Super Foodies' Top 2017 Picks

Shanghai is world renowned as an eater’s paradise with options ranging from local to international haute cuisine. 2017 has been a particularly eventful year in Shanghai, so we have turned to some of our favorite food bloggers to get the low down on their favorite new openings, best meals, lunches, dates spots and guilty pleasures. Heavy hitters such as Bo Innovation, Daimon Gastrolounge, Tai’an Table and Sober Company were mentioned more than once and it seems everyone loves Homeslice, but there are also some off the radar picks such as Fu Er Niang spicy hotpot and Xing Hua Lou steamed buns. Read on to find out more of our super foodies’ super picks. 

100lb Foodie

Priscilla Young, AKA 100lb Foodie, is a small but powerful force in the Shanghai F&B community. Her blog tagline says it all, “I eat, because I love food. I write, because I care. I photograph, because I want to share.” She does all three with passion and makes time to manage everyone’s favorite new cafe, Brut Cake Cafe. Pris also starred in the lemon documentary, “Engage the Lemon on the Road,” produced by CCTV where she and her husband, Chef Jun, traveled to the United States, Argentina, Italy, France and China.

What is your pick for Best Restaurant of 2017?

Bo Shanghai deserves recognition for recreating traditional Chinese flavors with western techniques. Chef Simon and Chef De Aille reinterpret the eight regional cuisines of China, each expressing the uniqueness of that area. It’s a culinary tour of the entire country, without having to book a single flight.

The map on the wall at Bo Shanghai represents the eight regional cuisines that inspire the menu

安徽 Anhui – Shirokin Fullblood Wagyu, “Stinky Tofu,” Bamboo, Jus

Editor’s Note: Bo Shanghai is launching a new menu on November 15, 2017.

What was the best meal you ate this year?

It has to be the four hands dinner with Chef Marcelo Ballardin from Belgium and Chef Ivan Xu from WUJIE on the Bund, Shanghai. It was exciting to see the menu created by two chefs from very different backgrounds synced in harmony while retaining their personal twists.

A quinoa stuffed fermented tomato in buttery broth flavored with chive oil and black olive

Photo credit: 100lbfoodie

Where did you eat lunch at most often this year?

Without dispute, Brut Cake. I am there most of the time (working) since we opened in January. I just can’t get enough of the Spicy Granny Manwich and the Sweet & Savory!

The Sweet & Savory regularly makes it onto best chicken and waffle lists

Photo credit: 100lbFoodie

What’s your favorite new spot for date night?

Homeslice! My kind of date night is never too serious. Sometimes I simply want to drop the proper etiquette of fine dining and use my hands to pick up a hearty slice of pizza. And Homeslice hits that spot right on.

Homeslice spicy sausage pizza is a customer favorite

What is currently your biggest guilty pleasure?

I have recently fallen into addiction in Sichuan hotpot. I just have cravings for it, especially on a cold night. Fu Er Niang is my to-go. The numbingly spicy soup makes the fish head and frogs irresistibly delicious.

Super spicy hot pot

Photo source: dianping, user栗子1005

Blog: www.hundredpoundfoodie.wordpress.com

WeChat Official Account: 100lbFoodie

Instagram: 100lbfoodie

EAT PRAY JADE

While a relative newcomer to the Shanghai dining scene, Jade has quickly familiarized herself with all the city has to offer. Having lived in New York, Tokyo, and London, Jade is always on the lookout for the next good bite. She has a strong appetite for taste and gastronomic trends as well a weak spot for a good cup of flat white. When she’s not running her travel food blog, www.eatprayjade.com, she’s channeling her lifelong passion for food into her work on food-related technologies that will change the way we eat.

What is your pick for Best Restaurant of 2017?

I’d have to go with Diner. I always appreciate comfort food mixed with big flavors and cool twists (think foie gras strawberry french toast). And seriously in case you haven’t tried yet, the roast pumpkin with candied chilies is to die for. Diner’s ambiance is friendly, burgers are brilliant, and the bright yellow accents are fun and instagrammable. My 2017 pick!

To die for roast pumpkin and candied chilies at Diner

Photo credit: EAT PRAY JADE

What was the best meal you ate this year?

I love how vegetarian fine-dining is becoming such a trendsetter, so I would have to say WUJIE on the Bund. On my last visit to WUJIE, I tried their spectacular Autumn menu and was wowed by their creative use of seasonal ingredients.WUJIE just received their first Michelin star this year and I can definitely see why. They had this stunning periwinkle dessert that was almost too beautiful to eat. Turns out they used butterfly pea flower to create that splash of color and dehydrated pitaya slices to represent butterflies.

