And so we bid adieu to the Year of the Ox – a wild ride of high highs and low lows. Yet, the show must go on, and that means enjoying it in the way we know best – through good food and and plenty of drink. Here is an A to Z recap of some of the major restaurants and bars that had the tenacity to open as China's borders remained closed. See Part I here, Part III here, Part IV here, Part V here and Part VI here.
Charcoal Player
A modern tribute to Sichuan cooking, Charcoal Player opened in TX Mall in December, presenting a refined taste of one of China’s most famed cuisines. Offering a 9-course set menu for RMB780, diners can expect color-coordinated plates, each highlighting distinct aspects of Sichuan cooking techniques and flavors. Think The Peacock Room or The Pine but more contemporary.
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The current menu is a prelude of what’s to come, a smattering of cooking styles and ingredients from all over the province.
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However, in March, the menu will begin to focus on various regions of Sichuan, divided by altitude rather than geographical location. For example, first up will be the Mountain menu, followed by the River menu and eventually an Ocean menu.
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Each dish is presented in a monochrome color palette, showcasing a traditional Chinese color – good fortune red, royalty yellow, healing green, authority black, love purple, etc. A key component of the menu is balance – a balance of yin and yang, a balance of light and dark, a balance of spice and sweet, a balance of soft and firm.
See a listing for Charcoal Player.
Chili's American Restaurant and Bar
Set on the Pudong bank of the river looking back over the Bund, Chili's American Restaurant and Bar is a US institution, famed for its sizzling fajita plates, Texas-size ribs, burgers, buffalo wings, the tasty, tasty margaritas and much, much more.
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Chili's is an unadulterated taste of Americana, pure comfort in all of its nostalgic glory. The sprawling menu of Big Mouth Burgers are no exception. Made with Australian Angus beef, these burgers are hand-smashed then grilled on a flattop grill to seal in all of the flavors, and served on a toasted brioche bun with melted cheese and fries.
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The lunch deals bring in a steady flow of eaters for a leisurely feed, while nightfall sees the venue turn into a watering hole, with people sticking around to drink off a long working day or get together with family and friends, followed by a sumptuous dinner. When the weather steps up, there’s always a gaggle of people on the patio, sipping coffees in the morning, sweetened iced teas in the afternoon or cocktails in the evening, ensuring a crowd at all hours.
Read a full review here. See a listing for Chili's American Restaurant and Bar.
Crave Café & Wine Bar
Despite housing more than 7,000 coffee shops (the most in one city in the entire world!), Shanghai – and specifically the Xinle/Donghu Lu intersection – saw the soft opening last month of another coffee-centric venue, Crave Café & Wine Bar, by chef Holly Lian (CouCou). Crave currently offers coffee, wine, pastries and simple lunch fare, but will expand into dinner at the end of the month.
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Partnering up with Olivia Xu (Holly’s old classmate from French pastry school) and sommelier Yannick De Brouwer (previously of RAC), the three decided to put their specialties together in one space, with an added emphasis on music.
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The food centers around daytime café eats – baked-daily pastries, Instagrammable sandwiches, brunch plates and the like. It’s a lot of carbs but also a lot of cute.
The warm, yeasty aroma of freshly-baking bread mingles with the smell of treacly pastry glazes wafting through the small window leading to the back kitchen – confusing your senses, and causing you to purchase enough carbohydrates to feed a small army.
Read a full review here. See a listing for Crave Café & Wine Bar.
Le Daily
Le Daily’s all-star lineup of Francois Seguin (SOiF), Michael Chen (The Cannery, Laiba) and Andrew Moo (TasteCollective) make a team that oozes creative deliciousness. And there is a reason that, since soft opening began in mid-April, they have succeeded in packing out every one of the 20+ seats at all hours of the day; they are crushing it, pumping out shining, glorious tributes to all things lunch that we haven’t seen the likes of since Madison Kitchen.
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Le Daily is technically a deli, but that’s sort of like saying Prince was a musician. In reality, it’s a homage to the deli tradition, whose gluttonous, cholesterol-laden pleasures are elevated with unrivaled ingredients. If it can’t be made, sourced or presented in the absolute best way, it’s not going on the menu.
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Consulting chef and idea man, Andrew Moo, understands deeply that the first step to a great sandwich is great ingredients. If it can be homemade, it is. From bubbling kombucha to tangy dollops of labneh to zesty pickles – no corners are being cut.
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Le Daily is all about featuring something that seems pedestrian at first glance and making it inimitable, causing diners to constantly do a double take. Unique nuances elevate this little deli to more than just a sandwich shop.
Read a full review here. See a listing for Le Daily.
The Drinkery
Like the counterculture-era phrase popularized by Timothy Leary (the father of psychedelics), The Drinkery – Shanghai’s newest casual hangout bar, reminiscent of an old school house party – embodies the motto, “turn on, tune in and drop out.” Even the logo is a damn light switch.
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Started by bar consultant and mixologist Ilyà Khokhlov (Ray's, Botanical Basket) and his partners Igor Mustafaev and Becky Wang, the three launched the venue to embody the space they want to head to after a long night working behind a bar. Situated on Ruijin Er Lu, just south of Huaihai Lu, the bay doors open to the street, with guests spilling out while still vibing to music that feels like Elevator light. Like if Elevator took a Xanax.
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The menu itself is about simple cocktails and affordable bar snacks – no wheel reinvention. If you want a foofy drink that involves rotovap this, infused that, and molecular gastronomy-level garnishes, look elsewhere.
Read a full review here. See a listing for The Drinkery.
