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.

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.
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