The stunning hue of the butterfly pea dessert at WUJIE on the Bund

Photo credit: EAT PRAY JADE

Editor’s Note: WUJIE on the Bund just launched the Winter Sunray menu on November 7, 2017, and has more winter menus forthcoming.

Where did you eat lunch at most often this year?

Tang Palace on Changle Lu whips up one of the best dim sum lunches in Shanghai. A modern twist on traditional Cantonese goodies, just the way I like it. Always a satisfying and affordable midday treat.

Delectable dim sum at Tang Palace.

Photo credit: EAT PRAY JADE

What’s your favorite new spot for date night?

Sober Company! Cafe, restaurant, bar and speakeasy into one glamorous concept? Sounds like a date to me. Ideal night starts with an aperitif at Sober Café, some Japanese-fusion plates at Sober Kitchen, followed by a couple top-line drinks at Sober Society. And if we’ve made it this far and collected all the poker chips, I would cap the night off with unique cocktails at the hidden Tipsy.

 Photo credit: EAT PRAY JADE

Editor’s Note: You can talk about Tipsy, but you CANNOT take pictures once inside

What is currently your biggest guilty pleasure?

The key lime espresso mousse cake at Pâte. I’m a serious sweet tooth so when you can whip up cakes with dynamic flavor combinations, you know the way to my heart. When I’m feeling extra indulgent, I get a scoop of Pâte’s house-made gelato as well (the Roasted Fig & Balsamic is my favorite).

Coffee Lime Mousse (left) and Figuier Cake (right)  

Photo credit: Eat Pray Jade

A full table of goodies at Pâte

Photo credit: Eat Pray Jade

Blog: www.eatprayjade.com

Instagram:eatprayjade

Lulu’s Hungry

Ludovica Damonte is a staple of Shanghai’s F&B community both as the Head of Marketing at BottlesXO and popular food blogger at Lulu’s Hungry. She does the hard work of scouting newly opened places, random holes in the wall, high-end restaurants and crafty cocktail bars for your enjoyment and is so good at documenting her taste adventures that others aspire to her “Ludoesque” style of food photography. Ludovica is also passionate about traveling and has made it her mission to eat at some of the world’s best restaurants including: Osteria Francescana (Italy), Gaggan, Issaya (Thailand) and Mingles (Korea).

What is your pick for Best Restaurant of 2017?

Daimon Gastrolounge was one of the most fun new locations opened in 2017. They have fair prices, a well-executed Asian fusion food concept and great cocktails. Add the celebrity Demon Chef element and there you have it. Favorite items in the menu: Spicy Crab Xiaolongbao, Beijing Duck and the mala Mojito.

Everything about this duck dish is spot on

Photo credit: Lulu’s Hungry

What was the best meal you ate this year?

The 14-course menu with wine pairing at Tai’an Table was definitely my favorite meal of 2017 (in Shanghai). When I reviewed it on my blog, I called it “honest fine dining.” The food is sophisticated yet approachable, ambitiously executed yet clean and elegant in flavor. The menu changes regularly, so you can keep going back every few months and have a whole different experience.

The wine pairing at Tai’an Table makes it an experience to remember

Photo credit: Lulu’s Hungry

Torched tuna in dashi broth with caviar

Photo credit: Lulu’s Hungry

Chocolate three ways including a stunning yet simple three-ingredient chocolate sorbet

Photo credit: Lulu’s Hungry

Where did you eat lunch at most often this year?

WONTONS! There's a sweet little place nearby my office, and I go at least once a week, that serves an incredibly tasty bowl of wontons for RMB 11. In addition, I’m a serial Lunch Deal frequenter, so I’ve scouted a great amount of restaurants in the Jing’an area. I have even written a small guide to my fave lunch spots on the Wuding Lu strip. Watch my blog, I’ve been busy, but I promise to post it soon! 

Even if Ludovica can’t leave her desk, she makes time for her favorite wontons.

Photo credit: Lulu’s Hungry

What’s your favorite new spot for date night?

After 5 years with my lovely SO, I don’t really need candle-lit dinners more than a couple of occasions a year. So I think STYX is the perfect laidback option for an understated date night filled with delicious food and good times. My favorite skewers were the salmon and the pork belly ones, and I absolutely loved the duck fat roasted potatoes.

This photo of the skewers at newly opened STYX is about as “Ludoesque” as it gets

Photo credit: Lulu’s Hungry

What is currently your biggest guilty pleasure?

Oh that’s easy – ordering up a good bottle of wine on the BottlesXO app and sipping on it while snuggling with my lovely corgi puppy.

