New & Hot: Caminetto Italian Restaurant

Caminetto is a modern Italian bistro with a local twist, led by chef-patron Kelvin Chai, former executive chef at Mercato.

About Caminetto

Caminetto is located within The Roof, the new “red building” in Xintiandi. The restaurant is stylish and spacious with a semi-open kitchen, wine cellar, and outdoor seating.

There’s also a private room towards the back and a fully stocked cocktail bar. It's a cozy, casual space.

It's led by Shanghainese chef-owner Kelvin Chai, who has been cooking for over a decade, most recently at Mercato, and has traveled extensively throughout Italy. He's one of the few in the new generation of talented Chinese chefs. Caminetto is his first independently run restaurant in Shanghai.

Chef Kelvin Chai

The Food: Fresh Pastas & Pizzas

The food at Caminetto is Italian at its core, but chef Kelvin has given some of the dishes a local twist, inspired by his childhood memories and Chinese ingredients. These influences are subtle, like the spicy shrimp and celery pizza, the cabbage with the halibut, or the fermented chili that goes with the pan-roasted chicken.

The specialties here are wood-fired pizzas and pastas, which are made fresh daily, and locally sourced, organic seasonal vegetables.

Here’s what to expect from the menu:

Tagliatelle (¥158) with housemade lamb sausage, olives, fennel, and French beans. Silky ribbons of fresh pasta in a rich tomato sauce with fluffy lamb sausage. This is my favorite pasta at Caminetto.

Silk Handkerchiefs (¥138), also known as mandilli de saea in Genoese are traditionally large sheets of thin pasta with a pesto sauce. Kelvin's done a twist on the pesto with a basil-mint blend, topping the pasta with housemade fresh ricotta cheese and roasted cherry tomatoes. A lighter option vs the lamb tagliatelle.

Pancetta Pizza (¥148) with baby potatoes and spring onion. Excellently chewy pizza crust with a medium thickness. The combination of salty pancetta with carb on carb is very satisfying.

Ma Jia Gou Celery Pizza (¥168) with shrimp, garlic, chili, lemon zest, and lemon juice. I wouldn't have tried this if not for the chef's recommendation, but I'm glad I did. It's a light ricotta base pizza topped with plump shrimp and plenty of crunchy celery. Very enjoyable and I would definitely order again.

Slow-Braised Beef Cheek (¥288) with roasted spring onions, shallots, and creamy polenta. The sauce is fortified with red wine and beef cheek fork tender. Definitely get a nice strong wine to go with this.

Crispy Skinned Halibut (¥188) with saffron glazed baby cabbage braised with chicken stock and lemon juice, and dusted with bottarga. A light and delicate fillet accented with tarragon oil and mildly sour cabbage.

Dark Salted Chocolate Slice (¥68)

Tiramisu (¥68) with a touch of baijiu.

Caminetto also has a curated wine selection featuring mostly regional Italian wines, but also French and organic wines, and of course, the premium stuff like Ornellaia. Wines by the glass start from ¥75, bottles from ¥330.

Brunch: Eggs, Pastas & Wine

They’ve also just launched brunch. It's a short and sweet menu of eggy mains, pastas, and pizzas; a la carte from ¥58-¥168.

Poached Organic Eggs (¥98) on sourdough toast with asparagus, prosciutto, and truffle hollandaise.

Maltagliati Pasta (¥168) - Fresh sheets of pasta topped with beef cheek ragu and pecorino cheese, finished with butter and topped with breadcrumbs.

Fresh Housemade Ricotta Cheese (¥78) with seasonal fruits, candied lemon peel, croutons, and fresh basil. (Also available for dinner.)

Chicken Liver Mousse (¥98) topped with truffle honey and served with toasted sourdough bread and radishes. Simple, and oh-so comforting. (Also available for dinner.)

And there are also specials on bottles of wine, starting from ¥199 per bottle.

In Summary

If you haven't attempted making fresh pastas at home before, I'll have you know it takes time and patience. (And boy can it get messy.) I really do enjoy the fresh pastas that Caminetto has to offer and would recommend it, same goes for the pizza. Suitable for date nights and brunch on the terrace.

Caminetto will be adding lunch hours soon.

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Caminetto
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