New York founded dessert-only restaurant bringing sweet love to Shanghai 
Chikalicious doesn’t play by the rules, eschewing savoury offerings to focus solely on the important things in life: dessert. Established in New York by Chika and Don Tillman, the busy 20-seat venue in the East Village has been drawing queues for 13 years, and is now doing the same in Shanghai (although in a substantially larger space at Xintiandi).
Downstairs is a casual counter café, while the upstairs dining room offers a three-course prix fixe tasting menu - with all courses being sweet. Offering ‘American desserts, French presentation and Japanese tasting portions’, this place is a sweet lover’s dream, and if you can nab a seat at the bar overlooking the open kitchen, prepare to be wowed.
The Shanghai branch is run by the wonderfully affable executive pastry chefs Manunya Sittisuntorn and Eugenio Mauro Pompili (who both arrived in Shanghai a couple of months ago to launch the Xintiandi branch). Since they’ve been here, they’ve been sourcing ingredients, creating new recipes and charming the afternoon tea obsessed folk of Shanghai - all of which they seem to do effortlessly.
The upstairs prix fixe set will set you back 188RMB (plus 10 percent service charge). This price doesn’t include drinks; and tea and coffee are available à la carte, or you can opt for a recommended wine pairing to accompany your dessert (a great idea, as long as you don’t mind spending an additional 108RMB plus service). And if all this seems quite pricey, it’s because it is; but when you see the work that goes on in this immaculate kitchen, you’ll start to understand why.
On one recent visit, we begin our meal with a light amuse-bouche of Moscato jelly with honeydew melon sorbet – it’s fragrant and balanced, butters us up and leaves us wanting more. For mains (with options alternating depending on ingredients) we opt for the iconic fromage blanc island ‘cheese cake’. It’s unlike any cheesecake we’ve had before, with a light, marshmallowy-textured ‘cheese cake’ swimming in unctuous cream.
And to finish, four delicate petit fours are served - a coconut marshmallow, a pecan cookie, a double chocolate brownie and a Maldon salt-sprinkled chocolate square - all perfectly crafted; all entirely delicious.
Just like the set menu, the magic in this place is threefold: first, watching the uber talented pastry chefs buzz effortlessly around the kitchen without spilling a drop, of anything, is an inspiration to us all. Second, dedicating three courses to dessert seems like a wonderful idea, no matter what time of day (and pairing with wine makes it even better). And finally, the desserts themselves are wonderfully balanced, not overly sweet, and make use of seasonal ingredients – all of which transpires perfectly onto flawlessly-presented plates.
Expensive? Yes. Unique and captivating? Yes and yes. If you love dessert, visit Chikalicious.
Chikalicious is at Lane 123, No 5, Huangpi Nan Lu, near Madang Lu, Huangpu district.