In a Xuhui Alleyway, Shanghai, Oyster Omelet Gets Deconstructed with Western Technique
Tucked away in an alley on Wuxing Road in Shanghai's Xuhui district, Verdant is a brunch café by day and a Taiwanese fusion bistro by night. Chef Dante reworks oyster omelets and thousand-year egg tofu using molecular gastronomy techniques—though not every dish lands.
Brunch café by day, a different crowd and menu by night—Verdant lives two lives in the same space. This Taiwanese fusion bistro sits in Lane 272 on Wuxing Road in Shanghai's Xuhui district, directly across from The Weave, serving shareable small plates by evening that deconstruct and rebuild Taiwanese street food classics.
Chef Dante, a Taipei native and graduate of the Basque Culinary Center, has staged at Frantzén and worked as CDP at Enigma. His approach is "Eastern flavors, Western technique"—a logic that's become almost standard among Shanghai's new wave of fusion bistros in recent years, though in his hands, the execution takes on its own distinct character.
The thousand-year egg tofu (¥68) deconstructs the classic cold dish: silken tofu paired with preserved egg, topped with a charcoal-grilled Hunan chili sauce that delivers a mild but lingering heat, while the seasoning employs molecular techniques—soy sauce pearls and salted egg yolk "corn chips." The wild water bamboo (¥48) shreds water bamboo and king oyster mushrooms, tossed in a spicy sesame-soy dressing with walnuts, making for a warm salad with real character. The tempura mushrooms (¥58) taste like Taiwanese popcorn chicken, except the star is mushrooms—the perfect drinking snack, and dangerously easy to keep eating.
The standout is the oyster omelet (¥68). This version leans into a gooey, starch-heavy batter that wraps around larger oysters (not the typical small ones), finished with a sprinkle of seaweed furikake and served with hai shan sauce. Among the many attempts at elevating this humble street dish, this one has been called the best version tried so far.
The black cod (¥128) is marinated in a scallion-ginger-wine sauce and paired with stir-fried Taiwanese water spinach for added crunch, with a sauce combining preserved lu bu zi berries and a beurre blanc—it sounds like a lot of moving parts, but comes together in balance. The taro and duck soup rice (¥158) is a shareable main course: conceptually a mashup of Cantonese soupy rice, Taiwanese ginger duck soup, and Japanese ochazuke, with a rich, savory broth loaded with soft taro, dried sakura shrimp, garlic, and fried sakura shrimp, finished with white pepper; a whole confit duck leg sits on top, meant to be shredded and stirred into the broth for the full experience. Dessert is a peanut Basque cheesecake (¥68) with a cilantro-lime granita—the cheesecake itself is moist and full of peanut flavor, while the granita delivers an intense herbal cilantro punch. Cilantro lovers will be smitten; cilantro haters will likely call it a nightmare.
Not everything lands. The sliced pig ear (¥68) falls flat, essentially just a slightly elevated take on the classic Chinese cold pig ear salad, while the beef tartare (¥78), sous-vide cooked, ends up with a texture closer to boiled ham—not quite the desired effect. On the drinks side, the restaurant offers a range of signature cocktails, low-sugar non-alcoholic options, and a compact but thoughtfully curated wine list.
Verdant is still finding its footing, and not every dish holds up—but the oyster omelet, wild water bamboo, black cod, and taro duck soup rice alone are reason enough to pay a visit.
