Shanghai Restaurant Review: HIYA

By Cristina Ng, December 29, 2018

The Place

One of three restaurants in The Shanghai EDITION, HIYA is modeled after Chef Jason Atherton’s now defunct London-based restaurant, Sosharu. Like its predecessor, HIYA is a Japanese-style gastropub designed by Neri&Hu. In Shanghai, the kitchen is helmed by Christopher Pitts who previously worked with Atherton as the chef at Table No. 1.

It might be confusing to read the words ‘izakaya,’ ‘gastropub,’ and ‘Japanese’ and then walk into HIYA. Instead of over-worked salarymen knocking back a few drinks after a long day at the office, you will find a stylish, well-heeled crowd enjoying a good time over fancy cocktails and beautifully presented dishes, while documenting the entire experience with countless selfies and foodporn shots for their Insta-Stories.

The Food

The two-page menu features six sections: sashimi, chilled, temaco, tempura, hibachi and dessert. Starting with Sashimi (RMB218 per six pieces), the precision of the kitchen is on full display. Sending out the sashimi pre-seasoned is the work of a confident chef and wouldn’t be out of place at an omakase joint. Both from Japan, the lean tuna comes with bamboo shoots and wasabi while the yellowtail is accented with ginger and chives.

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Our favorite, however, is the Norwegian salmon topped with sesame paste and lemon. The Sea Bass Roll (RMB118) sees gleaming slices of fish wrapped around strings of fried potato with the tantalizingly bright additions of shiso and myoga ginger.

The ‘temacos’ are open hand rolls with a u-shaped sheet of fried nori enveloping sushi rice and fillings such as Marinated Tuna (RMB98) with tobiko, avocado and fresh wasabi or Seared Salmon (RMB88) with spiced cabbage and bonito vinegar flavored jelly.

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Squeeze on some spicy mayonnaise for an elevated California-style sushi experience. Chef Pitts takes it one step further with a Slow-Cooked Pork Shoulder, Roasted Pineapple and Pickled Chili (RMB88), which translates to one damn fine approximation of an al pastor taco.

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Another runaway hit are the Stuffed Chicken Wings with Pickled Turnip and Chili (RMB38/piece). These massive wings are deboned, packed with flavorsome ground meat and glazed with a glossy soy basting sauce.

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

The Gyu-Don Beef Bowl (RMB248) is a comforting rice dish made for sharing with ribbons of M7 Wagyu mingling with onion puree, garlic chips, sesame and raw egg yolk.

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

In the dessert section, the shaved ice-inspired Strawberry Kakigori (RMB88) is a snow-covered mountain with strawberry sorbet and sweet cream hidden in the center. Add in the with strawberry coulis, condensed milk and a bear-shaped chocolate chip cookie for a riot of textures and flavors.

Food verdict: 2/3

The Vibe

The sophisticated interior gives off an intimate yet airy atmosphere that suits its price point. We struggle to compare HIYA to other Japanese restaurants because Atherton and company are doing something we haven’t seen in Shanghai. We might not rush over the next time we have a yearning for authentically Japanese food, but we can see ourselves craving dishes that are only available at HIYA.