The Taverna

Insalata Gelata

 

So, given that we have had over two weeks of non-stop Mumbai-monsoon level rains in Shanghai, I decided that the only way to beat the rainy day blues and my ever-alive Mumbai nostalgia, was to get summer colors painted on my nails!

 Yeah, I am shallow like that. Go ahead and judge me.

 So, I got myself a pistachio green first. Which made me look like a fluorescent finger-tipped ghost.  Never to mix ice cream colors with nail paint. Bad idea, that. Next was coral orange. Nice on walls. Unfortunately, I am not a wall. I wish I were though – I could always wear a color of the day, and I could be painted over, on a bad day, right? Or hang a board that read "Closed" if I didn't want to talk to any of you people. And finally, it was that gleaming maroon-red color of the vixen catty kind. Then again, I am not a cat person. Danggit, by this time, my manicurist had just about had it. She looked at me with pleading eyes this time.

 I asked her to wipe ‘em clean. And went back squarely to nude. Yes nude IS a color. Just as taupe is. For all you men out there. Taupe and Nude - my favorite all-weather staples after all.

 Summer (or the lack of it) be damned.

 Oh and before I forget, I was actually going somewhere with this thought! But you’ve got to admit, you were having fun reading about my temporary obsession over nail color.

 There is a reason for this prelude. Across from the street where I put my manicurist through an hour and a half of indecisive vacillating Hell, sits a Mediterranean forest-green colored Italian bistro called The Taverna. Nothing out of a smoking Western, let me assure you. And nothing very Sicilian about it either.

 It’s the usual play-it-safe Italian food, with a half-decent collection of wine, and really good desserts and selection of tea varietals. So what’s so special about it? Probably nothing much after all, apart from the mirrored walls (ooh, so you are a fetishist that way?!), the blue-green Mediterranean feel of it on a good bright day, an intimate ambience (if you’re the eat-less and look-into-her-eyes-more type) and the staff who always remember what customers like. That, in my books, earns more points than the actual food or drink itself!

 

 Now for the food. Yes yes, I am getting to that!

 

Mainly There

I would stay away from the standard fare Pasta, Risotto, Lasagnes. Nothing much to tell it apart from its more famous cousins such as Bella Napoli and the rest. I would, thus, head straight from the Beef Carpaccios on the Appetizers  or their really good “Healthy Salads” to the Mains, and dive in to the sea of Grilled sea bass or Grilled Norwegian salmon and other Piscean varietals (each in the range of a 100 quai or so). Great with a chilled glass of white on a hottish day. The staff are good with wine pairings, especially the lady running the bar. She knows the wine she owns. So ask away!

 The sausages, T-bones and grilled lamb chops are nothing to write home about either. Wholesome and hearty on a good day, a little chewy on a bad day. Nothing that you couldn’t fill up on, anywhere else in town.

Paninily Yours

The salads and Paninis are worth the mention though, outside of the grilled fish. The set lunches come with a choice of interesting Paninis such as “Parma ham, rocket, mushroom, mozzarella and cocktail sauce”, or my personal favorite “Grilled mixed vegetables, anchovies, extra virgin olive oil, and balsamic vinegar”. Who on earth discovered anchovies brined in oil? Please, may I kiss his hands? The Paninis all come with a choice of soup, and something cold to drink (non-alcoholic, that is), and priced between 45-65 quai.

 

Of their salads, my favorites are the Insalata Valtellina – “Salad with walnuts, apple, mozzarella, and speck”; and the Insalata di tonno e avocado – “Salad with tuna, avocado, peppers and onions”. All in the 60-65 quai range. All served with something cold. Of the non-alcoholic kind. You want alcoholic kind – you pay for it.

Not-so-Dolce Vita

 Aah, but the desserts! This is where La Taverna outdoes itself. Like the classic Western, which has the end coming at you, all guns blazing and rooftops smoking. That sort. Am I beginning to sound like I have a dessert fetish of sorts? Take me with a pinch of salt, then. Take me with a pinch of salt. Anyway.

Their Tiramisu and Crepes with Nutella and banana are outstanding. All served with a dash of chocolate syrup and a cherry on top, and sprigs of parsley, which make it interesting for some reason. Anything can happen here. Sometimes, even nothing. That’s the beauty of a place like this!

 On my last time here, I ordered the crepes with nutella and bananas. And sat back admiring my nude-ish nails and gloating at my now-elegant looking hands. After a while, the server brought me my crepes and laid it down in front of me. “Come to mama”, I am thinking. Just as I was reaching for it, though, another server came rushing to my table, swift as the wind, and before my fingers had even closed around the white dessert bowl, swooped it away from me, saying that that was the LAST crepe they had, and it was apparently ordered by someone else. The junior server had delivered it to me by mistake!

Umm how do you run a kitchen that decides at 6:00 PM in the evening that it has just created the last magnificent crepe of the day and no more crepes will be served before dawn of next day? Not only was I mortified at this, but by now, I had secretly started imagining the taste of the crepes on my tongue. Mmm, luscious is NOT the word. But I am a big girl, remember? So, disappointed though I was, I had to be graceful about this sad turn of events.

What was the next best thing then, I asked?

The server flashed his triumphant smile at having been saved a yelling-at from me (I don’t yell at people, anyway – I am one of those “brought-up-right-by-mommy” types), and pointed to the “Chocolate Rolls filled with biscuits, pine nuts and walnuts”. Equally triumphantly, he said it cost just the same as the Crepes. 35 quai. Terrific. I will have that with a cheery cherry on top, and my usual vanilla raspberry tea, thank you.

The rolls arrived. Cold, Inviting and all ready for me.

 

The girl on the table next to me eyed my chocolate rolls with desire and something more of the unmentionable kind, and asked the server for the same.

He shook his head sadly and very earnestly (Russell Peter-ish style) and said “Noooooo. That was the last.”

Su-w-eee-t, I think.

Vengeance is best served cold.
Sweet vengeance, that is.

I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder and smiling at her, as I got up to leave. Bitch, is me.

 

Here is where to find this green-blue mirrored bit of cold vengeance
(and no, its not even the Fifth of November yet - those of you who know me well, will get this!) :

148, Fumin Lu

(Off Julu Lu)

Nearest Metro station: Changshu Lu (10-min walk)

Xuhui district

Bell them at: +86 21 6418 3991