3 new pizza places, poke, smoothie bowls and more
It’s only February and the world of F&B has already weaselled its way into the centre of attention with its openings, closings and relocations galore. Let’s get the bad news over with: first, we were crushed to learn that old school bakers The British Kitchen will no longer be helping us get our fix of homemade Crunchie bars, shortbread and lemon pound cake... a devastating blow. However, founder James Stockade is working on a cookbook of British bites and baking; a read we can’t wait to get our hands on.
See you soon, Ruijin Cajun Swamp Dog
But that’s not all. A slew of other local favourites have (temporarily) closed due to various landlord and licensing issues. For now, you’ll have to live without the American southern grub of Ruijin Cajun; the comforting café fare of Amelia’s (who’re still wholesaling their jarred delights and such); and the classic British eats of Mr Harry. They’ve all said they’ll be popping up again soon in new digs, but don’t start holding your breath until we tell you to... it could be a bit of a wait, folks.
Homeslice's pepperoni pizza
Now now, it’s not all bad news. We’ve been graced with two New York-style pizza joints – Homeslice Pizza (in soft opening as of today) in Found 158 on Julu Lu and Joe’s Pizza in Jingan – whose extra large slices have been flooding our WeChat moments. If NYC style isn’t your thing, there’s also new contender Zozzo Pizza, where they’re doing things Roman style.
Brunch at Lil' Laundry
And speaking of delicious pizza, Liquid Laundry have opened up their younger brother Lil' Laundry in the Shanghai Centre, where they’re focusing heavily on smoked meats and, of course, those signature Boxing Cat brews. A definite spot to hit for weekend brunch.
Farine Lab's experimental sarnies
Down at the South Bund within The Cool Docks, the folks behind La Bota have opened up a new ‘happy-fresh’ healthy bites eatery called Pita. Expect fresh juices and smoothies, pita sandwiches, salads, smoothie bowls and best of all... all day breakfast. On the other side of the health spectrum, we’re stoked about the much-anticipated arrival of Farine LAB, where the artisans of French bakery Farine are carrying out F&B research and developing all kinds of fresh recipes. But don’t get too attached to their current offerings – the team have said that they’ll still be revising and rearranging their menu over the coming weeks.
New fish bowls in town at Poke Poke
We’ve also got our sights set on raw fish and rice from newly opened Poke Poke near the corner of Changle Lu and Xiangyang Bei Lu; eager to see whether their menu can compete with the tough competition of Little Catch’s expertly executed bowls. And if you want more from the realm of Pacific eats, there’s a new hip looking Yakitori joint called OVERDOSE on Huashan Lu in Jingan.
Last up, the flow of coffee (thankfully) never seems to end in Shanghai, and there are three new places around town to get your liquid fuel: BowBow Coffee on Xinle Lu in Xuhui, Blacksheep Espresso on Jianguo Zhong Lu in Huangpu, and T12 Lab on Wuxing Lu in Xuhui, here we come. And one more... put your hands up for EDM cafe on Jianguo Xi Lu in the FFC! We can only hope they’re brewing up things as awesome as their name.
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