Two-year-old Husk is one of those restaurants that we all want in our neighborhood. You can stop into this low-key eatery for a weekday bite, after work drinks, or a weekend dinner with friends and always be guaranteed good food, a comfortable environment, and friendly service.

Husk has stayed relatively under the radar, perhaps due to its location. Tucked into a less-traveled stretch of Fengxian Lu rather than a bustling restaurant strip or a mall, Husk isn’t a place that you stumble upon. However, located just one block away from the Nanjing Xi Lu Metro station, it’s no more troublesome to get to than Zhang Yuan or the new Fengsheng Li complex on Maoming Lu.

Click through to see a special offer only for friends of The Shanghai Kid after the jump!

Decor

Husk occupies the storefront of an office building which also houses MQ Coffee and a yoga studio. When you walk up to the restaurant, the first thing you will see is the charming outdoor terrace adorned with strings of lights. The interior of restaurant is contemporary and comfortable. The lighting is dim, but not TOO dim, with pools of light over each table. The front of the space looks out onto the terrace. The back area near the bar has large booth seating. 8/10

Service

They say that good service should be invisible. Since I live in China, you could say that I have grown accustomed to a “different style” of service so I definitely notice when I am receiving excellent service!

Husk is well above the Shanghai standard. Even when I called to make a reservation, the hostess on the phone was extremely pleasant and friendly. During dinner, our water glasses were consistently filled and any requests were fulfilled quickly. Much better than the typical Shanghai experience, where you have to frantically wave down servers to notice you so you can ask them for the third time where the F your appetizers are.

Here’s the big one – our courses came out in the proper order, at an appropriate pace, and we even got our mains at the same time!  9/10

Food

Husk’s ever-evolving menu focuses on Mediterranean cuisine, featuring flavors from Southern Europe. They’ve got some classic dishes, such as cheese platters, seared foie gras, and hummus. There are also some interesting items, such as the garlic fried bullfrog legs or softshell crab. There’s something for everyone, including seafood, steaks, salads, pizza and paella.

To sample all of Husk’s greatest hits, order their “Must Have” Set Menu, which is a six-course menu for two people for 688 rmb. The menu features their best-loved dishes, including duck salad, lobster and wagyu beef sirloin.

There were a few other dishes that caught our eyes, so we decided to go à la carte.

Shoutout for the complimentary bread basket! While the presentation was a bit sad, the bread itself was delicious and served WARM! What a revelation.

Carpaccio of Beef (108RMB)

This is one of Husk’s signature dishes, and with good reason. The thinly sliced beef is accented with roasted garlic, parmesan cheese, pesto and just a hint of truffle. Eat it with the buttery grilled focaccia. I usually enjoy the accompanying goat cheese gratin, but this time the sauce was oddly gelatinous, so I didn’t eat it and sadly had to dock a point for that. Otherwise, a dish with a lovely presentation and great flavors that don’t mask the beefiness of the meat.  7/10

Char-Grilled Calamari, Radicchio Onion & Garlic Crouton Salad (88RMB)

This was a miss for me. There was a pervading bitterness from the radicchio and the dressing. The components (apple, green olive, red onion, bacon) didn’t mix well together for me. However, I could tell that the ingredients were all high quality. The calamari itself was well-cooked and tender, and the individual ingredients tasted good on their own. 5/10

Husk Roasted Chicken With Sausage & Bean Stuffing (half, 148RMB)

This was my husband’s main course and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Personally, I would prefer a more substantial side dish to accompany the chicken, especially at this price. The stuffing was very tasty, but it was just a few bites. We basically ordered the calamari salad so my husband could have some veggies with his meal. I think a green salad or some roasted potatoes could elevate this dish. That said, the chicken skin was crispy, the meat well-seasoned and juicy, and the pesto & chili tomato paste had a surprisingly BIG peppery punch. 7/10

Seared Sea Bass, Avocado, Orange & Arugula  (178RMB)

I highly recommend my main course. The generous portion of sea bass was perfectly cooked, with a moist interior and crispy skin. All the elements melded deliciously well together. I was initially sceptical of the orange and tomatoes clashing, yet they each added their own freshness and sweetness to the dish. There was an ample amount of mixed greens with a light dressing. A very well composed, satisfying plate. 9/10

Dark Chocolate Caramel Pudding, Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream (78RMB)

By far, the most popular dessert out of the eleven (!) choices on the menu is the Husk Very Special Fig & Burnt Butter dessert, which apparently enjoys some notoriety on dianping. Indeed, all the tables around us ordered this dish. However, my husband and I are chocolate people, which narrows down the choices to just two options.

This pudding is not the smooth, custardy kind that us Americans are used to, but more like a very soft, wet cake. In a good way! Rich cocoa flavor in both the pudding and the ice cream, and the caramel sauce was spot on. Mmm…chocolatey goodness. 9/10

Conclusion

Husk’s easygoing atmosphere, friendly service, and interesting menu make it a great restaurant to keep in your back pocket for any occasion. Even if Jing’an is not your neighborhood, come check out this hidden gem.

If the food is not enough to convince you, Husk also has some amazing drink deals, namely 50% off wine bottles between 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm EVERYDAY! Husk has a rotating selection of bottles for you to choose from. Add that to the set menu, and you’ve got yourself a perfect Date Night.

Husk also has weekend brunch, with a freeflow drink option for 138 rmb until 3:00 pm. This includes white wine, Mimosa, bubbles, Bloody Mary and Aperol Spritz. #daydrinking

Exclusive The Shanghai Kid Promotion

From now until 15th October 2017, Husk is offering a special gift exclusively for The Shanghai Kid readers. Call and book a table at Husk, making sure to mention that you are a friend of The Shanghai Kid, and Husk will bring you a surprise during your meal!

It could be anything from a free welcome drink, starter, coffee, dessert and/or more!

Terms & Conditions

• Valid until 15th October 2017.
• Minimum spend of 200 rmb/person required.
• Available for Dinner only.
• Reservation by phone required.