It’s official. Nanjing can now hold its own in the world of fine dining, no longer reliant on Shanghai skills to bring master chef-class creations to life in the Southern Capital.
We’re talking about Natural EATery, a dining spot of such quality it is surely impossible for it to have escaped our notice until now, almost a year and a half after its opening.
That said, it is easy to miss. Located at the very western end of Jiqing Men Da Jie, The Nanjinger thought for a second the map was wrong. It wasn’t, but the tiny logo and darkened exterior (the sun was still well up upon our arrival) disguised it well.
As to those organic claims, Natural EATery’s slogan is, “From farm to table”, while the restaurant also pronounces its produce to be grown organically on its own farm.
The Nanjinger got things going with burrata caprese (¥48; you wont go near mozzarella again), ravioli (¥88) and lobster taglioli (¥188), accompanied by a glass of Petite Faiblesse Sauvignon Blanc (¥60; a finer dry white you’ll be hard pressed to find in Nanjing).
But then it came to the mains. Having voiced our complaint that half of our meat was slightly over-cooked to our liking, a manageress immediately appeared and offered a complimentary alternative; a filet mignon, priced at ¥168. That which arrived could not be faulted; non-vegetarian readers coming here for the beef will be happy they did.
The beverage menu is worth a shout too. No less than 25 varieties of gin are present over three different menus; the “G&T”, the “Fan Selection” and the “Master Selection”. Lovers of the more earthy whiskies will be delighted in that Islay is the in-house choice of malt.
If there were anything to criticise, it may only be our slightly arrogant opinion that a place of this class ought to have a few people about who can speak English. Yet, the menu is bilingual, therefore little difficulty is presented.
Natural EATery is located at 272 Jiqing Men Da Jie, as Unit E07 of Suning Intelligent City. Tel: 57798688.
