The newest restaurant at the Shangri-La Vancouver has finally opened it’s doors! Miantiao is offering a unique marriage of Italian and Chinese culinary philosophies, techniques and cultural traditions. It replaces the former Market by Jean Georges. This is something that I haven’t seen done in Vancouver, so the menu was very intriguing to me. The restaurant itself has been beautifully renovated and every section is beautifully done. Miantiao is serving up delicious Italian Chinese fusion food that you need to try out.
Miantiao has a great a la carte menu, but I highly recommend trying out their menu ‘family style’. There are two options: 8 plates ($65 per person) and 12 plates ($105 per person). On my visit I had a modified version of the family style menu.
Starters
To start of the night we had Ostrica Freddo and Chicories. Ostrica Freddo is poached and chilled oysters with bamboo and herb oil. This was a bright and refreshing start to the meal. It was punchy and had me in great anticipation for the rest of the meal.
Chicories is from the salad portion of the menu. This particular mix was endive and radicchio. The ginger scallion dressing on this salad was reminiscent of Hainanese Chicken. It was particularly interesting to be eating a salad but have the memory of a Hainanese Chicken dish! The vegetables were very crisp and refreshing. A light and whimsical start to dinner.
Pasta
Moving on to the main course, on the menu was Tajarin and Lasagna. The names are simple, but the dishes definitely are not. These two pasta dishes are some of the most complex pasta dishes I’ve ever eaten. Tajarin is a type of tibbon pasta made with egg. This particular version was full of butter flavour. The dish is finished with quantum beef seasoning. The aroma coming off this dish was incredible. The dish was very creamy from the butter and the umami flavours was off the charts.
The Lasagna has mapo rabbit, ricotta, and parmigiano. This dish has many layers and is quite beautiful however it fell flat for me. The pasta was on the harder side, and I felt the dish was quite one dimensional in flavour. The main flavour I got off this dish was the XO Sauce.
Cabbage Bolognese is definitely an eye catcher when it comes to the table. This is like a next level cabbage roll with black vinegar and olive oil. The vinegar is a great balance to the richness of the Bolognese. This dish will definitely shock and impress with its visuals and taste. It is the definition of ugly delicious.
Desserts
If there is one thing you need to try in this life it is the dessert menu at Miantiao. The menu is helmed by pastry chef Amanda Cheng of Mak n Ming. I am not usually a fan of desserts, but the two I had tonight was life changing. The Meringue and Milk Tea Tiramisu were the two I had, and they were both fantastic. The Meringue features chocolate gelato from Passione Gelato and hazelnut cream custard. The meringue was light and crisp and the custard within was so smooth and rich. The dark chocolate gelato was fantastically smooth and the bitterness of the chocolate was a good balance with the sweeter meringue.
The Milk Tea Tiramisu was like my childhood in a bowl. The tiramisu has mascarpone, roast tea and cocoa. The tea flavour was very strong and had a lovely roast flavour. The mascarpone was thick and creamy without being too sweet. This is quite frankly one of the top 3 desserts of my life. You need to try this dessert!
Overall, I had a fantastic experience. Service went smoothly, we were well taken care of, and the pacing of the meal was good. Even though the restaurant was quite busy it wasn’t difficult to have a conversation with my dining companion.