Italian luxury menswear brand Zegna opened its first-ever Zegna Caffè in Shanghai at HKRI Taikoo Hui. Aperitivo snacks, signature dishes from the Northern Italy, and an all-Italian wine list.
About Zegna Caffè
The merging of couture and cuisine is a global phenomenon, and luxury brands have been quick to diversify their portfolios with cafes and restaurants worldwide. Shanghai has about a dozen of them.
Zegna Caffè is located on the ground floor of HKRI Taikoo Hui in Shanghai, connected to its showroom. It can also be accessed from the promenade on the inner side of the mall, right by the driveway to The Middle House and The Sukhothai. Seeing as it is under the promenade, Zegna Caffè also has covered outdoor seating. The outdoor area is dog-friendly.
The boutique Caffè is small and seats about 12 inside and 14 outside. It was designed by renowned architect Patricia Urquiola. Spanish by birth, Italian by trade, she once hailed as the most important female designer by the Financial Times. The space features natural elements of wood, marble, and nature, a scheme inspired by Oasi Zegna, a natural territory in North Italy known for its societal and environmental consciousness.
The Food: Northern Italian
The all-day menu features a curated selection of Northern Italian food, specifically, cuisine from the Piedmont region, where Oasi Zegna is located.
The menu was developed by Gianluca Serafin, also from Piedmont, who’s given classic Italian food a modern upgrade. Gianluca is a chef of caliber that I’m fond of, I might add.
The go-to dish is the Tajarin Pasta. If you like strong, punchy flavors like me, this pasta is right up your alley. Tajarin, the thinnest and richest pasta of Piedmont, is a fresh-made silky egg pasta. It’s served with a chunky sausage and mushroom ragu, the pasta glazed with a thin sheen of the tomato-based sauce.
It’s punchy with bold flavors, a hint of tanginess, and a lot of umami. I’ve been told that the pasta is on the saltier side, but perhaps it is just considered “authentically seasoned.” I loved it.
Seeing as it is located at Taikoo Hui, much of the menu caters to the quick bite office crowd. These are mostly represented in the form sandwiches, refined of course, served hot or cold. Petit paninis are served cold, starting from ¥88, which include classic egg salad, Vitello Tonnato, and salmon gravlax.
The hot sandwiches are more substantial in portion, starting from ¥88, and also includes a side dish (¥48 a la carte) of fries, spinach and parmigiano salad, or mixed vegetables.
The Oasi sandwich is a vegetarian option, made with cheese, grilled radicchio and root vegetables, antipasti, and pesto dip, grilled between sourdough bread. It was surprisingly delicious, substantial, and satisfying. Something about the thickness, consistency, and selection of grilled vegetables made it a hearty, well-textured sandwich.
Other hot sandwiches include pulled lamb and fontina cheese, porcini with prosciutto and truffle, and ham and four cheese.
As a healthier option, the Roasted Root Vegetables offers a similar heartiness as a warm salad. It features a diverse selection of roasted beets, parsnip and fresh carrots, kale, spinach, endive, and roasted hazelnuts.
Classic dishes see a jazzed up Vitello Tonnato. Thin slices of roasted veal is topped with tuna sauce and capers, jazzed up with a bit of basil oil. Slices are thicker than the usual and generous, a dish best enjoyed with their Breadbasket.
And it wouldn’t be an Italian café without antipasti to go with aperitivo. Zegna Caffè has more than a dozen Antipasti to choose from, a selection of four is ¥298.
The Tonno Di Gallina, which directly translates to “tuna of the chicken,” is so named for its appearance and supple texture. The herbed chicken is cooked low and slow by sous vide to tender and juicy, torn into strips, served with good extra virgin olive oil.
Heavier antipasti include salty anchovies topped with a punchy garlic and celery sauce, best enjoyed with bread and a glass of wine. One of my aperitivo favorites is the stuffed pepperoncini, filled with seasoned tuna and capers.
The Beef Tongue with Bagnetto Verde is perhaps the best value antipasti. Sous vide beef tongue is served with a hefty helping of bagnetto verde, a Piedmontese herb sauce made with parsley, garlic, anchovies, egg, bread, vinegar, and olive oil. It’s an extremely flavorful dish. Also a favorite.
Other appetizers include Roasted Peppers topped with bagna cauda, a savory garlic-anchovy sauce and Seasoned Mushrooms in olive oil.
For dessert, they have a daily selection of cakes and cookies, as well as Tiramisu.
Wines are exclusively Italian with many from Piedmont region, starting from ¥98 a glass, ¥488 a bottle. They also serve coffee, tea, cocktails (¥138), and mocktails (¥98).
Zegna Caffè
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