Best of Shanghai Dining: 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana
Posted: May 19th, 2012 | Author: LumDimSum | Filed under: Foodies & Dining Scene, Travel | Tags: 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Alan Yu, Gian Luca Fusetto, Greg Luttrell, House of Blues and Jazz, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Michelin star, New Restaurant, Shanghai | No Comments »
Dining in the glitzy, glamorous 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana
I spent last weekend with the entourage in Shanghai for Hatsune Restaurant Owner, Alan Wong’s big birthday weekend and I gotta say, when it’s Alan’s birthday, you can’t help feeling like it’s your birthday too.
Any trip with Alan automatically implies an over-abundance of super fancy meals, more fine wine and champagne than an average person will consume in a year and non-stop action. Even with a newborn baby (literally three weeks old), he hasn’t slowed down his fast-paced, action-packed lifestyle one bit.
Whenever I hang out with Alan for more than 3 days, it’s pretty much guaranteed I’ll gain 5 kilos and that’s just due to the exorbitant amount of food we consume while traveling. If there is anyone who appreciates and enjoys good food more than me, it’s Alan. Doesn’t matter if it’s street food or in a Michelin-star restaurant, he’s all over it like a kid in a candy store. I should actually credit Alan for the foodie I’ve become since he’s taken me under his wing and introduced me to the world of fine dining and wine, treating me to the best meals of my life (L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Tokyo and countless Michelin-starred restaurants we make a point to visit wherever we are in the world).
For one of his birthday dinners (yes, there were consecutive birthday celebrations across several meals), we all dined at the newly opened 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, which just opened in Shanghai February 2012 and is also a 3-Michelin star rated restaurant in Hong Kong. It is one of only five restaurants with three Michelin stars in Hong Kong and is the only Italian restaurant outside Italy to win three Michelin stars. A strange (and very long) name, this restaurant is a tribute to Bombana’s favorite Italian film director Federico Fellini’s 1963 autobiographical movie “8 ½”, and Bombana obviously comes from his own name, Chef Umberto Bombana.
“Like Fellini’s movie, it is destined to be an unforgettable experience for anyone lucky enough to go on the maestro’s artistic journey with him.” - 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana
Alan is mad about the Hong Kong branch, so introducing us all to the newly opened Shanghai branch was a real treat, especially since we are all good friends with the Restaurant GM Gian Luca Fusetto, who used to manage the fine dining Italian restaurant Ristorante Sadler in Ch’ien Men 23 (just neighboring award-winning, fine dining French restaurant Maison Boulud). We are all well acquainted with Gian Luca and his team at Sadler as this is where Alan and his lovely wife Hannah celebrated their wedding ceremony (which I planned) back in 2009.
I’m sure the service would have been top-notch regardless of our personal relationship with Gian Luca, but having him look after us really made us feel right at home. He booked our group into their biggest private dining room, a room entirely dedicated to Panarei (how baller is that?) and he arranged a special set dinner menu with wine pairing for each course.
And I was more than ecstatic that he gave me free-reign to go camera-crazy in his fancy-pantsy restaurant where I’d normally be way too intimated to even take my camera out of its case. It would be impossible for anyone not to want a tour of this stunningly beautiful venue and I was very fortunate to wander around as I pleased.
Before I get into our fabulous meal at 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, let me first take you on a tour of the space. The lay-out is quite odd as it’s very angular with sharp corners and segregated spaces, but the opulent design and perfect lighting is spectacular and I want to emphasize the less tangible strengths of what makes 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, the new kid on the block, already the hottest new restaurant in Shanghai.
Just stepping foot inside, you can practically taste the success of this dining establishment. Everyone is dressed to the nines and everyone wants to be seen here and it’s easy to see why. It’s not pretend, this is the real deal. Everyone is as personable as they are professional and everything from the ambiance to the service is smooth as silk and they make it look so easy and natural.
This restaurant is so baller, people are forking over the big bucks for the temporary high they feel while you’re their guest. It’s like walking in and out of a dream. It’s addicting and undeniably irresistible.
LumDimSum Snapshots of 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana:

Ageing Room for World Class Ham & Cheeses
General Manager and Sommelier Extraordinaire Gian Luca Fusetto is responsible for selecting 450 unique etiquettes from all around the world (Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Spain, South Africa, Lebanon, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Chile, Argentina and China).

