FEAST | Italian Meets Chinese x Miantiao Restaurant x Shangri-La

"Chinese gastronomy uplifted by the elegant simplicity of Italian cuisine."

ostrica freddo (poached and chilled oysters) + Soppratutto (with bourbon, mint amaro, lemon juice, and egg white)

Financial District—(June 22, 2021) Easily one of the year's most highly-anticipated restaurant openings has been the brand new Italian-Chinese fusion concept from Miantiao Restaurant & Bar—so named after the Mandarin word for "noodle"—located upstairs inside the luxurious five-star Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver after taking over the old Market by Jean-Georges dining space.

Fai Tu tasting menu

Spearheaded by the award-winning Kitchen Table Restaurants (Ask for Luigi, Di Beppe, and Pizzeria Farina) group under the guidance of Culinary Director Alex Tung, Miantiao boasts an impressive pedigree behind the kitchen including Executive Chef Tret Jordan and Chef de Cuisine Justin Lee leading the restaurant's direction.

tajarin (with quantum beef seasoning and butter) + lasagne (with spicy rabbit, ricotta, and Parmigiano)

We were invited to taste Miantiao for ourselves in its first week of operations to try one of their special family-style tasting menus for a cozy little late night dinner. I found many of the offerings presented were fairly refined and pretty pleasing. Outside the somewhat blockishly presented rabbit lasagna (kind of plain and forgettable), everything else, especially the pasta and bolognese, felt thought out and a pretty interesting combination of flavours and ingredients for the most part.



While there's a mood of fusion-type cuisine and combining culinary influences, Miantiao comes more across as an upscale Italian ristorante with certain East Asian influences featuring underlying Chinese concepts to the dishes as inspired by high-end Asian tastes. I found the chicories salad had a ginger scallion dressing that tasted remarkly just like Hainanese chicken somehow.



Miantiao obviously has large shoes to fill and, of course, there's still plenty of time to establish a more clear culinary identity. However, things already seem promising as a well-put-together establishment so far in its very early conception. Last of all, its gorgeously decorated and designed inside with an inviting intimacy to the dining rooms, ornate bar, and backroom.

Update: After a limited run, KT is closing Miantiao on November 29th and replacing it with two new concepts that will occupy the same space—the first, Carlino Restaurant led by Chef Mark Perrier, opens on December 1st.


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