pretense and solid quality Japanese place in the center of town, and if they’d only turn the lights down in the evening, we’d say it’s the perfect first date spot.