The Snapshot

Named after the last words of the Roman Emperor Augustus, “acta est fabula, plaudite” – meaning “the play is over, applaud,” Fabula is a new six-seater chef’s table by Charles Tam (previously of Amber) and Zee Zheng (previously of Tai’an Table, and The Modern and Le Bernadin in New York) on Weihai Lu.

Situated on the third floor of Hooha, this 100% reservation-based restaurant-within-a-restaurant offers a set tasting menu (RMB1,280 per person) of nine courses that convey the duo’s fervent passion for all things food culture. And said passion is clearly translating to the plate as the restaurant is already booked up until November! Read on to find out to snag a coveted seat in the future.

The Menu

As fabula means “play,” it’s no surprise that the showmanship of the meal is just as important as what arrives on the plate. “At Fabula, we wish to utilize ingredients like words in a script and techniques as the syntax of a sentence during the playful process of cooking,” remarks Tam. 

And this sentiment extends to the Chinese-meets-European menu, with worldly ingredients woven together like a story with some of the most creative global methods– rice-less congee as a nod to Tam’s hometown in Guangdong, scored and seared lufa that mimics Shanghainese eel in appearance yet still boasts the freshness of summer; and a crème fraiche stuffed brioche donut hole that explodes on impact, not unlike a xiaolongbao.

Taking a note from famed three Michelin-starred Frantzén’s book, Fabula is all about “performance cooking.” Dishes come together tableside as an interactive show for diners, allowing for a more engaging dining experience. 

The Amuse Bouche begins with a trio of bites: a nutty parmesan cheese tart filled with porcini and white mushroom, brown butter, rice espuma, and pickled daikon dusted with parsley powder; the aforementioned fried brioche donut piped with an explosion of crème fraîche, crowned with briny Sichuan caviar beads, altogether echoing an ocean wave; and a French riff on Japanese donburi with buttered rice flecked with kombu and celtuce layered with lightly torched Japanese horse makerel (aji) tartar, and fresh uni. Technical, thoughtful, and original, the starters set the tone. 

A course in and of itself, Fabula’s Sourdough game rivals that of the city’s best bakeries, with a meticulous approach that involves balancing flour styles (of which there are four types) and fermentation duration. Paired with French butter and salt sourced from Zheng’s hometown of Ningbo, the crisped, bubbled crust gives way to a pockmarked center. The noticeable bouncy chew is owed to Tam’s lacto-fermented raspberry yeast starter he’s been cultivating since 2022.

Appetizers are equally imaginative, like the Scallop Tartare with granny smith apples and oyster, sheathed by a play on temperatures: a ring of torched lufa juxtaposed against lufa sorbet. A tableside pouring of lufa and oyster water mixed with yogurt and dill oil creates a refreshingly creamy moat around the tartare’s base.

Next up, a Canadian-sourced Botan-ebi shrimp tartare sinks into the velvety base of a Rice-less Congee. The grains are boiled then removed, leaving just the starchy water to be amped by Shunde milk curd. Matsutake and king mushrooms are diced to mimic the rice kernel’s texture while also lending an umami unctuousness. The removed grains are finally fried in clarified butter and sprinkled as a crumble on top. Essentially, it’s a mushroom soup disguised as a homey congee through complex techniques that results in something thought-provoking yet approachable and downright comforting. 

Shandong Turbot – Ningbo small seafood, sautéed bok choy, sang de légumes sauce, Shandong cream

Mains kick off with an aromatic Pork Broth laced with fermented winter melon. A floating cube of seared foie gras compliments springy New Zealand scampi finished in foie butter. A chunk of winter melon is sheathed by black truffle, floating alongside nasturtium leaves and garlic flowers, light yet bold in flavor. 

A true highlight of the menu, chitarra pasta is coated in a concentrated vine Tomato and “Scrambled Egg” Chaud-Froid (prepared hot, served cold) cream sauce, finished with a spoonful of garlic confit foam. The dairy’s richness is tempered by the tomato’s acidity, of which there is the extract of roughly 15 cherry tomatoes per plate. Elevating the balance a step further, diners are poured a white tea steeped in tomato water, an extra hit of tartness to prepare for what comes next. 

The meal culminates with Australian Mayura Wagyu Ribeye Cap, sliced thinly so diners can appreciate the fat-laden pleats of this flavorful cut. Salt-fermented Ningbo hairtail provides necessary salinity – both in crumble form atop the meat – and as an outer layer wrapping a succulent piece of short rib. Luscious dollops of celeriac purée and glossy beef jus round out the plate.

Dessert proves that sometimes simple is best. A silky steamed Flan is flanked by burnt onion caramel and a punchy dot of Okinawa sugar and verjus honey, the custard like texture drawing diners back in long after their stomach protests of fullness. 

Petite Four – Meyer lemon curd choux, Kampot pepper madeleine with sweet corn soup, Hong Kong milk tea evaporated milk Nama chocolate, and crème brûlée oolong tea liquid nitrogen ice cream

There’s also a blank line on the menu for diners to pre-order an additional course with a pre-selected ingredient of their choosing (for an extra RMB300). The kitchen team will then test out dishes in advance to create the perfect, one-of-one course made just for you. So far, the kitchen team has worked with everything from imported black truffles to pork intestine to sea anemone. 

The Atmosphere

The third-floor space in which this intimate chef’s table experience resides feels more like dining in your friend’s living room…if your friend happened to have access to some of the world’s top ingredients and a critically-acclaimed chef on hand. From the personalized service to the show-like experience, diners get a “peek behind the curtain” of fine dining, thus removing a lot of the pretension surrounding white tablecloth meals. 

Riding on the coattails of Fabula’s immediate success, the team is already considering expanding, with plans in the works to take over the second floor as well, allowing for an additional 20 seats. Diners will still surround an island kitchen setup so as to enjoy the same performance as the cozy setting upstairs. 

To reserve a spot, you can DM Fabula on Xiaohongshu (ID: fabulaSH) or WeChat (ID:GGGEEERR12) or by calling 131 8434 3001.

Fabula, 3/F, 720 Weihai Lu, 威海路720号三楼