The Place
Bird is the natural culmination of Camden Hauge’s experience hosting events such Shanghai Supperclub and FEAST Food Festival and running her popular café, Egg. The reason these concepts work so well is her uncanny ability to assemble a team of passionate experts.
This holds true at Bird where former surgeon, Chef Chris Zhu, is sending small bites out of the open kitchen with absolute precision. After studying at Le Cordon Bleu, Shanghai, Zhu was working at Anteroom when he walked into Egg to ask about Chef’s Tables. Taking care of the wine is Lobin Tjia, a man as generous with wine knowledge as he is with pours.
The Food
The menu at Bird is a short list of snacks, small plates and sharing-style mains on biweekly rotation, plus daily specials on the chalkboard. While there is the danger that beloved dishes will disappear, this format keeps things fresh. In fact, the most of the menu has changed since our first visit.
With that in mind, the daily specials we ordered were easily the best of the night. Savory, rich duck leg confit (RMB138) with a sweet and buttery carrot puree and wosun pickle is legit, and was sold out soon after we received ours. When the other special appeared, we were shocked by the decision to serve braised lamb tacos (RMB80) in a hard tortilla shell. Also bold is the accompanying, charcoal-tinged chili aioli. Nevertheless, one bite and this high-low fusion taco made us believers.
From the regular offerings, a tasty squid and bamboo dish with salted vegetables (RMB78) makes sense on either an Asian or a Western menu. Fried cauliflower with onion, chive and miso (RMB68) is a dish that takes a while to hit, but once it does, the lingering flavors of the ingredients are worth the wait.
The only dessert option – spiced ricotta with date, carrot chip, pistachio and brioche (RMB78) — is a both savory and creamy with a hit of lime zest. This is the type of dessert for people that don’t love sweets.
Bird’s wine list is refreshingly well-priced. For example, the house sparkling goes down easily at RMB60 per glass (or RMB300 per bottle) and they have seven wines available under RMB70 per glass. Also worth noting, they now serve a three-course weekend lunch set at RMB320 (or RMB388 with wine pairing).
Food Verdict: 2/3
The Vibe
The focal point is the wrap-around bar seating, where you can peer into the kitchen and chat up the staff, and there’s also high tables suitable for small groups. The overall casual vibe comes thanks to interiors by Linehouse.
When all’s said and done, Bird is about personality and they’ve got that in spades from a chef who teases foodies for elaborate photos while their food is getting cold, to a wine guy ready to argue grapes with a friendly smile. Keeping it all together are Hauge, and her newly installed General Manager, Andrew Moo, who worked with Hatchery in Beijing.
Vibe Verdict: 2/2
Total Verdict: 4/5
Price: RMB300-500 per person
Who’s going: mixed crowd, diners in the know
Good for: low-key wine and nibbles
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