The Shanghai Scoop is a column dedicated to the latest food and drink news happening in Shanghai.
Coming Soon
Lawry’s The Prime Rib
Lawry’s The Prime Rib is opening in Shanghai! Soft opening is set for December 20 at 168 Wuyi Lu. If it wasn’t obvious enough, the steakhouse specializes in one thing: the prime rib. Founded in 1938 Beverly Hills, Lawry’s has multiple franchises worldwide, including four in the USA, and in cities Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Singapore.
This is actually the second time Lawry’s is attempting Shanghai. The last one closed more than a decade ago. Well, I believe this time, things will be different — Shanghai diners are no strangers to prime steaks. I for one am a fan of this crème de la crème of roasts.
Frédéric Anton
18 by FRÉDÉRIC ANTON at Bund 18 is due to open at the end of 2023 in the space formerly housing L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. Frédéric Anton is an illustrious French chef deemed by the Michelin Guide as a “Meilleur Ouvrier de France with an undiminished passion.”
Anton has two restaurants in Paris where he holds stars, Le Pré Catelan (3 stars) and the iconic Le Jules Verne (1 star) located in the Eiffel Tower.
18 Hours / Garlic Barbecue
Garlic Barbecue is expanding! They’ll be opening a new brand called “18 Hours,” so named for the amount of time they take to smoke their hero item, the brisket. 18 Hours aims to open on November 25 at 6 Wanhangdu Lu in Jing’an. That’s not all, they’re also opening a Garlic Barbecue at EKA Tianwu in Pudong by the end of December.
EKA Tianwu
Speaking of EKA Tianwu, it’s a new urban renewal development in Jinqiao designed by Wutopia Lab. The keystone building is the stunning Copper Blockhouse, a dramatic fortress that looks like an airplane hanger draped in copper that acts as a multi-purpose space for exhibitions, performances, and events.
Restaurants already opened at EKA are Lenbach Fountain, One Step (一尺花园), Peet’s, and a handful of coffee shops. Opening soon will be Something, TapaTapa, and famous crab restaurant Xie Zun Yuan (蟹尊苑), among others.
Chef Rosie of ZARI is opening Nackwol on Dingxi Lu, serving up mainly Korean-style hot pot and contemporary Korean dishes. Opens early December.
Dre Yang, formerly head bartender at The Odd Couple is opening his first independent cocktail bar called Pony Up on Jinxian Lu. The bar will have two sections, front and back, catering for day and nighttime hours. Expect low-ABV, easy-going cocktails during the day, and signature creations and traditional tipples from the evening. Pony Up will also serve food. Due for mid-December.
Newa, a Nepalese restaurant, is due to open in the M+ complex in Jing’an.
New Restaurants Now Open!
Scilla
New and hot is Scilla, a high-end Mediterranean restaurant housed in a gorgeous villa at 504 Panyu Lu. Heading the charge is Executive Chef Stefano Bacchelli, who’s put out a very sophisticated looking menu of Mediterranean dishes.
The restaurant belongs to the Yunmi Group, a “fine dining brand incubation platform” in China, the same group that opened Da Vittorio Shanghai, New Wave by Da Vittorio, Jamoteca, Sasa, Fukushushi, Miyahato, and Louis Vuitton The Hall. The restaurant has been bombarded with bookings of late — plan ahead if you’re interested in trying it out.
Wolfgang’s Steakhouse
Wolfgang’s Steakhouse opened its second Shanghai location at Fuxing Place on November 15. It’s housed in a massive (and stunning) two-story villa at 20 Yancheng Lu, a stone’s throw away from the Laoximen metro station. Communal dining room on the first floor and numerous private rooms on the second floor with balcony access.
Sake-X Group
The Sake-X Group (Tomodachi Yakiniku and yakitori bar Sake-X on Dagu Lu) has expanded with three new restaurants in the past couple of months.
On Shaanxi Nan Lu near Jinxian Lu, they’ve opened up oden bar Sake-Ichi Oden and sushi handroll bar Sake-Ichi Roll.
Branching out from the Japanese fare, they now also have FuXing Bakery at INS in Fuxing Park, serving up freshly baked breads, brunch, and dinner, led by chef Alexander Bitterling.
R.O.W.T.
