The restaurant is hidden on the ground floor of the Golden Bridge Garden hotel to the back and left of the lobby entrance. When you enter, the scenery becomes very Italian and so Western, it seems that there are little to no Chinese influences in the restaurant. The decor gave a feeling that you were definitely in a Western place. The restaurant space is huge and there were people everywhere, even at 21:00 on a mid-week day. Granted, the majority of the diners were not Chinese or other Asian. Reserving a table in advance was definitely advisable.
I allowed my Italian friend to order for the both of us, as an Italian should know what is good to sample. There was a sense of nostalgia in the selection for food from the home country. We had three antipasti, one pasta, and one pizza. There was a chalkboard with the daily specials, but we just ordered off the menu. They also put a big basket of breads and mini bruschetta in front of us, which my friend reacted to in delight as other Western restaurants here never give you enough bread.
To start, we had the buffalo mozzarella with rocket salad (mozzarella di bufala capana), crispy bread with grilled vegetables and melted cheese (verdure alla griglia con scamorza gratinata su crostone di pane), and a sort of aubergine parmegiana. The mozzarella came on top of the rocket and baby tomato salad as a generous ball. The cheese was soft and slightly salty, but definitely locally made instead of imported. Receving fresh shipments of real mozzarella di bufala would be a costly affair, so this is understandable. The grilled vegetables with cheese was not so special, but at least the vegetables were not too oily. The aubergine was really nice though. Grilled slices of aubergine were stacked with slices of cheese (mozzarella it seemed) and had a sauce made of fresh tomatoes (it did not taste preserved or canned). Overall really tasty. With a glass of red wine, we were already feeling full and the pasta and pizza had not arrived yet.
The gnocchi and pasta came at the same time, which we placed between us. The server was attentive enough to bring us two clean plates and set them down in front of each of us at the same time. Service at Da Marco is definitely at a higher standard than most other establishments that cater to foreigners in Shanghai. A server was present when we needed one and did not infringe on the flow of our meal with constant attention. A great balance.
The pizza was huge. I was not sure how we were goign to finish it. The pizza had layers of aubergine with a layer of cheese on top, which was almost exactly like our antipasti but on a different medium. The crust was crispy, yet still thin and emphasized the toppings. If you peek into the kitchen, you can see the giant brick oven that is used to bake the pizza. The homemade gnocchi was perfectly cooked, rich and tasty. Each bite was soft and the spinach cheese pesto melted in your mouth.
The portions were generous enough that we could have done without either the pizza or the pasta. Next time perhaps we should try the second courses (fish, meats, etc) and forgo the carbohydrate overload. Prices were above average, but that is expected of non-Chinese establishments in Shanghai. The value for the food was totally worth it. The entire meal at Da Marco was simple and tasty. My Italian friend gives it a thumbs up for authenticity, especially considering the availability of some ingredients. Da Marco is definitely the prime pick when seeking out a close to authentic Italian meal in Shanghai.
Da Marco. 1/F, Golden Bridge Garden, 103 Dong Zhu'anbang Lu, near Jiangsu Lu. 东渚安浜路103号1楼, 近江苏路. Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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