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The Wing

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The quest to finding a good Italian option located neither in Xianlin nor the downtown area has finally been successful; but what a quest it is. While the location of the new “The Wing” Italian restaurant could not be better in The Central shopping emporium across from the Olympic Stadium, calling its position within the maze of a mall hidden would be the understatement of the year.

On the fourth floor in the farthest possible corner, the facilities are surprisingly spacious with two differently coloured and incredibly comfortable seating sections and an open kitchen. 

While the decor is without a doubt Italy as imagined by a Chinese person, the interior designer just about managed to stop themselves with the tackiness an inch before going overboard; the result is a cosy and enjoyable eating environment with small booths ideal for a peaceful meal. 

What becomes increasingly obvious throughout the stay, as the glass jug full of lemon water and the free bread with oil and balsamic vinegar appear on one’s table, are certain similarities shared with Bellini’s, probably expats’ number one choice for mediterranean fare. The connection is no coincidence, as the restaurant owner is a former chef of Nanjing’s established fine dining option. 

However, there are a number of differences, which upon closer inspection indicate a localization of the culinary import hit. The most obvious difference lies in the cost, pizza and pasta start from as low as ¥55 and especially the lunch menu; a main course such as the fried sliced beef fillet in tomato caper sauce with the most heavenly roast potatoes imaginable plus either a starter or a dessert for a mere ¥68 is an offer that is hard to resist. 

Of course there are the odd little glitches of which to be aware. The pizza, while without a doubt very tasty, did suffer from a few bald spots here and there in terms of fromage coverage; especially cheese fetishists would therefore come away from the experience not entirely satisfied. Furthermore, salami lovers will be disappointed as the meaty classic, which should really be present on any menu that wants to call itself Italian, was nowhere to be found. Finally, the gnocchi taste rather low-end, not as squishy as any high quality product and lacking almost entirely in terms of potato taste. 

On the other hand, The Wing sports a number of features to be appreciated. For one, the pasta menu is a mix’n’match set-up, where one choses from a selection of sauces and then muses over which type of flowery goodness including linguine, parpadelle and the aforementioned potato-based variation, compliments the sauce best. Such flexibility is a big advantage for the adventurous eater, who likes to mix it up every once in a while. Also, the tomato sauce with aubergine, bacon, parmesan and pine nuts is an option found not too often among the Italians this side of the ocean and suggests a slight, and in my case very welcome, adaptation to local tastes. After all, how could any aubergine-infused dish ever be anything but delicious?

Overall, this restaurant offers a very convincing value for money ratio, especially when you count their impeccable service, which is not only friendly but also incredibly fast; dishes appeared on the table within 5 to 15 minutes of ordering. With its more Southern location it is also ideally placed for the Fraser suites and Jiangning crews, providing a great alternative to the trek through the city that was previously necessary to get to the good Italians.

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