Day 2 - Dinner at Danielli's

so on day 2, after lots of shopping and sightseeing on day 2 (ok not that much. i hate shopping) we were getting hungry. we had researched before we went out and we decided that we wanted to try this restaurant that we heard about. it was this restaurant called Danielli's at the St. Regis. its supposed to have loads of awards from wine and dine and shanghai tattler and was even named "best pasta" in shanghai. being the huge pasta-sucker that i am, we decided to try this place.

the open kitchen

the ambience of the place was really good. quiet, dimly lit and very classy. the waitstaff were super attentive and pretty knowledgable about the food too. however, it seemed like a recurring theme throughout china that it was really hard to communicate if you don't speak chinese too well like me. even d had problems communicating alot of the times. so much for higher chinese classes in secondary school. can't even talk to the cab driver. in fact my frantic gesturing turned out to be pretty useful and very understandable alot of the times. must be all the charades i played when i was young. that and from watching win, lose or draw.

sliced beef - 8/10

we started out being served this sliced beef appetizer which was pretty good. served medium. it was really tender with very natural flavors. not much seasoning was put onto this. presentation was very nice. two teeeny pieces of meat. no wonder its an appetizer. leaves you hungrier than you were before you ate it.

the antipasti platter - 8/10

The antipasti platter. The hard cheddar. The soft cheese with tomato, thin slices of cold cut ham, and a cheese baked tart amongst others. The cheeses were very pungent and bold in flavor. for those of you who like cheese, you'll love this. but for those of you who are not too fond of them, you might find the smell and taste a little overpowering. i really liked the soft cheese, which was easily cut through with a fork. it went really well with the fresh tomato that was served.

tagliatella cooked in squid ink with cream sauce - 9/10

next up were our mains. i had the tagliatella cooked in squid ink with seafood in a mild cream sauce. this was truly cooked to perfection. the pasta was first cooked in squid ink and them with the cream sauce, which was just right in its texture and viscousity. it was not too heavy so as to overwhelm the pasta, but yet creamy enough to create that heavier texture and taste. The clams and shrimps served as perfect accompainiments.

seafood pasta - 8.5/10

d had the seafood pasta. it really looked uncannily liked udon. in fact, it kinda tasted a little like it too. but it was still very good nonetheless.

tiramisu - 8.5/10

we ended of the meal with tiramisu for dessert. served with a little chocalate piece which d was more than happy to eat. the tiramisu was firm and cold inside. just the right amount of moisture to allow the sweetness to flow out into your mouth when you bite into it.

great meal overall. definitely one of the better italian places i've been too ever.