From the group behind the Atelier restaurants comes a huge two-part project: Cantonese restaurant Atelier Kaulou (玖樓) and cocktail bar Opia.
Together they take up the entire ninth floor of A Mansion, the building on the corner of Fumin and Changle Roads, the popular strip where Atelier No. 3, Laizhou Bar, and Cantina Agave are located. Entrance is from Changle Road via the office elevators.
Atelier Kaulou & Bar Opia
The space is enormous, decked out in a soft, olive-green color scheme. The scale is impressive. It boasts an open layout with a large communal dining room, two public terraces running the length of the space with outdoor seating, and multiple spacious private rooms with their own outdoor areas — all with a splendid view of downtown Shanghai.
Atelier Kaulou claims most of the real estate, while Opia has its own dedicated nook. It’s a striking setup centered around a massive square-shaped sunken bar. The counter, raised above the bartending station, creates an arena-like setting where guests look down on the action below.
Illuminated by a grid of glowing ceiling panels and finished in the same olive-green palette, it gives off a distinctly retro-futuristic aesthetic. The bar program is led by Matthew Hall, previously of The Upper House Shanghai and Hakkasan. (I didn’t manage to try the drinks — next time!)
It’s a project by the Atelier group of restaurants, which includes Atelier No. 3 (located downstairs), Atelier Izakaya, and Atelier Izayaka on the Bund.
The Food: Contemporary Cantonese, Seafood-Forward
The food at Atelier Kaulou is contemporary Cantonese, fusing traditional cooking with a light Western touch. An example of Western influence is seen in the whole char-grilled pine leaf crab, served over paccheri pasta (¥688). The menu is sizable, featuring Cantonese-style roasted meats, soups, claypot dishes, live seafood, classic Cantonese stir-fries, and dim sum. They also have off-menu dishes available on request, mostly premium seafood.
Note: I attended a banquet-style dinner, so the portions in the following photos have been adjusted for a large group. Stated prices are for the regular portions, which may differ from the ones shown below.
Start with a few cold dishes. The Dongshan Baby Squid (¥68) over bamboo shoots with garlic chives and Sea Urchin & Sesame Chili Clams (¥158/nine) are solid options, one cool and crunchy, the other unctuous and punchy.
Switch gears with their signature Cantonese roast, the Qingyuan Black-Brown Goose (¥168/half). It’s uber rich and guaranteed to gloss your lips with fat. The skin is crispy and the dark meat juicy and flavorful, doused in a a sweet-savory sauce mixed in with drippings, served with sweet plum sauce and chimichurri to dip.
Earthy and slightly peppery, the Moringa Sprouts (¥58) with morel mushrooms and walnuts make for an excellent palate cleanser.
My favorite dish of the night was the Oysters & Black Termite Mushroom (¥98) in ginger oil. The oysters were perfect — lightly poached in ginger oil, creamy in the center with a firm bite along the edges. Deceptively simple yet delivers maximum pleasure. I’d come back just for this.
The Black Truffle Abalone Chicken Clay Pot (¥98) also wowed. It would have been a humble, rustic dish if not for the black truffle. Sure, the truffle added its signature aroma, but the chicken more than held its own — lightly browned, springy thigh meat, and tons of garlic.
If you’re gunning for the showier dishes, there’s also a Boston Lobster Mapo Tofu (¥328) and a char-grilled Beef Short Rib (¥288).
As for off-menu dishes, the one to request is this: geoduck poached in rice congee (鱼米粥油堂灼象拔蚌). Geoduck is the clam that looks like a trunk sticking out of its shell. It’s often served as sashimi, but here it’s lightly poached in a congee made with seafood stock. It’s a truly comforting dish, one that anyone who appreciates Cantonese food will enjoy. Suitable for banquet-style dining, and priced according to the market price of geoduck.
In Summary
Atelier Kaulou excels at seafood. Not all dishes are made for banquet feasts — the appetizers, dim sum, roasts, and stir-fried dishes make easy sharing for two to three people. The claypot dishes are excellent, but they’re large and filling, so I’d recommend going with a bigger group.
Atelier Kaulou
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