Enjoy BottlesXO anywhere; from your couch to that elegant restaurant that lets you BYOB

Blog:  www.lulushungry.wordpress.com

Instagram: lulus_hungry

RestaurantHunter 觅食

Xiaoyi Liu, aka 喜北肉豆蔻, is a Shanghai Based food and drink blogger and critic. Xiaoyi spent the majority of her 20s in NYC where she fell in love with food and reviewed a critical number of restaurants for local and international media.

Restaurant Hunter is a bilingual food blog that Xiaoyi started 3 years ago, which has become a trustworthy source of restaurant reviews for both Chinese and expats living in and visiting Shanghai. Xiaoyi is a regular contributor of Condé Nast Traveler and Modern Weekly, she is also a guest writer for Michelin Guide Shanghai. For one year and a half, Xiaoyi served as the Editor-in-Chief of Penguin Guide, one of the most influential food & drink media in Mainland China.

What is your pick for Best Restaurant of 2017?

Vinism Wine Bar & Cave. Honestly I have become a big wine person over the past year, and this two-month-old Natural Wine Bar comes from the team behind Chez Maurice and is the first of its kind in Mainland China. It is what I call HOME at the moment. The weekly rotation of by-glass options listed out on the chalkboard are the best to start with. Vinism’s in-store cellar boasts a trustworthy and interesting collection to dive in for the natural wine nerds and big groups.

Unlike the usual wine bar food regime, a.k.a. western-oriented, everything served here has some Chinese element blended in. Wasabi flavored Poached Razor Clams, Pig Head Pate and Chaoshan Old Goose Meat and Gizzards are to die for.

Vinism is a quaint and comfortable wine bar

Photo credit: Restaurant Hunter

What was the best meal you ate this year?

I wanted to say Mugaritz, but technically it’s more of a food lab experience that explores and studies the edge of culinary technique and ingredients, which is inspirational for anyone who works in F&B, but not so enjoyable as a “real meal.” I’d stick to Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet. I was lucky enough to be there twice this year, once backstage with the man himself and the other time with the full package. Speaking of food, UV is undoubtedly a trendsetter, Menu A is a little old but still solid, Menu C is absolutely genius; Plus all that total experience, it’s phenomenal. Honestly if I get to pick one destination in Shanghai, it would be Ultraviolet. I am really proud we have Paul Pairet and UV in this city, definitely world-class.

Raw chocolate tasting with specialty coffee at Mugaritz

Photo credit: Restaurant Hunter

Paul Pairet backstage at Ultraviolet

Photo credit: Restaurant Hunter

Dishwashing task, UVA

Photo credit: Restaurant Hunter

Where did you eat lunch at most often this year?

Phenix at the PuLi. I stopped working in the office earlier this year, so business lunch meetings have officially become an opportunity for me to catch up with people (clients, partners, etc.). Phenix has long been my favorite for western food since it opened its doors, and it’s walking distance from my apartment. I really enjoy the vibe there: chic and exclusive. More importantly, they have lunch sets! For a starter and a main course you pay 188, definitely a bargain for a one-star restaurant. Sometimes I just order lobster pasta (218) instead. Occasionally, I treat friends visiting Shanghai at this place for lunch as well, and we’d opt for a la carte menu. Last but not least, it’s just so nice to sit the dining room staring at the Jing ‘an Park outside; especially on a sunny day! It’s a nice break for the mind.

Beef tendon with mussel escabeche

Photo credit: Restaurant Hunter

What’s your favorite new spot for date night?

I wanted to name some place that’s nice and chic and impressive and found out I am kind of done with that kind of date night. I now prefer a much more relaxed, low-key, laid-back option, where you can let your hair down a bit, e.g. Torishou(鸟啸), the hottest yakitori (Japanese grilled birds) spot in town. The owner refurbished the entire place (was Miss Ali) turned it into a cozy and charming late night grilling spot. Grab the counter table seats, order a beer or Calpico soda, share a handful of skewers, enjoy an intimate conversation with your loved one, that’s what I call satisfying.

Satisfying skewers at Torishou

Photo credit: Restaurant Hunter

What is currently your biggest guilty pleasure?

I recently resumed the very bad habit of eating supper…fish maw chicken hotpot at Lou Shang (楼上火锅) is one of my favorite, Cantonese style, open till 4am, undoubtedly the best supper in downtown/French concession area.

