While Hello Kitty is oft associated with all things pink and girly, the Hello Kitty Bistro Bianco that opened on the seventh and eighth floor of Plaza 353 isn't quite as cutesy as you might expect. The restaurant, which is the first official Sanrio Hello Kitty bistro in the Mainland, is actually smart bordering on regal, with only subtle touches to remind you of the iconic Japanese bobtail cat.
The first level houses a minimart filled with a variety of merchandise -ranging from kitchenware to stickers and flavoured drinks in wine bottles - all featuring different Hello Kitty designs.
A hostess greets customers and directs them to the red carpet that leads to the second-floor restaurant. We are expecting pink, puffy cosplay-style outfits on the servers, typical of other Hello Kitty-themed restaurants, but sadly the look here is rather more understated (aside from some knee-high socks and red ribbons).
On the second level, the setting is light and bright, with a white, red and gold colour scheme. An illustration of the Shanghai skyline features on one wall, while a projection of the famous Sanrio character in a garden appears on the other.
The menu offers numerous choices from appetizers to cocktails, and includes two daily set meals. We opt for the Ribbon Course Set (128RMB) that features a potato cream soup, a salad, a fried fish main, and a dessert of the day, plus a drink. Although designed for one person, the meal is easily shared between two.
We are expecting the subject matter at the bistro to be more exciting than the food, but the offerings here are decent, although not mind-blowing. The salad starter is refreshing and the potato cream soup (35RMB if ordered separately) is creamy, sweet and enjoyable, and happens to be disconcertingly pink.
The gimmicks increase as other courses start to arrive: the main of fried fish offers a Hello Kitty carrot cut-out, but otherwise seems rather randomly put together.
Visually, the highlight of the meal is the Honey Toast (48RMB if ordered separately), which is beautifully presented with fruit slices, two scoops of ice cream and a pink Hello Kitty chocolate. The mountain of sweets is topped off with a dusting of icing sugar and a drizzle of strawberry sauce. Sadly when we get to eating it, the bread is tough to cut through, making the whole thing hard to eat.
Another gimmicky item on their menu is the pizza, available with both savoury and sweet toppings, which are shaped like Hello Kitty’s head (fun fact: Kitty White's head takes up half her body mass). The apple and custard cream pizza (38RMB for medium, 48RMB for large) is thin and slightly crispy, making for an easy-to-eat dessert.
Those looking for a full-on Hello Kitty experience may be disappointed by this relatively restrained bistro (pink soup notwithstanding), although that's not to say it isn't a nice enough spot to while away the afternoon. For something altogether more immersive, there's always the option to hop on the bus (and another bus, and a train, and a taxi) to Hello Kitty World in Zhejiang (details on our website).
Hello Kitty Bistro Bianco is at 353 Nanjing Dong Lu, near Henan Lu.