Another month, another Italian restaurant review. It may feel like the latest addition from the Boot to Shanghai’s overcrowded dining scene is redundant, but Pascasa has managed to carve out a place for its reasonably priced pizzas and handmade pastas.
Take the caprese (RMB48). The standard starter parades out with four plump balls of mozzarella coupled with glossy red and yellow cherry tomatoes flecked with pesto Genovese and fresh parsley leaves. The cheese alone runs more than the menu price at most foreign grocery stores.
Pizzas max out at RMB88, with the top-priced offerings boasting high-end toppings like Gorgonzola and Parma ham. The pale, handmade, Roma-thin crust could use another minute blistering in the oven, but proves a worthy foundation for the margherita’s (RMB55) mozzarella and zesty, herb-smacked marinara.
Potato pizza (RMB65) layers shingles of tubers sliced razor thin and sprinkled with fresh rosemary. Reminiscent of a potato galette, its crisp top conceals a gooey layer of mozzarella and Parmesan.
Like the pizza dough, pastas are made in-house daily. We recommend splurging on linguine with a rare chunk of filet mignon and gamey beef tongue (RMB108). Worth every penny, the carnivorous combo amps up the meatiness with chunks of sauteed mushrooms in a light Alfredo sauce.
The well-rounded menu – which includes cheap lunch sets that start at RMB48 and go to RMB88 for a four-course steal – isn’t the only reason to head to the fifth floor of this mall. Thoughtful decor with tinted floor-to-ceiling windows and industrial-chic gray walls sets Pascasa apart from the overhead glare of other shopping center restaurants.
The back wall’s high-octane open kitchen provides a feast for the eyes, orchestrated by Chef Zhang, as he capitalizes on his experiences at Craig Willis’ eponymous restaurant and Italian trattoria Henkes. He’s got well-trained staff (who dealt adeptly with a food allergy on our visit) supporting him. We wouldn’t be surprised if this budget hidden gem becomes a neighborhood favorite, despite its off-the-beaten-path locale.
// 5F, 818 Nanjing Xi Lu, by Shimen Yi Lu 南京西路818号818广场5楼，近石门一路 (6052 1980)
0 User Comments