Late night hot pot from Lou Shang

Photo source: dianping, user添添zzz

Blog: RestaurantHunter.net

WeChat Official Account: restaurant_hunter

Instagram:restauranthunter_sh

The Shanghai Kid

When noted creator, influencer, food blogger/vlogger and award-winning restaurateur, Fred Lin, moved from Shanghai he left a lot of empty, sad bellies in his wake. Fans of his authentic, Singaporean eatery, Hello Miss Dong, know that nothing will replace “the best chicken wings ever” or the joy we felt when he fired up his laksa pot. His food blog, www.theshanghaikid.com, lives on and is worth a follow as he continues to give you the lowdown on the best eats in Singapore, Australia and beyond.

What is your pick for Best Restaurant of 2017?

2017…I’m thinking probably Highline. A lot of effort went into every detail of the restaurant from the decor to the staff’s training to obviously, the food. Chefs Anna Bautista and Sean Jorgensen are a force to be reckoned with. I think they did a very good job with the look and experience one gets at the restaurant.

Crab Cake Benedict off the very good Highline brunch menu

Photo credit: The Shanghai Kid

What was the best meal you ate this year?

Ultraviolet. There was so much hype leading up to this meal, but I was still blown away by every second and morsel of it. I was very happy and fortunate to have had the UVC menu at Ultraviolet before I left Shanghai. Read about it on my blog, it is one of my biggest posts.

Carabineros de Huelva with an edible shell…we’d tell you more, but we’d have to kill you

Where did you eat lunch at most often this year?

One place that I found myself returning more often than any other was Homeslice Pizza! Chef Nat Alexander’s pizzeria serves up pizza that has me drooling every single time I reminisce. Their pizzas feature a light airy crust with copious amounts of sauce, garlic oil, fennel sausages and thick melty cheese. Ahhhh…

Seriously drool-worthy pizza

Photo credit: The Shanghai Kid

What’s your favorite new spot for date night?

Tai’an Table. It’s a little pricey, but the food and experience is really superb for bringing your “someone special” to enjoy it with. Chef Stefan Stiller supervises the kitchen almost daily, and refreshes the menu every couple of months! The dishes are mostly modern interpretations of classic French cooking techniques, often with a bit of an Asian touch in the choice of ingredients.

Atlantic lobster with caviar, white asparagus, black quinoa

Photo credit: The Shanghai Kid

What is currently your biggest guilty pleasure?

From time to time, I like to order a nice cheeseburger and chili cheese fries from Carl’s Jr. I know, I know…but I really like their burgers, perhaps more than the hipster artisanal ones littered at every corner.

Blog: http://www.theshanghaikid.com

Instagram:the_shanghai_kid

The Wandering Spoon

Shanghai-based, Los Angeleno, Cristina Ng, has been writing about food for over a decade in Shanghai as a freelance writer and on www.wanderingspoon.net. She grew up eating a mix of her American and Cantonese grandmother’s food with a heavy dash of Mexican thrown in, so she is pretty opened minded about eating. You can also expect to see a lot more from her on Shanghai WOW!

What is your pick for Best Restaurant of 2017?

I have to go with Daimon Gastrolounge. The first time I ate there with friends, I was blown away but the food because it reminded me of my favorite Hong Kong dishes with a lot of surprises. I went back recently after the renovation and the new menu and I still love it. Especially the skewers and classic HK clay pot rice. The food, ambiance, drinks, price…they do everything well here.

Working their magic in the Daimon kitchen

What was the best meal you ate this year?

OMFG. Hands down, no question about it, I have to say Ultraviolet. It’s expensive, but I did not regret a moment of the meal. I said I’d go just once, but after having UVC, now I want to do UVA and UVB. I normally eat like a hungry piggy, but I savored each and every bite slowly with the spot on wine pairings. I’d tell you more, but part of the pleasure is in the surprises.

Every amazing course takes place at this table, but the projections change on each course

Where did you eat lunch at most often this year?

Well, I just changed jobs, but I used to go to Little Catch on Wulumuqi Lu at least once a week for a poke bowl. I especially like the sambal salmon, but they’re all good.

Add avocado to Little Catch’s poke for an even more substantial meal

What’s your favorite new spot for date night?

Well, I’m single so it is more “first date” than “date night.” This means a multiple concept place like Sober Company is perfect. You can start out at Sober Cafe for coffee or an aperitif and continue upstairs for dinner at Sober Kitchen. If it’s going particularly well Sober Society for a post-dinner drink from the 19th bar on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list. If you have collected tokens along your way, impress your date with your knowledge of the exclusive and hidden Tipsy for just one more drink.

Sober Company is the epitome of cool

What is currently your biggest guilty pleasure?

