Hairy Scary Rolls at Haiku

As I flew into Shanghai yet again this month, my friend Yut decided to take me to Haiku by Hatsune, a rather popular restaurant down tree-lined Tai Jiang Lu near Heng Shan Lu for my first meal in town. After making our way through the evening traffic, we arrived to a very empty restaurant by 7:00pm.

From the outside, it looked like any other trendy dinner spot in town, but I had high expectations and was looking forward to trying their some of their signature handrolls that the locals have been raving about in the forums. We started with some chilled tofu, a few selections of sushi and two signature handrolls. I noted that they were a little stingy with the wasabi. You should know that I usually judge a Japanese restaurant by the quality of their wasabi. Some of the better ones prefer the freshly grated variety as opposed to the powdered form. Both are lethal, but the fresh version known as 'sawa' tastes like fresh grass with a real kick to the groin, and has a unique subtle flavor that is lost in the processed form once it is turned to powder or paste. Then again, most of the green glop found in restaurants in America isn't really wasabi anyway, but made of horseradish and green food coloring.



Anyway, I'm digressing again. The fish was fresh, albeit a tad bit warm for my liking, but the highlight was the handrolls. The Hairy Scary Roll was a unagi and asparagus wrapped rice roll smothered with bonito flakes, spring onions and drizzled with teriyaki sauce - a dream dish for any bonito lover. I also liked the RJ roll, named after the head chef of Haiku who created it. This was a combination of two types of fish, with a generous sprinkle of japanese chives on top. These delectable dishes brings to mind the fantastic handrolls at Blowfish Sushi, one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in San Jose's Santana Row. We also tried their three-course eel set, which features eel cooked two way (one grilled, one steamed) and a clear eel broth that was surprisingly flavorful despite its clarity. Overall, Haiku impressed me with their innovative handrolls that seemed very much a part of the Cali-Jap fusion scene.



There were many more items on the menu that we would have loved to try, with at least a dozen more handrolls that sounded as equally tempting as the Hairy Scary Roll, but those would have to wait till next time. As we left the restaurant around 9pm, the restaurant had already filled up to capacity and diners were still streaming in. I would recommend Haiku to anyone looking for a decent Japanese meal when in Shanghai - the excellent quality of the food, the modern yet simplistic decor and garden setting makes dining in this hectic metropolis a little more pleasant than expected.