Nanjing’s Deji Plaza is China’s number 2 mall in terms of annual income. No wonder the seventh floor of phase 2 has become pretty much the place to be seen these days when it comes to top-notch dining.
Standards therefore, need to be high. Great then that the guys and gals at Pintxos ooze professionalism. Attentive, bright-eyed, smiling and able to flip from Chinese to English in a microsecond, this is a staff who have been trained to perfection. It’s all very reminiscent of the standard greeting in almost any restaurant in the USA; “Hi, how are you today?”
Opened on 24 December, Pintxos, it is no surprise, has a mother in the Shanghai company that also operates La Tapas.
2007 was the Pintxos’ y.o.b.; now there are seven branches in “the Hu”; the Deji Plaza store being their first foray into another city.
Getting our only criticism out of the way first, the one-sheet, paper menu hardly does justice to the restaurant’s location, its intimate setting and the quality of what was to come. Well, at least the paper is two sided.
Ordering is easy via WeChat and the QR code on each table.
The Nanjinger plumped for Black Ink Seafood Spaghetti (¥78), Beef Tenderloin Skewer (¥42) and Garlic & Mozarella Bread (¥28). Each was an exercise in unpretentious preparation and presentation that would sit well anywhere in the world.
As for the drinks, bottles of red wine go for ¥200-400, while one, the Casa Primacia 1420 Crianza, also comes by the glass (¥45). The same goes for sparking and white wines; the by-the-glass option being a Campillo Blanco Fermentado en Barrica (¥40). These are complimented by Spanish and other beers, plus a good selection of juice, mocktails and cocktails.
For a while, this correspondent has suspected that Nanjing had closed the gap in Shanghai, in terms of service at least. I have been proved wrong. Our visit to Pintxos shows that Nanjing’s other eateries still have far to go.
Pintxos is located on 7F, Deji Plaza Phase 2, 18 Zhongshan Lu 中山路18号德基广场二期7层. Tel 86777761
