The place
It must be a sign of the times: dining in Shanghai has gotten so expensive that even luxury label Gucci is cashing in on the action.
Now, after long await, 1921 Gucci is now open in IAPM mall, and is apparently the 'world's first Gucci restaurant.' This isn't the Italian luxury label's first foray into F&B, however, there's Gucci branded cafes in Milan and Tokyo, but this is the first formal fine dining concept.
Inside, it's as luxurious as you might expect, with brushed gold accents tastefully gleaming from every surface, riveted wood panel walls, black marble surfaces and plush velveteen upholstery.
The restaurant is partitioned into three different spaces: a less formal cafe room in the front, a bar and lounge area in the middle, and a main dining room at the back that leads onto a very spacious terrace outside.
The food
Unlike the Vivienne Westwood Cafe, which is in the expensive afternoon tea business, 1921 Gucci is ambitiously focusing on fine dining. And it is NOT cheap. Well, some of it is not cheap.
For lunchtimes, 1921 Gucci offers a good RMB148 lunch set, which includes a starter and a main, with an extra dessert for RMB38.
And Chief Chef Giuliano knows how to play his magic well. In this set we tried the parma ham salad with balsamic-soaked shallots. Kudos for the nice thick-cut slices of ham, they went well with the sweetness tart little onions.
For mains you can have a selection of pasta, but wanting to get the most bang for our buck, we chose the grilled beef tenderloin with roasted eggplant, mint tomatoes and pureed potatoes.
It's evident that they've gone for compromise with local tastes, as the beef was cooked *just over* medium rare. However, thanks to a little sous-vide cooking prior, it was still pretty tender. Not breathtaking, but very acceptable for an RMB148 lunch set.
The a la carte menu is where prices step up a gear. I.E. garden salad for RMB88, or prosciutto and rock melon for RMB138. However, there are bargains are to be found for the thrifty diners among us.
We were pretty pleased with the spinach and watercress soup, with onsen egg and a dollop of caviar (RMB88). Subtly delicious and not overly filling.
Next we threw fiscal caution to the wind with an RMB198 tagliatelle, topped with seared chunks of buttery duck foie gras and laced with morel mushrooms.
It's a tough call as to whether it's worth RMB198, but it certainly was delicious – the nuttiness of the foie gras complementing the woody morels and al dente tagliatelle.
As for desserts, somebody in the kitchen is getting a little carried away with the plating. As seen with this cream-heavy tiramisu (RMB88).
We would have preferred a more traditional interpretation of this classic Italian dessert, but in terms of taste, it satisfied.
Food verdict: 2.5/3
Vibe
Thanks to it being 'the first Gucci restaurant in the world,' 1921 Gucci is enjoying tremendous popularity, so much so that the place is booked up until September for dinner (according to the manager).
Clientele is dominated by an elite crowd of moneyed taitais, who come for lunch, and, unfettered by the constraints of office hours, while away the afternoons lounging on the velveteen armchairs.
Order of the day for these ladies is afternoon tea, so the handsomely appointed bar lies relatively empty. Drinks come in at around RMB88. Such as this 'negroni classico,' nicely made, but ought really to have been a touch stronger. It was noon mind you, so maybe it was for the best.
Service here is very well-trained and notably polite, as it should be for the prices. We found no fault with the staff, who were attentive, organized, and English-speaking.
Vibe verdict: 1/1
Value for money
We'll level with you – if you're coming to a Gucci restaurant, value for money isn't going to be your top priority. 1921 Gucci knows this as well as you do, so what you get for your RMB here is service, quality ingredients and premium atmosphere rather than sizeable portions.
There's plenty of places to spend your money on fine dining in Shanghai, but 1921 Gucci is an exciting enough novelty for those interested in this kind of luxury. It may even continue to be so after the initial rush of curiosity, if the food quality is consistent. Oh and don't forget to reserve in advance!
As for us, we'd happily come back here, but mainly for special occasions. Or payday.
Value for money: 0.5/1
TOTAL VERDICT: 4/5
Price: RMB350 per person (plus 10 percent service charge)
Who's going: very well-heeled groups of glamorous taitais, business people
Good for: fine dining, Italian food, luxury, special occasions.
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