I cannot stop eating pizza, so I have to be careful and either order it by the slice or make sure I have friends to share it with. Both Homeslice and Joe’s Pizza opened this past year and have made my by-the-slice indulgences much more satisfying and much less rare.

Authentic New York slices at Joe’s Pizza

Blog: www.wanderingsoon.net

Instagram:the_wandering_spoon

Wikicookjoyce

Food Columnist, Recipe Creator, and Taste Maker, Joyce Ling, is a renowned veteran marketer in the luxury lifestyle industry with 10 years at LVMH and 14+ years of work experience in China. She started her own contemporary food WeChat blog in 2014 in order to realize her vision of sharing dynamic gastronomical knowledge with the contemporary consumers in China; who are getting more sophisticated in taste. In just 10 months, she’s accumulated an impressive brand co-op and column exposures including: Zwilling, Moet & Chandon, Heineken, Fiji Water, Airbnb, Fresh cosmetics, Diptyque parfums, Green & Safe, Banyan Tree resort and more.

She’s been featured in both ELLE China and Trends Health as an up and rising tastemaker focusing on the food category. She is also a regular food columnist for In Style China (previously Modern Lady), SELF, KINFOLK, and Figaro. In 2016, she had her first cookbook debut 'From Kitchen to Table' and had since then ranked number one selling cookbook on Amazon China. 'From Kitchen to Table' is a series of original fusion western recipes created for busy home chefs, to cook smartly and conveniently.

Joyce believes that food culture is beyond cooking but a way to live; her dynamic and international background had given her the advantages to share a broad view on food culture with her readers,

What is your pick for Best Restaurant of 2017?

PuBen by Jeremy Leung. I go there for two items: succulent roast pig, and tender pork neck bbq. Jeremy Leung is known for his authentic Cantonese dishes, and his succulent roast pig is the most famous. He uses the flesh to make an aromatic stir-fry hidden underneath the crispy pig skin, which you can wrap up with a steamed bun for ultimate indulgence. While this is the perfect restaurant to take your family, it’s also amazing to just go alone for few delicate bites of pig skin and soft steamed buns. The trick is you pack the rest to go, reheat in the oven at home and pair with a nice chilled bottle of Riesling. This is the moment you can finish it all alone without anyone else knowing.

PuBen’s pork neck and roast pig dishes will have you eating in secret

Photo credit: Wikicookjoyce

What was the best meal you ate this year?

Alan Wong’s Vietnamese French Dip. You get this succulent French dip sandwich filled with soft tender roast beef, with this very creative Vietnamese dipping sauce, it is the most amazing French dip you can lay your hands on in Shanghai.

Alan Wong’s Vietnamese French Dip

Photo credit: Wikicookjoyce

Where did you eat lunch at most often this year?

To be honest, I was addicted to Veggie Mushroom Steamed Buns for a while, so I had this for lunch for a long time this year, almost every single day. I get them from 杏花楼 (Xing Hua Lou) on 343 Fuzhou Road. These soft and perfectly round, hot buns give you the ultimate satisfaction for a balanced sweetness in fresh pak choy and mushroom, the kind of food that you bite into and just go “ah…..”

Hot and fresh veggie mushroom steamed buns

Photo source: dianping, useraileenyu617

What’s your favorite new spot for date night?

Cobra Lily has a low key yet energetic undertone to it. The long, narrow restaurant is dark with spotlights, so it kind of resembles a dark South-East Asian alley and their food fits the theme. I love the bold and audacious creativity in their fusion flavors. They mix a lot of rarely seen dishes in China, such as Banh Cuon, a steamed minced meat roll in rice paper, with a fusion dressing to go with it. Also, their modern take on Shanghainese noodles and Taiwanese rice bowls surprise the taste buds. Not to mention their take on using paneer in an aromatic Asian salad. My boyfriend and I enjoy creative little spots that allow an intimate chat, and always seeking a good cocktail. At Cobra Lily, they have it all.

A modern take on Shanghai noodles at Cobra Lily

What is currently your biggest guilty pleasure?

I wanna [sic] say Pho, and I make the best pho in Shanghai that beats any restaurant.

Wikicookjoyce’s homemade pho

Photo credit: Wikicookjoyce

Since I can’t, I’ll vote for Grinder’s foie gras burger. I could have this any time of the day.

This foie gras burger at Grinder is outrageously decadent

Photo credit: Wikicookjoyce

WeChat official account: Wikicookjoyce

Weibo: Wikicookjoyce

Instagram: Wikicookjoyce

Special thanks to all our super foodies for participating in this article!  If you think we forgot something or someone, please add your suggestions below. 

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