Jimmy's Kitchen

Beginning 87 years ago and finally coming back to Shanghai after 63 years is Jimmy's Kitchen, China's oldest Western restaurant with a selection of British and Continental classics. At the invitation through a connection, we were invited to attend a tasting at the restaurant before its soft opening. The entire meal was free and all we had to do was give feedback on the food and bring our own wine for the meal. How can you say no? The email indicated it was a fine dining establishment that lingered on timeless glamor. Jimmy's Kitchen is located on the first floor of the Old Jin Jiang Hotel.

Going up the stairs of the Jin Jiang Hotel, the restaurant shows little indication of its existence aside from strong gold lettering on dark wood paneling. The wine storage room is the first sight upon arrival, glowing blue. The restaurant has a timeless ambiance with its dark wood panels, leather booths, and elegant decor. There is a small bar to wait at with a view of the beef aging room. Peering through the thick glass, large slabs of meat sit on racks just waiting to be cut. The staff are warm, greeting you like old friends, taking your coat, showing you your seat, and being aware of every detail to make the experience more comfortable and accommodating.

The server informed us that anything on the menu was available for ordering except for the Wagyu beef and lobster. The oysters were also out of stock on this particular evening. No matter though. The menu is full of options to choose from, including an assortment of curries (none of which were tried on this particular visit), meat for the broiler, and Jimmy's classic dishes. The Baked Alaska on the dessert menu also seemed to be tempting although it was already assumed by this point there would be little stomach space for something sweet. The host reminded everyone to send feedback later instead of immediately after each course as not to interfere with the enjoyment of the Jimmy's Kitchen dining experience.



One of the soups the server and host recommended was the lobster bisque (68RMB) with garlic baguette croutons, "rouille" sauce, and Gruyere cheese. The roux used to thicken the bisque was well-browned, giving bisque a deep brown color. However, the actual bisque was not thick at all despite the splash of sherry. It still had a chalky taste from the flour. The best part of the bisque were the little chunks of lobster hidden at the bottom of the bowl. The traditional French onion soup (58RMB) topped with country bread and melted Gruyere cheese was really good. The crouton and bread pieces were abundant, soaking up almost all of the soup. It would have been better with a bit more broth so it actually looked like a soup. The broth had a rich, deep flavor and the cheese melted beautifully in the soup. The caesar salad (68RMB)of romaine lettuce, candied smoked bacon, anchovy dressing and shaved parmesan looked better than it tasted. The dressing lacked the nuttiness that anchovy is supposed to convey, perhaps from its minimal presence. Dressing usually makes the salad and brings together its parts, but not in this case despite the excellence of its individual parts. The gourmet salad (118RMB) consisted of mixed lettuce, duck leg and gizzard confit, smoked duck breast, duck "foie gras" mousse, roasted pine nuts, shaved black truffle with sherry and port wine vinaigrette. The salad featured more meat decadence than salad, making the dish a bit too salty although its presence alone was impressive. The individual meat parts were rich, fatty, and luscious so a salad leaf lightly coated in vinaigrette cut into the heaviness with a fresh bite.



The baked escargots (118RMB) with garlic and herb butter served on creamy mash were really tender and carried the strong flavors of the garlic and herb butter. The creamy mash they sat on was also really smooth and incredibly buttery. Some parts of the mash had great caramelization from cooking with the escargots creating a nice texture. The home-cured Norwegian salmon (128RMB) was thinly sliced with vodka, honey, pommery mustard, capers, fresh dill and Spanish onion accompanied with horseradish sour cream and toast. If you took the end of the salmon slice between the tines on the fork, you could roll up the entire piece including the onion to create a magnificent bite with all the flavors sitting on one fork. The horseradish sour cream and toast were almost unnecessary because the cured salmon was already good on its own. A thin layer of horseradish cream did give the salmon some heat despite it being a cold starter. The Baked Seafood "Vol Au Vent" (138RMB) with shrimps, scallops, mussels and clams in white wine and saffron cream and green asparagus were slightly sweet. The pieces of shrimp and mollusks were large and not overcooked. The white wine and saffron cream was light and the flavor not too strong, highlighting the seafood flavors. The classic poached prawn cocktail (128RMB) with iceberg shred, apple julienne, crisp cucumber, tomato Armagnac, and aioli. The prawn tails were quite large and the salad was crisp and fresh. We also ordered the pan-seared foie gras (148RMB), which had a crusty caramelization layer on the outside. The foie gras was lovely, smooth, and buttery easily melting in your mouth, though the piece showed hints of being in the pan a tad too long. If foie gras is cooking on a pan for a significant amount of time, it may shrink and melt away altogether.