Cocktail Bar with Unique Drinks Created by Mixologists Dario Gentile and Giancarlo Mancino

Main Dining Room of 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana

One of 4 Private Dining Rooms, this one is dedicated to Panerai (Our Private Room)

Wine Pairing Menu Prepared by Gian Luca Fusetto


6-course Birthday Dinner Menu
From the complimentary bread basket to the deconstructed Tiramisu and homemade petit fours, this dinner was refined from start to finish. Get ready for a LumDimSum breakdown of each of these impressive courses.
LumDimSum Snapshots of Dishes by 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana:
Brilliant Bread Basket
(Mini baguettes, focaccia bread with sun-dried tomatoes, walnut bread and our favorite was bread with chunks of fresh olives)
As a general rule, you should never fill up on bread. It’s a major rookie mistake and poor strategy if you want to save enough stomach room to still savor your final dessert course, which is often my favorite part of the meal. I’m normally pretty good at engaging enough self-control to resist empty bread filler, but this bread basket was irresistible. They had bread with actual chunks of olives and focaccia bread with sun-dried tomatoes! Needless to say, I ate my way through every single bread variety in the basket selection but thanks to my bottomless pit of a stomach, I still ate (and enjoyed) every last bite of the rest of my meal.
Amuse Bouche – Like a Caprese salad with tomatos and Mozzarella Cheese
You can’t complain about a restaurant’s amuse bouche because it’s 1. free and 2. changes daily. I guess I can only say that I came on a different day to enjoy a more unique amuse bouche. There was nothing wrong with this dish – organic fresh Caprese salad with tomatoes, Mozzarella cheese and rocket salad was lovely, but it certainly wasn’t anything new or very impressive to my taste palate.
Simon Martin Jamon “Iberico de Bellota” – arguably the Best Ham in the World
There is hardly a meal with Alan where there isn’t finely cured meat served and as this was his birthday, we got the best of the best – Iberico de Bellota, the highest grade of Iberico ham in the world. I particularly like the way Sugared&Spiced describes the undeniable value of this particular ham -
“Now we all know that Iberico ham is a priced treasure, but “Iberico de Bellota” is yet on another level of its own – it is the king of Ibericos. The pigs are fed on a diet of acorns and aged for at least 30 months before being released, and the particular ham we had was aged for 36 months, thus earning its “gran reserva” label. The result? Varying shades of red gorgeously marbled with natural fats, and a delicate consistency bursting with the richest, most extraordinary flavor.” – Sugared&Spiced in her Review of 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana
Warm Scallops with Garden Vegetables & Black Olives
Scallops are hands-down my favorite shellfish and although 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana perfectly seared these scallops, I wished it wasn’t served in a pool of bright yellow mayonnaise which made the dish too rich. The mayonnaise was over-powering and I’m not too sure what was going on with the “garden vegetables”. It was adorable in presentation, but I’m not convinced the taste was a complement to the delicate scallop, which is the main attraction afterall.
Tagliolini Alle “Vongole” – Fresh Clams, Celery & Cherry Tomatoes
It’s amazing how something so simple can be so good. All pastas are made in house and this basic little pasta dish is explosive. There is no way this dish could have been made better and I challenge anyone who thinks otherwise to try to prove me wrong. Free dinner at 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana on me if you can show me a better Tagliolini Alle “Vongole”. (Who doesn’t love a good cook-off?)
New Zealand Ora King Salmon – Slow Poached with Parsnip Puree, Tomatoes and Basil Sauce
This slow poached New Zealand Ora King Salmon was my favorite dish of the dinner. Every bite literally melted in my mouth and if I had the power to immortalize special moments in my life that I could relive on repeat, this King Salmon would make that list.
Tajima Short Ribs & Beef Tenderloin - Plum Red Wine Sauce, Whipped Potato
By this point, I was struggling. I was so stuffed with wine, fine food and let’s not forget that stupid bread basket I couldn’t stop stuffing my face with (Correction: the bread basket was not stupid, I am to blame for my own stupidity for not having a stronger will to say no to more bread).
That being said, this dish was amazing, magnificent, awesome, delicious – every positive adjective that exists in the English language can be appropriately used to describe this dish. The plum red wine sauce drizzled over the tender Tajima Short Ribs & Beef Tenderloin was ideal to dunk into my potato puree.
Honeymelon Fruit & Sorbet
