Loyal readers (the type we respect) will already be well versed in the revamp of Diner to Eat by Diner.
READ MORE: Expect the Unexpected – Diner Becomes Chef Gabo's Eat By Diner
The man behind the rebrand is Chef Gabo of 8 by Anarkia fame (located in the same building) – the newly crowned Chef of the Year at the That's Shanghai Food & Drink Awards.
READ MORE: Who Won What at the That's Shanghai Food & Drink Awards 2023
Well, in true Gabo fashion – operating at nothing short of 60mph – he’s already released a slew of new dishes, particularly in the brunch department.
So, we did Shanghai a favor and took one for the team, rolling out of bed hungover one Sunday morning (ok, fine – it was already 1pm), and high-tailing it over there as fast as we could to sample our way through more of that menu.
Obviously for you guys, our loyal readers. That we respect.
So you know what to order when you go.
You’re welcome.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Let’s start with why we are all here: the release of the long-awaited Reuben (RMB128).
Picture this...
Five hundred grams of house-cured pastrami – that’s been brined for a week, then smoked, then steamed – is roughly chopped into curling meaty ribbons of sorts, dunked in beef jus, and haphazardly assembled atop toasted caraway rye.
Next, there’s kraut. A lot of it. And an equally ghastly amount of Russian dressing.
Finally, the cheese. No shmancy cheese, just a thick cut slice of brandless American cheddar, one that melts in a glistening blobule (read: blob meats globule) and dribbles down the side of the sando in all its greasy, gluttonous glory.
And this is just the size small sandwich.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
For once a month Chef Gabo will offer ‘the large sandwich’ – with double the meat (yup, just a casual kilo of pastrami to start your day), and double the toppings, atop the same rye.
Do the math. We tried… and failed.
Regardless – we’re in.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Continuing the reuben onslaught...
(Yes, this is foreshadowing for the reueben listicle we plan to release leading up to St. Patty’s Day. Get excited – Shanghai’s got more reubens than you think… and yeah we aren’t so good at keeping secrets.)
... there’s also Reuben Fries (RMB118). Basically the same thing as the sammie, but swap the carbs – bread for potatoes, twice fried and sprinkled with flaky sea salt.
And then just a metric f*ck ton of reuben toppings.
Yeah, we’ll take two and then immediately order a Didi to Huashan Hospital to get tested for Type 2 Diabetes.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
We’ll need something for the ride over though so will order a Hot Dog (RMB88) to go – a sliced-lengthwise, grilled wiener sporting that signature snap.
Swaddled in a steamed bun with all the fixings – Monterey-Jack cheese, caramelized onions, bacon crumble, and the holy trinity of sauces: ketchup, mustard, and thousand island – said doggo arrives perched atop French fries.
If you don’t end up with sauce on your chin, your eyebrow and down the side of your shirt, you didn’t’ do it right.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
You may think that because we are switching to French Toast (RMB88) now that the meal is winding down.
Wrong.
We just really can’t get over this 'old school,' thick-cut brioche French toast-meets-tres leches shindig Gabo’s got going on… so much so that we broke meal order consumption convention to get straight to the sweets.
Prawn Toast (RMB68), Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Back on the savory train, the Burrata (RMB138) sees a fried potato rosti adorned with some unexpected ingredients: burrata, prosciutto, and homemade fermented tofu (or furu 腐乳) – one of China’s most pungent condiments.
This funky paste is like biting into a spoonful of miso, but – when spread across fried potatoes and soft cheese – serves as the go-between that ties each bite together.
Black Pudding Benedict (RMB88), Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Might as well throw in a side of Gabo Bread (RMB38) right about now – a reinterpretation of an Itaewon street snack in Seoul that’s sliced like a sectioned orange and shmeared with garlic cream cheese, before being toasted over an open flame.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
At this point carbs have no meaning. Time is a flat circle. The world could end tomorrow. So why not?
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
End the meal with Pancakes (RMB78). Because fluffiness.
Work complete. Mic drop.
Back to bed.
Eat by Diner, 145 Wuyuan Lu, by Wulumuqi Zhong Lu, 五原路145号，近乌鲁木齐中路.
[Cover image by Sophie Steiner/That's]
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