Nomfluence

Hi, I’m Rachel Gouk, the founder of Nomfluence!

I’m a food and drink writer, photographer, and content creator based in Shanghai, originally from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I’ve been writing about Shanghai’s eating and drinking scene since 2011 — which means I’ve now lived here nearly as long as I lived in my home country.

Nomfluence: An Independent Shanghai Food Blog by Rachel Gouk

Rachel Gouk, food blogger and founder of Nomfluence, a Shanghai food and drink blog and Shanghai burger month. — Photo by Raul Ariano

Nomfluence is a one-woman operation. It’s one of the few independent English-language blogs left dedicated entirely to eating and drinking in Shanghai. No corporate backing. Just me, reporting on this city’s restaurants, bars, and the people behind them.

I also founded Shanghai Burger Month in 2021, an annual city-wide event celebrating Shanghai’s burger scene. Because this city deserved a proper burger celebration!

Rachel Gouk, founder of Nomfluence and Shanghai Burger Month — Photo by Mattias Issaksson

Some days, I think of Nomfluence as a historical catalogue of Shanghai’s dining scene. What opened, what closed, and when. The evolution from basic brunch dishes to the rise of contemporary Chinese restaurants. The ups and downs this city goes through — I’ve written through all of it.

But mostly, Nomfluence is a city guide. Use it to find what you’re craving. I hope it takes you to tasty plates, memorable meals, and restaurants you’ll never forget.

The Early Years

The truth? I didn’t plan to become a food writer. I fell into it, as these things happen.

When I came to Shanghai in 2011, the magazine I was working for — where I was writing travel columns and doing fashion photoshoots — handed me an opportunity to cover a few new restaurants. I was green, willing, and totally hooked.

That started a career that’s taken me through some of Shanghai’s most influential media platforms. I was at Shanghai WOW! as English Language Managing Editor, where I launched their English-language WeChat account back when WeChat first came onto the scene. Later, I joined City Weekend as Deputy Editor and Food Editor, spending 2.5 years covering the city’s ever-evolving food scene for one of the longest-running English publications in Shanghai.

Then, in 2018, City Weekend pulled out of China.

I had no job and no prospects.

Thankfully, a friend took me on at his F&B branding agency, KOLLEKTIV. I am forever grateful for that. That year inside an agency opened my eyes to the entrepreneurial side of the business — what a restaurant actually is beyond the plate. I was a Swiss Army knife of sorts: client relations, photoshoots, ideation.

Also in 2018, I started Nomfluence. Honestly? I just missed writing.

There was no grand plan — just a desire to write again, on my own terms, without an editorial calendar or corporate oversight. The site picked up quickly. By 2019, I made it my full-time job.

For Corporate Viewers

I also consult. I help F&B brands understand this market from the ground up — not from a boardroom in another country, but from actual on-the-ground knowledge of Shanghai’s dining landscape. I know which trends are real and which are just PR spin. I know how social media platforms — Dianping, Xiaohongshu (Red Note), WeChat — actually function. And I know people who know even more than I do.

So if you’re thinking of launching in China and don’t know where to start: I can help you navigate it without losing your mind.

I also give talks. I’ve spoken at hospitality events and closed-door industry meetings on emerging trends, consumer behavior, and what’s actually happening in Shanghai’s F&B industry.

If you’re looking to understand what it’s really like to operate here, or want connections to some key players, give me a shout.

I do dot-connecting for a living.