Also located in INS is R.O.W.T., a high-profile restaurant led by Executive Chef Sean Yue (岳巍), former sous chef at Asia’s 50 Best restaurant Ensue and most recently at contemporary farm-to-table restaurant Voisin Organique, both Shenzhen. R.O.W.T., which also aims to preserve a farm-to-table ethos, stands for “raw, organic, warm, and texture.”
Food at R.O.W.T. is contemporary Chinese, served as a creative seasonal menu for ¥1,380 per person.
Dishes like 14-day dry-aged crispy marinated duck, aged shima aji with Sichuan seasoning, razor clams with sugar cane, charred red snapper with squid roe, Zhoushan belt fish, and wild matsutake pique the interest.
La Bourriche 133
Over at Rockbund is La Bourriche 133, a modern seafood-centric restaurant with influences from French, Basque, and Italian cuisine. The classy, upmarket restaurant promises a “sea to table” variety of fresh and live seafood sourced from around the world. It’s backed by the same group behind Mercado 505 and has ties to high-end product supply company Jiarui (so you can bet the quality will be pristine). Located at 133 Yuanmingyuan Lu.
Gelato Bello X Fotografiska
Artisanal gelateria Gelato Bello gets a second location at the highly anticipated Fotografiska Museum in Jing’an, north of the Suzhou Creek. Gelato business as usual at the original location on Yongkang Lu. Gelato Bello was recently awarded the Silver Medal for the 2023 Gelato World Cup, China Region.
Les Halles
From the people behind Chez Jojo comes Les Halles, a French épicerie and boucherie and restaurant at 506 Jiashan Lu. You can shop for cuts of meat and sausage as you would from a European butcher, and buy groceries like dry goods, vegetables, cheese, and wine for home. They also have their own house-made products to-go like foie gras, duck confit, jams, and soups. Les Halles is also a restaurant – a full menu of French-inclined dishes for lunch and dinner available.
A Couple Others
Bagel Park opened in October at the Blackstone Apartments complex on Fuxing Lu. Bagels and bagel sandwiches galore — Shanghai is really crazy about bagels this year! Bagel Park has ties to Vesta.
Nestlé opened its first Shanghai Roastelier at 151 Yuyuan Lu. Roastelier by Nescafé is basically a coffee shop, but the company line calls it “a compact coffee-roasting solution” for “the art of roasting in the shop”. Right…
Sound Bites Around Town
In case you missed it, the Michelin Guide Shanghai 2024 was released on November 16. A total of 51 restaurants were awarded stars, including five new entries in the one-star category.
The Azul Group has rebranded Bhacus at the Weave on Wuxing Lu into Azul, and has just launched a new menu of dishes.
Speto’s has been rebranded into Boteco Lounge.
Pie Society closed its Jing’an Canteen last month but has reopened at Golden Eagle Mall: Pie Society, Jingan Pie Hole is now at 4/F, 278 Shaanxi Bei Lu.
Closures
Quite a few sad closures to note.
ZUP Pizza Bar said goodbye at the end of October. Seul & Seul’s last day of operations in Taikoo Hui was October 31. Cocktail and wine bar Ray’s on Changle Lu closed on November 19 and Italian restaurant DOC’s last day of operations was November 22, both citing issues with lease renewal.
Hundo is closing this Saturday. Last day of operation is November 25.
Vesta closed their Jing An Kerry Centre location. They’ll be reopening at Gate M, a new complex at West Bund, in June 2024.
Sadder still are closures that are planned for, which includes CIBVS. The Italian restaurant will close at the end of the year, but will hopefully reopen soon. Solid food over there — pop in if you’re hankering for some Italian comfort food.
Another closure due for the end of the year is Elevator. They’ll be saying farewell to their Nandan Dong Lu location with a bang, and will be throwing a New Year’s Eve party for the ages.
All images above courtesy of the venues unless otherwise stated.
Nomfluence 12 Days Xmas
Heads up! The annual Nomfluence 12 Days of Xmas giveaway is coming soon! The giveaway season runs from December 1 to 12!
Get ready for some epic prizes from dining vouchers to hotel night stays. YOU can stand the chance to WIN! Really, there are some truly amazing prizes this year. Click here for more details.
