Henkes Trattoria, Café & Wine Bar

Henkes Trattoria, Café & Wine Bar

Craig Willis is running out of cuisines to turn his hand to. The breadth of the ex-M On the Bund chef’s Shanghai-wide operations already spans mod Australian dining at his self-named Mr Willis eatery, and perfect thin-crust pies at his Anfu Road pizzeria La Strada, not to mention his Baker & Spice patisserie plus Thai and Japanese-focused offerings. But that hasn’t stopped him from adding yet another delicious string to his culinary bow, well, two strings in fact, in the form of Henkes Trattoria and Henkes Café & Wine Bar, both joining Willis’ Sushi Raku space in the luxurious Réel Mall complex, making it a ‘gourmet village of three’ for the Australian.
 
Taking its moniker from Willis’ Italian mother’s maiden name, Henkes heavily taps into the family’s Mediterranean roots, with the Trattoria’s open kitchen offering a selection of signature wood-fired pizzas and pastas, plus exclusive dishes like house-smoked salmon with fennel, aged Northern Rivers ribeye and salted caramel gelato. The Café & Wine Bar offers a more concise all-day dining menu, plus an extensive international wine and classic cocktail list, making it the perfect spot for a relaxed catch-up. With a rusted bronze and concrete interior featuring a boldly-coloured mural by Caitlin Reily, plus a shared outdoor garden terrace overlooking Jing’An Park, this is certainly a case of three being better than one.