By Betty Richardson
The place
Owned by Camden Hauge, founder of Shanghai Supperclub, Egg is an airy little café on Xiangyang Bei Lu. By day it serves low-key comfort dishes (many of which involve fried, poached or scrambled eggs), but every Thursday night it transforms to become a ‘chef’s table,’ an intimate dinner for just 10 people, who eat a multi-course meal prepared by a guest chef cooking from the adjacent open kitchen. The space is small, but high ceilings and a light color scheme keep it a comfortable place to be.
The food
During breakfast and lunch, Egg’s menu is concise. Much fuss has been made over the price of the avocado toast (RMB55), to which an egg can be added for RMB8. For some people, this price is too high. For others, it’s ok. What we will say is it’s a big portion, tasty, filling and pretty healthy.
Less healthy, but more flavorsome is the fried rice compressed into a waffle (RMB70), topped with an egg, lao gan ma (Chinese chili sauce) and – wait for it – Spam. We have recently discovered Spam as the delicious, savory mystery meat that it is. No, we are not being ironic, and this dish was mad good.
Another dish that’s been catching a lot of heat is the spring shakshouka (RMB60), which comes with poached egg (still runny), feta, stewed greens and toast. You can also get a side of chili-candied bacon for RMB20, which packs a serious punch. We loved it, but it ain’t for the faint of heart.
This is available during the day. But what about the Chef’s Table experience? We went to the one hosted by Chef Austin Hu from Madison, at RMB288 per person for five courses. With just 10 fellow diners, some of whom were strangers (nice ones), it was an unforgettable experience that reminded us how fun dinner parties can be. This was the first of the weekly Chef’s Tables. If you want in on the action, you’ll need to email Hauge directly (Camden@eggshanghai.com). 2.5/3
The vibe
Relaxed and faintly daydream-y, Egg is part way Melbourne-style café, part Scandinavian hipster design studio. It’s a place to come for quick bites, studying and hanging out too. Service is un-intrusive and friendly, unremarkable for all the right reasons. 1/1
Value for money
In some people’s eyes, Egg will not represent value for money, since it’s largely impossible to leave full for under RMB100. As such, Egg won’t be the place you’re going to visit three times a week if you’re on a tight budget. However, it is not overly expensive, and the portion sizes are generous. 0.5/1
TOTAL VERDICT: 4/5
Price: lunch RMB130 per person/dinner RMB288 (Thursday only)
Who’s going: mix of young locals and expats
Good for: lunch, brunch, breakfast, chef’s tables
// See Listing here. 12 Xiangyang Bei Lu, by Changle Lu 襄阳北路12号，近长乐路. Open daily, 8am-6.30pm, dinner (Thursdays only) by prior arrangement. (18616757561).
This review originally appeared on That's Shanghai.
