First came Napa the caterers. Next will come Napa the restaurant. But now it is time for Napa the deli, which opened last Saturday north of Workers Stadium / Workers Gymnasium (see map below).
The menu includes salads, curry and lasagna and these dishes are about as fresh and flavorful as they come. Most ingredients are sourced via three vendors — Willow Farm, Tianfuyuan, and Ping Ren — and most everything is made in house.
The mayo-free Caesar salad is tangy and zesty, with a nice range of textures from tender bacon to crispy crouton to an overall creaminess. The only salt in this and the other dishes comes via ingredients such as the bacon. (Given I never add salt to my food and drink — unless it’s a Bloody Caesar — that works well for me.)
I expect the sous-vide egg salad will be a hit given it’s fun to see that egg cracked open — it’s pre-cooked in the shell — and the mushrooms and other ingredients added. The Thai salad, which includes pan-fried chicken with Sriracha glaze, is bursting with spice and basil flavor. (I wanted a Hendrick’s Gin Tonic with this one.) And there is lots more, including refreshing watermelon radishes with snap peas and coq au vin with lots of meaty and mushroom flavors. In fact, those juicy mushrooms were probably my favorite item of the day. Just give me a few dozens of those next time.
There are also three Australian organic wine options from rmb125 per bottle. I’ll have more on the menu here soon. And also look for these guys to open a restaurant in a few months, possibly in the Central Park area.
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This place is now shut