The highlights of the night were the selections from the broiler. The cut of meat is broiled to a desired temperature and came with a potato and vegetable side order of your choice as well as a selection of sauces. After the steaks came out, a server arrived with a tray of sauces and mustards and asked if diners wanted to try more from the selection. The tenderloin (338RMB) was very tender and juicy as was the New York cut strip loin (308RMB). The mashed potatoes were seasoned with white pepper, which I am not particularly a fan of. The sauteed mushrooms were really good and meaty. The green peppercorn sauce tasted more like a standard A1 steak sauce being slightly sweet and not so peppery. The truffle sauce and blue cheese cream were both thick and flavorful, complimenting the steak well. The fish dishes were not very impressive. Both the lemon sole and salmon were slightly overcooked and a bit dry. This could be due to the fish sitting under the heat lamps in order for all the main courses to be served at one time to the table. The flavors were there, but the fish texture was not. Jimmy's Classic Corn-Fed Chicken Kiev (148RMB) filled with garlic and herb butter served with mashed potato and seasoned vegetables was also well-received. The crunchy outside and moist meat absorbed the garlic and herb flavors nicely.





Dessert was also another highlight of the night. After all the savory dishes, food comas were setting in and espressos were ordered. The espressos came out first and were brewed nicely with that creamy top that a good espresso should have. Jimmy's baked Alaska (suitable for 2)(108RMB) was huge and could have easily fed four people. Cake, vanilla and strawberry ice cream were encased in fluffy meringue dotted in fresh berries and was set aflame upon arrival to the table. The edges of the meringue browned and emitted a toasty aroma. Warm on the outside and cool on the inside, the baked Alaska was light and delicious. Jimmy's Famous Satellite (88RMB) is vanilla ice cream encased in Gran Marnier soaked sponge lightly battered and fried with vanilla anglaise and raspberry coulis. It looked like a giant fried dough ball and was also set aflame upon arrival. These desserts both had a contrast of hot and cold parts and were both light and satisfying. The house-made lemon tart (68RMB) with campari and blood orange granita was average. The lemon flavor had a candied taste and was reminiscent of the lemon meringue tarts served at university campuses in the United States, but with a firmer consistency. The blood orange granita that went with it tasted like medicine. The warm chocolate fondant (78RMB) with lava flowing center and pistachio ice cream was popular with the ladies at the table. It was nice to see a "molten chocolate" dessert paired with something other than a raspberry or berry-based sauce, sorbet, or ice cream. The pistachio ice cream was nutty and not too sweet. There was no indication where the pistachio ice cream was sourced from, but I am curious to know. The passion fruit and coconut meringue parfait glace (68RMB) with a rainbow tropical fruit ceviche was light and creamy. The fruit ceviche was probably the best part of this dish. The passion fruit flavor was quite subtle and could have had a stronger presence.

After the meal, everyone was very happy to be invited to this tasting while at the same time groaning from full bellies. The meal had some hits and misses, but this is to be expected as Jimmy's Kitchen is trying to perfect its menu before its soft and grand openings. The management was eager to hear the feedback both good and bad, which shows an understanding that there is always room for improvement. The dinner was a nice, long evening lasting from 19:30 to 23:30. As the dining room was completely full and service was running a bit slow, there was plenty of time for lots of wine and good conversation. The final bill without drinks was considerably more expensive than your average Western meal in Shanghai, but there are definitely some items worth checking out as well as an ambiance that made some diners feel like they landed in an episode of Mad Men. We are all looking forward to seeing how Jimmy's Kitchen progresses after its opening.

Jimmy's Kitchen. 1/F, Jin Jiang Hotel (Cathay Building), 59 Maoming Nan Lu (by Changle Lu), 茂名南路59号1楼 (近长乐路). Shanghai 200020, People's Republic of China.