OSP Shanghai: An Ambitious Concept with a High-Profile Team
On December 19, 2022
ØSP is a multifaceted project of three concepts, Ømakase, Savøur, and Pøp, powered by a number of food and beverage A-listers. It’s an extremely ambitious undertaking led by Boris Yu, a highly respected gastronome and former panel chair for the World’s 50 Best China & South Korea.
First, let’s break down the concepts. ØSP is the acronym for Ømakase, the “chef’s menu” dining room, Savøur, the lounge and bar, and Pøp, the pop-up kitchen on upper floor.
Currently, the menu at Ømakase features an 8-course menu by Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa of Den, a Tokyo restaurant that ranks #1 on the Asia’s 50 Best 2022. Chef Zaiyu isn’t in the kitchen for this—the OSP team executes the food. The menu is priced at ¥880.
Ømakase
It’s dinner reservations only, 12 seats a night, which can be made via the OSP official WeChat account (osp_sh). This menu will run until December 30. After that, it’ll be a two-month OSP special inspired by Boris’ foodie travels featuring dishes from Japan to Malaysia. And after that, it’s yet another famous chef’s menu.
Pøp
Pøp is the private kitchen space on the upper floor that hosts chef-driven pop-ups. Currently, it’s Chef Tom Yu of Jeju Izakaya, PADO, Jeju Sagye, Belloco, etc., who’s showcasing a contemporary Korean menu. The multi-course menu is ¥980.
Savøur
Then there’s Savøur, the lounge with a cocktail program by award-winning beverage consultants Hope & Sesame, and a refined food menu of mostly small bites from the OSP team.
Savøur
Oh, and the space and vibe is stunning. Great interiors, an excellent playlist, and a good sound system. The visual elements of the space and the OSP logo were also designed by “the godfather of street fashion” Hiroshi Fujiwara.
The menu at Savøur
I’ve only experienced Savøur. The cocktails are fantastic, especially the Kappa, the one with baijiu—it’s delicious enough that you’d swirl it in your mouth like a wine. (Something I’d never thought I’d say in regards to baijiu.) There wasn’t a single drink that disappointed, and they’re very reasonably priced, starting from ¥88. The food concept is “dine by snacking” and dishes are inspired by flavors from around the world. Some of the bite-sized dishes are really exceptional like the tomato tatin, and the fully-loaded paella is a must-order.
Tomato Tatin (¥52) – Lightly pickled and seasoned semi-dry cherry tomatoes with citrus jellies, balsamic, and fresh basil on a buttery, crispy pastry. An exquisite bite.Vitello Tonnato (¥62) – Punchy, zingy seasoning on the tuna and the crunch of pani puri.Bread & Maguro Bottarga Butter (¥38) – Excellent bread, but the expected umami from the maguro bottarga in the butter didn’t come through.Pulpo Bomba (¥48) – Croquettas with bits of octopus, bacon, mushroom, and eggplant.Fajito (¥72) – Jumbo carabinero prawn wrapped with zucchini, Yunnan ham, and cheese, tempura battered and deep-fried. Thoroughly enjoyable. It arrives piping hot—give it more than a minute to rest.Katsu Sando (¥108) – A comforting sandwich of beef, eggplant, blistered green peppers, and truffle mayo.ØSPaella (¥248) – A great big bomb of flavor in every bite. The rice itself is delicious, and is already loaded with so much flavor, though, surprisingly not overwhelmingly so. It’s topped with matsutake, guindilla peppers, steak, olives, garlic chips, and truffle aioli. Scoop up every last al dente grain.Short Ribs (¥328) – The dish that ranked lowest on this evening. The caramelized popcorn softened with the heat from the short rib, making them stale and dense. The beef itself was cooked well, but the mole sauce lacked punch.Papa-Chick (¥108) – Grilled spring chicken with a Thai marinade served with a grilled papaya and cabbage salad. The chicken is great, crusted, juicy, and spiced.Burnt Basque Cheesecake (¥168) – Cheesecake with 10g of 7-year caviar. It’s hedonistic. However, the potency of cheesecake completely masks the caviar in my opinion. I’d rather enjoy them separately.Frozen Biscuit (¥42) – A nougat glacé studded with delicious lemon-flavored white and dark chocolate wedges.Kappa (¥138) – The cocktail that impressed the most. Made with pu’er tea infused baijiu, gardenia syrup, passion fruit purée, and soy milk (washed). It’s a smooth, velvety concoction that’s so very juicy. The distinctive “fruity heat” of baijiu is mellow, enough that you can savor it. It’s also served with green apple and coconut jellies and baijiu soaked longan, excellent little bites that add to the flavor profile of the drinks.Gamma (¥88) – Cherry Kirschwasser, Talisker 10 YR, Laphroaig 10 YR, honey mustard, milk, and soda garnished with a housemade gummy bear. Easy drinking.Chi (¥88) – A twist on the prohibition classic, Mary Pickford. Made with white rum, pineapple juice, tomato juice, hibiscus syrup, and maraschino.Zeta (¥138) – This “cocktail” would be a dessert if it wasn’t so damn boozy. Säntis Malt Edition Himmelberg, Chivas 12, and Disaranno made into an ice cream with chestnut syrup and oat milk with shavings of cheese and chocolate. It is hella potent, also very dangerous because it’s delicious.Alpha (¥98) – Rice shochu infused with matcha and yuzu, then clarified with milk, topped with warm cream. Another tasty tipple.
OSP is located down the same Jiaozhou Lu lane as Bastard and RAC Allée.
ØSP Address: Suite 101, Block 13, No. 30, 319 Jiaozhou Lu, near Xinzha Lu 胶州路319弄30号13栋101号, 进新闸路 Tel: 19121571279 Hours: Daily, 5pm-late; closed Tuesdays
Rachel Gouk has been writing about food and drink in Shanghai since 2011. She is a food critic, writer, photographer, and F&B consultant based in Shanghai. Nomfluence was founded in May 2018 as a means to express her love for the Shanghai F&B scene. Follow her blog www.nomfluence.com or on Instagram @nomfluence.
