[Shanghai] The Cannery (2)

The Cannery

Add: Room 106, 1107 Yu Yuan Road, Shanghai 愚园路1107号106室
Tel: +86 (21) 5276 0599
Hours: Mon-Sun 5:30pm-12:00am
Price: RMB250-350 (without drinks)
Visited: December 2016
Will return: Yes

It’s been six months since I last visited The Cannery (reviewed here), the sleek gastrolounge from the team behind The Nest. My second visit revealed a much expanded menu and improvements across the board. Here’s a quick look at what we ordered.

Given that it’s a cousin of The Nest, it should surprise no one that The Cannery serves some amazing oysters. Our assortment of Pacific oysters were all plump and flavorsome, an excellent deal at 288 a dozen. Also from the raw section, the Ahi tuna poke was bright in flavor and tinged with a tickle of heat, but the dose of sesame oil was slightly too heavy-handed for my taste.

Pacific oysters (288/dozen)

Ahi tuna poke Waikiki style (88)

A standout dish from my first visit, the Duck liver mousse was as smooth and rich as I remembered, but made even better with a layer of crushed nuts on top to supply texture. The mousse proved more satisfying than the Warm seafood salad of grilled octopus, scallops, clams, and mussels. The seafood was well-cooked, but the salad was sadly overdressed.

Duck liver mousse (48)

Warm seafood salad (158)

In the spirit of the season, The Cannery has rolled out half a dozen specials, such as the Festive ravioli filled with pumpkin, parmesan, mascarpone and sage, tossed with mussels and clams in a lemon sage butter sauce. Other ravioli creations are available from their regular menu, served with Alaskan king crab or West Coast oysters and shrimp. A slight-looking plate of Slow-cooked venison packed more punch than the size might suggest, the meat lightly smoked and perfectly tender, accompanied by a wintery parsnip cream and brightened with some blackberry and pickled celery.

Festive ravioli filled with pumpkin, parmesan, mascarpone and sage, mussels, clams, lemon sage butter sauce (98)

Slow-cooked pine-smoked venison, parsnip cream, pickled celery, blackberry (148)

Apart from festive dishes, The Cannery is also mixing some classic seasonal cocktails including Egg nog, mulled cider, and Hot Toddy.

Egg nog (68)

The pièce-de-résistance of the evening was the Whole roasted turbot swimming in a light lemon butter sauce. The fish was perfectly cooked, the sweet flesh galvanized by a crack of black pepper. The mashed potatoes on the side were as smooth as they come.

Whole roasted turbot, lemon butter sauce, mashed potatoes, broccolini (248)

The dessert menu saw an interesting addition called Le Pamplemousse, the French name for grapefruit strangely fancy for the laid-back restaurant. Housed in the hollowed-out grapefruit were layers of candied grapefruit, basil sorbet, sour Campari granita, and vanilla whipped cream, coming together in an intriguing but well-balanced mix. More familiar was the Chocolate brownie, fantastically done with a crunchy crust and gooey center.

Le pamplemousse: candied grapefruit, basil sorbet, sour Campari granita, vanilla whipped cream (98)

Gooey chocolate brownie (58)

The festive specials are available at The Cannery until the end of the month. Anyone else thinking about doing New Year’s Eve there?