Back to my old habits again

It's been at least three years since I had a good meal at Shintori, and I thought tonight might be the perfect time to take a nostalgic stroll down that bamboo path leading up to the glass cube entrance. It all started during a conversation in the office about new places to eat in Shanghai. My colleagues were eager to try something different and away from the Bund, so we took a cab downtown to explore some of the more local areas of the city. 

Our first stop was along Donghu Road, where El Willy and Sichuan Citizen were located. As usual, El Willy was impossible to get in without a reservation, and tonight there wasn't even standing room at the bar. I didn't want to eat Sichuan for dinner two nights in a row, so we walked down the road looking for other alternatives. At some point, I started checking Google Maps and realized that we were just a block away from Julu Road, where Shintori, People 7 and Mesa were located. I brought up the idea of eating modern Japanese, and both my colleagues were keen to try. And so within minutes, we found ourselves standing outside the doorway leading into Shintori.

Some people would describe walking into Shintori for the first time an ethereal moment where you feel transported to a different world the moment you take your first step through the entrance. Both my colleagues were awed by the serenity that greeted us as we walked through the non-descript doorway along Julu Road with the tiny number '803' on a metal plaque. Most people would have missed it, but those "in-the-know" get a kick out of taking their friends there and seeing the look of amazement on their faces as the sliding doors around the glass cube open up, revealing the foyer and main dining hall just beyond the door.

Shintori had not changed one bit these past few years. It was still bustling and we were only able to get counter seats. The menu looked a little different, but most of the dishes were familiar. I pointed out a few signature dishes for my colleagues to try, but decided to go with the kaiseki set instead. At RMB280, it seemed like a very good deal, with 6 courses covering the usual kaiseki dishes of an appetizer, sashimi, tempura, grilled meat, soup, rice and dessert. 

What really impressed me was the freshness of the ingredients, and the perfectly blended flavors. The only slight disappointment was the dessert, which was too ordinary, given that Shintori has always been known for their modern Japanese interpretations. Maybe I was just expecting to get a slice of the green tea tiramisu that my colleague was eating.

I'm glad to know that in this city of everchanging dining experiences, some good things haven't changed yet. I love Shintori the way I love a good secret vacation hideaway, so I'm only sharing this with a few people, especially when I want a quiet dinner out in the city by myself.