By Michael (smartshanghai.com)
Updated: 2007-11-21 11:12

Eduardo Vargas is probably Shanghai's best known restaurateur among the expat set. He's made such a name in the dining scene here that even restaurants that aren't related to him claim to be. Or at least that's what the rumor mill picks up. At any rate, Casa 13 is legitimate, and probably Vargas' most ambitious effort yet.

Down a quiet alley on Huashan Lu near Xinguo Lu, Casa 13 is housed in an old three-story villa, with outdoor seating for warmer months. It's always disappointed me that so much of Shanghai's classic charm and architecture is hidden behind walls and gates, so I appreciate a relatively more public use of space like this.

Like Vargas' Azul/Viva, Casa 13 offers a sort of pan-Mediterranean / pan-Latin menu that mercifully avoids fusion gimmicks in favor of refined standards meant to be shared among friends. They're also in sync with the season, currently offering a menu full of belly-warming comfort food and in-season ingredients.

We started with a bowl of baby mozzarella balls (40rmb), and fennel-apple salad (40rmb), which were generous for starters, and a good match together. The salad tasted as if dressed in mojito, with fresh mint and a hint of rum.

Rustico risotto (70rmb) was the right texture, but had a bit too much going on in it, to the point that it was lacking character. A pinch of pepper (provided coarsely ground in a tiny bowl, next to the bowl of sea salt) livened it up. The chicken and port wine stew (80rmb) was better, but suffered from a few pieces of dry meat, and watch out for little teeth-jarring flecks of chicken bone. Braised beef cheeks in Chianti and tomato reduction (120rmb) were tender and hearty. The Peruvian flan (15rmb for a single portion) for dessert was the ace of the meal - thick and creamy, with a glaze of honey - with the subtly lacking in too many cloying desserts around our city's western restaurants.

We don't remember much about the service, and that's because it was fine – our needs were met without intrusions.

You can look up the menu on their website, but note that some items and prices have changed.

Vargas has earned a reputation in Shanghai for being behind many restaurants that are now mainstays of the Shanghai dining scene: Azul, Viva, and iiit! Based on this initial visit, it would be hard not to predict that in the coming months and years Casa 13 will be counted among this list of successes. I'm looking forward to exploring the menu more over the next few months and Casa 13's comfort food will be something to stand in line for during winter. There's already a buzz about this place that suggests you might need to stand in line, so get reservations.

Casa 13
Address: 1100 Huashan Lu near Xing Guo Lu
Tel: 021-5238 2782