Shanghai Food & Drink Gossip: August 2016

By Betty Richardson

First up, restaurant doyenne Kelley Lee continues to tease us with details of her latest enterprise, ‘Cobra Lily,’ a casual restaurant and bar due to open in Xintiandi. Marking one of Lee’s first forays into Asian food, Cobra Lily joins her other establishments Boxing Cat Brewery, Sproutworks, Tepito and Liquid Laundry, a second branch of which will also soon open in the Shanghai Centre.

Xintiandi also looks to be getting a little bit greener and safer with the addition of The Barn, a new casual dining concept set in a converted loft space. Here you'll find a broad range of Western food ranging from salads, snacks and patisserie to craft beer, oysters and steaks. And yes, those are hams hanging from the ceiling. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Barn XintiandiTucked away at the back is entrance to The Bunker, a hip new cocktail bar with a military camp theme by the guys that did Flask and Botanist. Find here a mix of "progressive craft drinks" (read: cocktails) from RMB70-80 available from 12pm on the daily. It's five 'o' clock somewhere in the world, right?

Chef Michael Wendling is expanding his culinary prowess beyond the enclave that houses his existing eateries Cuivre, T for Thai and Cu2+ with a new French café inside Plaza 66 on Nanjing Xi Lu. Saveur (that’s French for ‘savor’) will take on French food with a healthy twist. Guess that means steak béarnaise is a no-no?

In thrilling news, Ruijin Cajun is back on the scene with a space of their own at 800 Changshu Lu. Known as purveyors of Cajun cuisine, these guys cook up a storm of ‘po’tine,’ crawfish étoufée, jambalaya, po’boys and delicious Andouille sausage.

There’s never a bad time for a burger, especially late at night. That’s what’s going down at new fast food eatery Midnight Burger…well, not exactly – they shut at 11pm. Still, the hefty burgers and fries with truffle mayo look tasty though. Stay tuned for our review next month.

A trendy new restaurant and bar called ‘Opposite’ has appeared at 222 Yan’an Xi Lu in a beautiful villa-style building. Still very much in soft opening, the place serves a broad mix of contemporary Western food. Let’s hope it’s good or we’ll be making plenty of ‘opposite’ puns in our forthcoming review.

(Image via dianping)

Heyday captured the hearts of Shanghai’s jazz loving lounge lizards, and now owner Brian McKay has struck a more up-tempo beat with Shake, a 60s-themed ‘dinner theater’ venue. Expect Asian fusion dining and a cocktail menu crafted by mixologist Colin Tait.Not a day goes by that we don’t hear about some devastatingly cool new Shanghai café, but here’s one we’re genuinely excited about. Ocean Grounds is the brainchild of California native Jim Lee, who takes coffee very, very seriously.

ShanghaiLike the first Shanghai branch in Minhang, this new store in Hong Kong Plaza serves 'OG Hand Crafted Coffee' from RMB43-58, including their famous ‘New Orleans’ iced coffee (though the less fiscally committed can find classic espressos for RMB20). Pro tip: come after 7pm when they start adding whisky, bourbon and rum into the mix.

Over at Three on the Bund, longtime Latin lounge bar and restaurant, Unico, will be taking a breather for the duration of August to renovate. They’ll be back with a vengeance by September, however, and just in time to kick off their 4th anniversary celebrations. Those ought to be raucous given the high octane partying this place usually gets up to.

Union Trading Company, a favorite bar of ours (and all of Asia’s, given they scooped a coveted spot in the 2016 Asia’s 50 Best Bars list) has finally launched a happy hour. Up for grabs are a rotating selection of six classic cocktails (think daiquiris, negronis, old fashioneds) and selected bar food dishes from Austin Hu, including a signature burger, pulled pork grilled cheese, Sichuan pepper chicken tenders and more, all for RMB50 each.

He stole the show with the runaway success of his playfully quirky bar, Taste Buds Cocktail Palace, but mixologist Daniel An is taking on a more serious tone at his newest outpost, a Catholic confession room-themed speakeasy called Shrine. That’s in United Valley should you wish to confess your sins over a drink or three.

Feel free to email any tips, gossip and rumours vicious or otherwise to [e-mail].

You May Also Like...

For more Shanghai F&B Gossip, click "Read more" below.