Few chefs have left a mark on Shanghai’s dining scene with as much range and influence as Carlos Sotomayor.
And now he has a stage of his own — VICE Shanghai, a new restaurant and lounge-bar in Xuhui that showcases the globally influenced cooking that has made him a favorite in the city for years.
Introducing VICE Shanghai
Located in a restored heritage lane house at 128 Yongjia Lu, a couple of doors down from the original O’Mills, VICE Shanghai is backed by a powerhouse team of Shanghai F&B veterans.
Raffe “Wolf” Ibrahamian of Cantina Agave is behind the project, with Carlos Sotomayor — formerly of High Yaki — leading the kitchen and Nick, an alum of J. Boroski, heading the bar.
The ground floor is a cozy bistro setting facing an open kitchen window — dimly lit and moody in the evenings, with tables packed close enough to spy on neighboring plates.
Upstairs is a spacious lounge and bar with high ceilings and a galley balcony looking out onto the street. There’s even a private room. It’s definitely more luxe in feel compared to the bistro below. In addition to drinks and its own bar food menu, the lounge is currently catering to dinner overflow from downstairs.
There’s also an outdoor seating area on the ground floor, which will open for brunch/lunch al fresco dining in July-August.
What’s For Dinner?
Carlos’ cooking pulls from his Peruvian heritage, travels, and years in China/Asia, resulting in a menu that’s broad in influence but clear in identity. Having eaten his food for the better part of a decade, there are dishes here that are unmistakably his — and plenty of new ones that surprise.
An iconic ‘Carlos dish’ is the Mosaic (¥78), large cubed salmon in a delicious leche de tigre blended with scallops, served atop a creamy avocado purée with Serrano chilies. Cool, refreshing, and bright with controlled acidity.
The Tuna (¥98) follows suit. Seared tataki-style and served with a grapefruit ponzu vinaigrette, it’s simple, satisfying, and refreshingly light.
Don’t overlook the Daikon Fondant (¥58). Thick medallions of daikon are drowned in a rich mornay sauce, made by folding gruyere and parmesan into a béchamel. It’s honestly an excuse to indulge in cheese sauce. The juicy daikon keeps the flavor going with its own natural sweetness. Charred maitake mushrooms and fresh basil round it out with earthy and fresh accents.
Cauliflower is a blank canvas, and it’s only as strong as its accompaniments. The golden roasted Cauliflower (¥65) proves the point, with a punchy caesar dressing and smoky Hunan cured pork doing the heavy lifting.
My favorite of all the mains is the Braised Lamb Shoulder (¥288). The lamb is deeply tender, coated in a thick braising sauce that begs to be sopped up with bread. Underneath it all is a medley of vegetables — crunchy wild desert chives, pea purée, lettuce, and a bed of wilted fresh herbs that act as a palate cleanser between bites.
Speaking of bread, theirs is a sourdough loaf (¥58) custom made by Cute Cube. It comes house butter, whipped with soy sauce, white pepper, crispy garlic, and ciboulette. Save a knob of bread for the lamb. You’ll regret it if you don’t.
A close second favorite is the Chicken & Abalone Claypot (¥278), which arrives bubbling and steaming to the table. At the base is a disk of glutinous rice, morels, and Jinhua ham, cradling the roasted chicken.
The glutinous rice “cake” is crispy, chewy, and sticky, and soaks up the concentrated abalone-chicken-morel sauce. It’s a dish that bridges Western and Chinese cooking, one that reminds me of Cantonese Lo Mai Gai — just a super-sized, grown-up version of it.
The Tilefish (¥138) is perfect for the warm weather season. Pan-seared then finished with hot oil to puff and crisp the skin, it comes with sudado, their version of the Peruvian sour seafood broth. Tangy and revitalizing.
The Pepper Steak comes as bavette (¥268/200g) or tenderloin (¥428/300g), served with dangerously addictive shoestring-style fries. The sauce is the real story here: made with five different peppercorns, it’s fragrant, complex, and a worthy companion to an otherwise straightforward steak.
For comfort, seek out the Cacio e Pepe Gratin (¥128). Calamarata tube pasta tossed in brown butter, fresh cracked pepper, and a generous amount of pecorino cheese, then baked. A decadent dish to share.
As for dessert, the clear winner is the Flourless Chocolate Cake (¥68). Deceptively simple in appearance, it’s anything but — dense and rich, bolstered with sweet miso cream and topped with a black sesame and ginger crumble that’s frankly amazing. The black sesame brittle adds crunch and roasted depth, the kicker that truly makes the dessert memorable.
The other two desserts are the Vietnamese Coffee Tres Leches (¥58) with white chocolate ganache, which is full-flavored but light, and the Passion Fruit Crème Caramel (¥58) with marinated strawberries and macadamia crumble.
Bar Bites at VICE Shanghai
Should you come to VICE Shanghai with drinks in mind, know that the kitchen has your back.
The off-menu Beef Noodles (¥88) is the one to get. Egg pasta is topped with tender “saltado” beef sautéed in a spicy house-made chili crisp. It’s spicy, savory, saucy, and completely addictive.
Every bar needs a bit of fried chicken, and VICE’s take is the Kung Pao Chicken Bites (¥58), tossed in an addictive savory-spicy kung pao sauce. Meanwhile, Duck Confit (¥65) is served in the form of spring rolls with Comté cheese, topped with fig jam and a savory house soy sauce to dip.
For something a little left field, the Savory Macaron (¥98/three) combines sweet shells with a filling of salmon roe, avocado, and nori sauce — not for everyone, but a fun palate trick for those who want one.
To Drink
The drinks menu has a focus on martinis, five variations starting from ¥78, which include a classic Dirty Martini to a Breakfast Martini with orange marmalade.
Signature cocktails are ¥98, and classic cocktails are from ¥78. House wine starts from ¥68 a glass, ¥378 a bottle. All very reasonable.
In Summary
VICE Shanghai is the kind of opening that doesn’t need hype to sustain it — the food does the work. Whether you’re settling in for feast or stopping in at the bar for drinks and a bowl of beef noodles, it delivers. It’s certainly one of the better things to happen in Xuhui in a long time.
Interior & drinks photos by Artem Zuev.
VICE Shanghai
View the venue listing here.