Something light and refreshing to cleanse our palate to prepare for the forthcoming onslaught of delectable desserts.
Deconstructed Tiramisu Dessert
Strong flavors for tiramisu fanatics, this deconstructed tiramisu is made with lady fingers marinated in marsala wine. Such beautiful presentation is difficult to destroy and mash up for the appropriate combination of a perfect tiramisu bite.
Chef’s Homemade Petit Fours
Oh, the famous little golden eggs. Gooey, like jelly, with a liquid filling, this little dessert is for adventurous foodies with a sweet tooth who are comfortable with strange textures and consistencies. I also managed to eat one strawberry macaroon which was extraordinary, but I stopped myself at that. Couldn’t manage another bite of the other two homemade petit fours.
Surprise Birthday Cake for Alan Wong Courtesy of 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana
Just when we thought it was all over, Gian Luca, Executive Chef Alan Yu and his talented team at 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana come with a surprise birthday cake for Alan-san! So unexpected and very much appreciated by all of us for the thoughtful gesture.
Happy Birthday Alan-san!
Birthday Boy Alan Wong (middle) with Executive Chef Alan Yu (left) and Italian GM and Sommelier Extraordinaire Gian Luca Fusetto (right)
Hatsune Restaurant Group Owner Alan Wong (Right) with Crazy Talented Vocalist and Musician Greg Luttrell (Invited Band at the House of Blues and Jazz) (Left)
Review of 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana: Rockbund, Associate Mission Building, 6-7/F, 169 Yuanmingyuan Lu, near Beijing Dong Lu 圆明园路169号6-7楼, 近北京东路, Tel: 6087 2890, Open Daily for Dinner 6PM-midnight, Bar is open 4PM-late
Best Part:
- This is the real deal. Their Hong Kong branch was awarded 3-Michelin stars last year (the only Italian restaurant outside of Italy to get 3 stars) and this is about as good as it gets in mainland China. I’d really be surprised to hear any negative criticisms of their food or service as it was all on-point.
- The opulent design of the restaurant and perfect lighting is stunning. A perfect place for a special occasion, to impress a hot date or important business meeting with some Big Kahunas.
- Their impressive wine cellar has 450 unique etiquettes from all around the world (Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Spain, South Africa, Lebanon, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Chile, Argentina and China).
- Their cocktail bar opens a bit earlier than the restaurant (4PM instead of 6PM) and showcases some brilliant cocktail concoctions by talented bar mixologists.
- GM & Sommelier Gian Luca is a wonderful host and really went above and beyond the call of duty to make Alan’s birthday dinner special for all of us. The wines he personally paired for our dinner was perfectly matched with the food we were served and the surprise birthday cake at the end was totally unexpected and incredibly thoughtful. The fact that Executive Chef Alan Yu also came out to meet all of us was an honor. Big points to their team for leaving us all with a wonderful lasting impression of 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana.
Comments:
- This is glitzy, trendy, fancy and a place people are dressed to the nines and want to see and be seen. Unfortunately, this also implies that this is not a low-key place to be discreet or private (in spite of their 4 total private rooms)
- It’s location has the advantage of showing off some great views of the Rockbund. It was a bit chilly and windy the night we dined at 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, but I bet their terrace and balcony tables will be popular during the warmer summer months.
- It’s only been open a few months and there is already a two week back-log of reservations. This is not a place you can casually waltz into without a reservation and expect to be seated. This is a pre-planned, special occasion destination that needs to be booked well in advance.
- Let’s talk price tags: Price for dinner without wine starts at RMB 600 with appetizers running RMB 110-190, pastas from RMB 90-190, mains from RMB 250-390. A five-course degustation is available for RMB688 or RMB1288 with wine pairings.
- From the few people I know who have had the privilege to dine at both 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana branches in Hong Kong and Shanghai, I have heard from all that as much as they enjoyed their dining experience at the Shanghai branch, they prefer the original in Hong Kong. As the film industry perpetually fails to contradict, the sequel rarely can outshine the original.
Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)
- Food: 9
- Atmosphere: 9
- Service: 9
- Overall Experience: 9


























































































































































