F&B News Bites: What Happened in November
Well it’s another edition of our F&B news bites and this month everyone is rushing to get their new concepts, new locations and new menus out and running before the city hibernates for Chinese New Year. In sadder news, there have been some closures, buyouts and business breakups as well. Here’s what has our attention this month.
The first closure that broke our hearts was that of Anthony Zhao’s first Holy Cow location at Xiaomuqiao. We loved you so much for introducing us to Chaoshan-style fresh (never ever frozen) beef hot pot. While we will miss the original branch, both the Bingo Mall and Star Plaza locations are open and operating as usual.
Additionally for the Holy Cow group, the Mi Xiang Yuan brand has embarked on a new adventure. Originally opened in Xintiandi over 6 years ago, Mi Xiang Yuan (aka The Rice Garden) 2.0 will continue a focus on convenient, affordable and delicious lunch sets at their newly opened Gopher Plaza location. We are going next week, so watch this space for the review.
Fans of La Bota will be disappointed to hear that the Dagu Lu location has been shuttered. Make the trip over to the Cool Docks if you are craving their Spanish food and sangria.
It seems that a recurring theme this month is bad news followed by good news. We were gutted when we learned that Tour in United Valley had closed. Where else are we going to get a grilled cheese garnish on our negronis? This is a real problem, somebody please solve this. Perhaps Co. Cheese Melt Bar is willing to mix us up an negroni next time we head in? Call us, maybe? Anyway, our spirits have been slightly lifted after the good folks at The Nest confirmed that Mack Ross has already joined the team as head bartender. It is a great match as he will surely continue practicing his passion for pairing cocktails with food, which has been part of their philosophy at The Nest since the beginning. Expect close and frequent collaboration between Ross and Chef Freddy in regards to the menus in both Shanghai and Bejing (opening mid next year).
Multi-concept space More Than Eat on Julu Lu is currently undergoing renovations and will be open again soon in a few weeks with 12-13 new vendors. Rest assured, Lost Bakery, Lizzy’s All Natural and Prima Florist are still open during the remodel. By the way, Lizzy’s All Natural, is getting ready to launch new hot beverages and soups for the winter.
We have talked a lot about Yongping Lane these days with the additions of KRU wine bar and social working club Commbiz. We are also big fans of the updated menu at STYX (Chinatown mackerel OMFG) and super excited about the new lunch sets at Colca.
Found 158 has not been immune from the change bug going around these days. Café de Stagiares has settled in well and is expanding into the burger business, also in Found 158. In addition, The Camel Group is involved with a brand partnership with Australian brewery, Little Creatures. Their Brewer’s Lab will be taking over the space vacated by Sel Dining & Bar.
Those guys at The Camel Group have been very busy as food delivery service, Saucepan, is now part of their group. The entire menu has been revised from a list dominated by salads and lunch options to a broader menu hoping to appeal to more people. Signature dishes from their other restaurants, such as Hooked, D.O.C., Bull & Claw and El Luchador will be on Saucepan as well. We can’t be happier to hear that dishes will be delivered ready to eat. No. More . Microwaving.
Other big changes to ready-made food services include the end of Better Bentos meal plans and Ulrich’s. We will miss the daily meal plans and yummy pastries, respectively.
Over on Fumin Lu, Wheat has transformed into a new concept called Chin Chin by Wheat. They will use classic Wheat menu dishes while adding pizza, burgers, mussels and more. Expect bottle service, DJs and evening deals as well.
The Tailor Group also has plenty of exciting news coming out of their corner, including the official opening of 榦 Bar (you pronounce that gan bar btw) on Shaanxi Bei Lu. They are actually "quietly" open now, just remember to bring cash if you want to check it out. The bar is modeled on the concept of three elements: wood, stone and wood with the menus and decor will follow suit. Additionally there is a new Tailor Bar in collaboration with boutique hotel Le Sun Chine on Huashan Lu near Jiangsu Lu. They are also managing Salon in the hotel lobby lounge which will feature Caribbean themed drinks. In the (mock) Mackinnon Hotel, Above the Globe has been spruced with red lights and black walls for more drama.
If didn’t make it to last weekend’s East Imperial Gin Jubilee and you like gin, then go to The Cannery to try Thomas Ke’s first place St. George Botanivore Gin creation. It will be on the menu for at least six months. Fancy Ji’s second place Citadelle gin and tonic will be available at Aura Bar in the Ritz Carlton Pudong until December 31st. Hakkasan’s Matt Hall and Xixi Bistro’s Yifu Jiang tied for third place. Hakkasan's cocktail will be around until March 2018. While Xixi Bistro hasn't added Jiang's gin and tonic to the bar list officially, just ask and you will receive.
Photo credit: Graeme Kennedy
Everyone’s favorite fun beverage delivery APP, BottlesXO, has raised US$3.4 million, from an undisclosed private equity firm in Singapore. Started in 2015 by Thilo Fuchs, Mischa Schulze and Zou Zhenfang, they operate in Shanghai, Suzhou, Hong Kong and Singapore. They also added spirits to their offerings. We highly recommend the Fernet Hunter and the Plantation rum selections. We can only expect more good stuff from these guys in the future.
You can no longer pop into Organic Kitchen on Fuxing Xi Lu, for a lunch buffet or afternoon coffee, but they are still running delivery out of Anfu Lu and we are told they will open a new location on Yude Lu in Xujiahui “very soon.”
Get your festive food fix with new pies from Pie Society and pumpkin pie at Hunter Gatherer (available until the end of the year). We are also big fans of new menus at The Nest and Osteria. New openings on our must eat list include Canton Table at Three on the Bund and burgers from American chain, The Habit.
Sherpa’s is putting on online deals that have already started and an offline charity food festival called Tastebuds which will benefit charity Heart to Heart, this Saturday from noon to 8pm at 800 Show featuring vendors such as: Homeslice, DODU, Organic Kitchen, Masala Art, Brothers Kebab, THE ISLES, El Luchador, Tomatito, Deli Boys, Pushkin, Magpie and more. The good news is that isn’t too far from Baconfest happening concurrently over at Cages if you want to do both.
And lastly, a number of English-language media in Shanghai reported yesterday that Wonderland had closed down. Johan Holmberg has reached out to us and said, “Wonderland is not closed just because me [sic] and Luigi decided to leave the company.” They had a difference of opinion which resulted in the disbanding of the partnership and are currently scouting new locations with new partners. This means that the Xinzha location is still operating under the management of their (former) local partner. We’ve received tips that all is normal at Wonderland and Gino (the rabbit) is still there.
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