Eldivino
Adding to the allure of the Donghu Lu corner, Eldivino – the second location of an authentic high-end Thai restaurant – moved into the old Bistro Burger spot. Owned by Jean-Claude Terdjemane (previously at The Peninsula) and Thai chef Nui Ratchaphibun, the two aim to bring the finest flavors of Bangkok to Shanghai in an upscale lounge setting.
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The restaurant's signature dish, the Classic Tom Yum Goong Soup can be seen on nearly every table; as it approaches the table, wisps of lemongrass and fresh seafood permeate the air.
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Refreshing ingredients, imported proteins and authentic flavors is what makes this new Thai spot a place worth visiting.
Read a full review here. See a listing for Eldivino.
Five Guys
In the US, Five Guys serves its purpose in the food chain hierarchy as an affordable fast food burger, available at all hours, made with comparatively fresher ingredients. But, it still acknowledges what it is – a greasy, cheap burger ideal for soaking up late night booze or a filling lunch to get you – physically and emotionally – through a shit workday.
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In Shanghai, however – and like Shake Shack – Five Guys is not a corner burger shop in Middle America packed with drunk college kids; it’s the hottest new American chain, filled with Wanghong-obsessed wannabes changing outfits every five minutes for another round of photo shooting.
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Nearly two months after opening, lines are still over an hour at peak times, and staking out a seat is like the opening scene in the Hunger Games.
The menu is – as you guessed it – burgers, fries, milk shakes and hot dogs, plus a lot of ephemeral hype.
Read a full review here. See a listing for Five Guys.
Forage
Positioning themselves as modern-day food and wine rebels without a cause, Forage owners Jill Jiang, Fan Gao and William Zhu (SOiF) want to be the anti-boring kickback at what they feel has taken over the wine industry in Shanghai.
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Coming from a background of high-end kitchens (including Ultraviolet and Maison Lemolaise), the hodge-podge group of friends aim to create a funky wine bar that is unabashedly independent, with the main goal of doing something niche and purely experimental – the kind of place they themselves would choose to hang at.
The wine program is the focus, designed by William Zhu to show his attitude towards the nectar of the gods – clean on the palette, well-made and interesting in regards to winemaker, region or flavor.
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Chef Mario Fu (Grand Banks) leads the charge on food, combining his avant-garde style that stems from experience working in Michelin-star restaurants in Spain, Nordic Noma’s sister restaurant in Tokyo and his Chinese heritage for a mishmash of cuisines that are not defined by one particular style.
Read a full review here. See a listing for Forage.
Genesis
Genesis, in collaboration with restaurateur Mark Klingspon (The Nest, The Cannery, Rye & Co.), Chef Tom Ryu Taehyeok (Jeju Izakaya, Professor Lee, Belloco, Botong Sikdang) and Michael Chen (The Cannery, Laiba), opened their first contemporary Korean restaurant. Onjium, a Michelin star restaurant from Seoul and New York, is also contributing on the menu curation.
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The restaurant fits the luxury car experience mold – sleek modern décor, minimalistic with curved lines and dark detailing, streamlined layout accented by nuanced design elements. Everything has its purpose; nothing is superfluous.
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The menu focuses on two sets that balance current and classic Korean cuisine – one curated by Onjium and one by Chef Tom. Together, they provide an elevated take on Korean food that carries diners through the past, present and future of Korea.
Genesis captures the concept of modern Korean cuisine – concurrently nostalgic and ingenious – constantly being refined to highlight the country’s history, regional produce and resourceful flavor pairing.
Read a full review here. See a listing for Genesis.
Gin & Pork
Based on the blaring rap and hip hop-centric playlist, one would think Gin & Pork – Jing’an’s newest Korean BBQ spot on the increasingly popular Anyuan Lu – is named after the American rapper and personality Snoop Dogg’s 1993 hit Gin & Juice.
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However, a quick glance at the Chinese characters in the name – 金猪 – reveal that it’s really just a poor phonetic transliteration of jin zhu, meaning the Golden Pig, arguably a better name for a pork-heavy BBQ joint.
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Get seated at a table already stacked with KBBQ banchan – pungent kimchi, pickled cubes of daikon and mashed sweet potatoes, along with a smattering of sauces and spices for your soon to arrive meats.
It’s BBQ so – no surprise here – it’s all about the meat. Sorry vegan friends, you’re going to want to pass on the invite to this one. Pork, pork and more pork is what coats the menu, along with some standout cuts of beef and a few seafood plates sprinkled throughout.
Read a full review here. See a listing for Gin & Pork.
Grand Banks
Named for the international bank that this 100-year-old, neo-classical building was designed to house, Grand Banks – an NYC aesthetic lounge on Sichuan Zhong Lu – feels like walking into a Tribeca loft. Vintage revival pieces, original artwork, quirky room dividers, art deco sconces and cool-toned accents are heightened by a liberal dose of Manhattan chic. The soft lighting is muted, dim, sexy – adding to the aura of exclusivity.
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The restaurant is the brain child of interior designer Chris Shao (Objective Gallery and Chris Shao Studio) who also owns the art gallery on the fifth floor of the same building.
The concept is to enhance the synergy between interior design, art, furniture and cuisine, creating a comforting yet lux space for young creatives that acts as an alternative to other overly-hyped Bund venues.
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Chef Danny Lee (previously of Stay in Beijing and Le Jardin) is trained in French cooking. He intermingles this with his own Chinese roots and other pan-Asian cuisine elements to create approachable small plates that pair with the Chinese-ingredient inspired crafted cocktails shaken by Klaus Yiu (previously of the Shanghai EDITION) and extensive wine list, curated by a Hakkasan and RAC-seasoned sommelier.
Read a full review here. See a listing for Grand Banks.
To read the full Year of the Ox New Restaurant & Bar Openings Recap click here or scan the QR code:
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