Scarpetta, Shanghai’s long-standing Italian restaurant, undergoes a rebirth with the coming of new chef Lorenzo Merolle. Menu highlights see refined renditions of Italian handmade pastas and luxurious pizzas with fresh, extra-large burrata cheese.
This is for date night, for those looking to impress, and for hedonists wanting to indulge. Click here to book Scarpetta.
About Scarpetta Shanghai
I have quite the personal connection to Scarpetta. It was one of the earliest restaurants I wrote about back when I first started this line of work. I’ve seen it grow and witnessed its transformation over the years, from humble trattoria to a quick bout of Japanese-Italian to its current standing of a fine Italian restaurant.
The latest iteration of Scarpetta’s traditional Italian cuisine is perhaps its most refined.
The menu sees house-made pastas bathed in smooth, silken sauces and blanketed with 36-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano. Luxurious pizzas are topped with enormous balls of burrata, made fresh locally and extra-large at a whopping 150 grams exclusively for Scarpetta. Even the humblest of dishes, the focaccia, is unforgettable for its crunchy crust and chewy, moist interior. The hydration is insane.
In addition, most dishes indulge guests with a showy display of table-side service, a performance made memorable by Executive Chef Lorenzo Merolle.
Lorenzo Merolle joined Scarpetta earlier this year, first as consultant then quickly ascending to become the group’s Italian executive chef. The Rome-native comes from a restaurateur family and has 15 years of professional experience working in Rome, London, Sydney, and Shanghai, most recently at Amanyangyun and Frasca at The Middle House.
The Food at Scarpetta
Scarpetta is not a typical everyday affair as it is on the higher end of the scale, but honestly, it’s not by much, especially given the exceptional quality of ingredients, sleek dining room, and outstanding service.
Menu highlights are hard to miss: You’re here for some fancy pizza and exquisite pastas.
The star pizza is the Signature Burratona. Don’t let the sticker shock deter you! This pizza is worth it.
Toppings of ricotta cheese, parmesan, and fresh mozzarella act as a base for the key ingredient to shine — the fresh burrata cheese. The pizza is given lashings of bright green olive oil, shaved cured egg yolk, and fresh basil. It comes with a whole show — the burrata is cut table-side, and the pizza finished with garnishes.
It’s a super-duper milky and creamy bite with a hint of bright acidity from the tomato sauce and yeasty aromas from the chewy, pliable crust.
There are five other pizzas on the menu, ranging from ¥208, a margherita with fresh burrata and scarmoza to ¥288, a rich foie gras and porcini mushroom with truffles. A pizza like the Burratona is plenty for two with an appetizer and dessert.
I do recommend the Garlic Foccacia before the pizza. I was implored by chef to try a serving, despite being guilt-torn by the forthcoming pizza and multiple pastas, but was not disappointed when I ate the foccacia. These hyper-hydrated focaccia slices are worth every carb count — crispy tops and corners with a spongy, moist interior. Served with spreads of confit garlic, smoky-spicy nduja and tomato, and sesame shiso pesto.
There are currently eight pastas on the menu, most with house-made fresh pastas, which change seasonally.
The Tomato & Gragnano Fusilloni is absolutely fantastic, again by recommendation of chef Lorenzo. It reads simple: tomato, parmigiano Reggiano, and colatura, the Italian version of aged fish sauce for added umami, but it’s much more complex than that.
The smooth, luscious tomato sauce is made with a blend of three kinds of tomatoes. It’s a thick sauce that coats the al dente spiral pasta with a sweet and a gentle tartness, and fresh tomato flavors. Coincidentally, this pasta is also the chef’s proudest creation.
The indulgence continues with the Alfredo Fettucine. Fresh made pasta is cooked in a wheel of 36-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, flambéed with sweet-floral brandy, and finished with scarmoza and butter.
It’s a nutty, creamy, sweet, and complex tasting pasta, and not a dish I would likely share.
Finally, the Bone Marrow & Ragu Tagliatelle caps the meal with a fatty, rich note. The ragu is a labor of love, a combination of veal, wagyu M9 mince, and Iberico pork, simmered down with Primitivo red wine, then finished with garlic oil and butter. Roasted bone marrow is spooned onto the pasta and mixed.
It’s a chunky ragu, a generous portion with fresh-made taglliatelle pasta. It’s a dish of deep, rich flavors.
For appetizers, try the Beef Carpaccio and Tartare, a two-way cold dish made with Australian M9 beef, pickled mushrooms, and truffle aioli topped with parmesan chips, and the Baby Squid Panzanella, tender squid stuffed with crispy panzanella and shallots over a bed of chickpea purée with fried capers.
For mains, there are a few cuts of steak, pan-seared fish, and grilled red prawns. I recommend the Roasted Sanhuang Chicken, a sort of surf and turf variation, as it is served with a sautéed clam sauce. The chicken itself is tenderized in papaya water, then marinated with yogurt, rosemary, and lemon. It’s served over sourdough bread slices, which soak up all that delicious sauce.
For dessert, the selection is more experimental, and some are remnants from the previous Japanese-Italian take. For example, there’s an almond tofu panna cotta and a Kanazawa Caramel Budino, a pudding that draws from Italian and Japanese cuisine. But there’s also a more traditional Tiramisu, too.
New on the dessert menu is the Batida de Coco, inspired by a coconut cocktail of the same name, made with salty chocolate sable, coconut mousse, Bailey’s cream, and balck pepper popcorn.
For drinks, there are some cocktails, but it’s mostly wine, which starts from ¥78 by the glass and ¥368 by the bottle.
Nomfluence Readers Deals
Nomfluence readers get buy-one-get-one prosecco or grappa when you book via the link below! Bookings from 8:30pm to 9:30pm get 12% off the food bill. Deals may not be used concurrently. Valid until June 30, 2024.
Click here to book now!
Scarpetta Shanghai
Address: 33 Mengzi Lu, near Xujiahui Lu 蒙自路33号, 近徐家汇路
Tel: 33768223
Hours: Daily, 5pm-9:30pm
