The 14 Best New Shanghai Restaurants of 2019... So Far
2019-06-07 10:15
Are you looking for dining inspiration? We've got you covered with
this roundup of the best-rated restaurants that we've reviewed this
year... so far. We have to say that it's been a pretty good
start to 2019. We hope you enjoy visiting our new favorite
restaurants. Happy eating! Bistro Bonbon Image by Cristina
Ng/That's We first started hearing murmurs of a cozy new joint with
small plates bearing the flavors of Taiwan about a year ago. Alas,
before we got the chance to visit, they closed. It seems their
popularity overran the original Bistro Bonbon’s size. Now relocated
within Julu 758 in a slightly larger space, the restaurant is back
serving up the greatest hits of the island’s cuisine. These recipes
come straight from proprietor Jason Tsai’s mother. While Mama Tsai
isn’t a professional chef, her methods (executed by local chefs)
certainly make for a lovely meal. Standout Dish: Taiwanese
fried chicken with basil (top left); braised trotters Bistro
Bonbon, Rm 106, 758 Julu Lu, by Fumin Lu 巨鹿路758号106室, 近富民路 Botanik
Image by Cristina Ng/That's Within the quiet recesses of Jianguo
Zhong Lu’s Taikang Terrace, perched above The Plump Oyster, there’s
an open-air restaurant helmed by executive chef Elijah Holland.
Botanik is defined by a seasonally-influenced, ever-changing
tasting menu focused on local products, many of which are grown in
the garden surrounding the dining area. Holland is also an avid
forager, and the group’s chefs and bartenders often take to the
great outdoors to go ‘grocery shopping.’ The beverage program is an
equally original compilation of organic, natural and sustainable
wines, as well as gin-based cocktails that allow Zander Bostoff and
Julia Markina to play with botanicals harvested on-site. The latter
notably just won The GREAT Gin Mixologist Competition, so you know
you’re in good hands. Standout dish: mushroom and jujube
charcuterie (above); sprouted coconut heart Botanik, 4/F, Room 301,
Taikang Terrace, 171 Jianguo Zhong Lu, by Ruijin Er Lu
建国中路171号301室4楼, 近瑞金二路 C Pearl Image by Cristina Ng/That's This
seafood-focused venue is also brought to you by the group behind
Osteria and The Plump Oyster. Australian forager and group
executive chef Elijah Holland's passion for house-made items is
evident in the charcuterie platters and bread baked from freshly
milled flour. You can also expect herb-forward gin and tonics from
the garden he planted at their open-air pop-up restaurant, Botanik.
With several more concepts in the works, Holland is a busy guy, so
chef de cuisine Joshua Moroney is executing elevated surf and turf
with a from-scratch ethos at the Pudong Century Link Tower
location. Standout dish: handmade shells with sea urchin,
mushrooms and salmon roe (above); house-made charcuterie C Pearl,
Unit 008, 5/F, Century Link Tower, 1192 Century Avenue, by Weifang
Lu 世纪大道1192号世纪汇广场5楼空中花园008铺, 近潍坊路 Hao Jiu Hao Cai Chicken Company
Image by Cristina Ng/That's We have never, ever gone to Found 158
looking for Chinese food, but the long, long lines at Hao Jiu Hao
Cai Chicken Company could not be ignored. The signature dish, gai
bo (chicken pot) is the reason they wait. All the rage about four
years ago in Hong Kong, this Cantonese take on a Sichuan number
starts as a casserole in a thick and complex caramel brown gravy.
Here, the closely guarded secret sauce tastes of doubanjiang
(Sichuan spicy soybean paste), mellowed with oyster sauce, soy
sauce and chu hou paste. There are visible chunks of ginger and
green cardamom pods, an unmistakable Sichuan peppercorn tingle, and
fragrant hints of star anise, cinnamon and fennel, suggesting
five-spice powder. Next, the server scoops in more secret sauce and
pours in chicken broth for part two of the meal, where typical hot
pot ingredients such as beef balls (RMB68), frozen tofu (RMB12),
winter melon (RMB12) and lotus root (RMB16) are poached
in the stock. Standout dish: that winner of a chicken dinner
(above) Hao Jiu Hao Cai Chicken Company, Hao Jiu Hao Cai
Chicken Company, 158 Julu Lu, by Ruijin Yi Lu 巨鹿路158号, 近瑞金一路 HIYA
Image by Cristina Ng/That's One of three restaurants in The
Shanghai EDITION, HIYA is modeled after Chef Jason Atherton’s now
defunct London-based restaurant, Sosharu. Like its predecessor,
HIYA is a Japanese-style gastropub designed by Neri&Hu. In
Shanghai, the kitchen is helmed by Christopher Pitts who previously
worked with Atherton as the chef at Table No. 1. It might be
confusing to read the words ‘izakaya,’ ‘gastropub,’ and ‘Japanese’
and then walk into HIYA. Instead of over-worked salarymen knocking
back a few drinks after a long day at the office, you will find a
stylish, well-heeled crowd enjoying a good time over fancy
cocktails and beautifully presented dishes, while documenting the
entire experience with countless selfies and foodporn shots for
their Insta-Stories. Before you dismiss it out of hand for being
too hip, the two-page menu featuring sashimi, chilled dishes,
'temacos' (taco plus maki), hibachi and dessert puts the precision
of the kitchen on full display. Standout dish: slow-cooked
pork shoulder, roasted pineapple and pickled chili 'temacos'
(above) HIYA, 27/F, Main Building, The Shanghai EDITION, 199
Nanjing Dong Lu, by Jiangxi Zhong Lu 南京东路199号, 近江西中路 Ifuku Isaribi
Image courtesy of Ifuku Isaribi Ifuku Isaribi in Plaza 66 is yet
another indication that the mall dining train is not slowing down
anytime soon. Retaining the most popular dishes from Ifuku in
Xintiandi, the company’s second opening is a higher-end robata-ya
(grilled meat restaurant) sourcing premium Wagyu, black pork,
chicken and more directly from Japan. Head chef and namesake, Ifuku
comes from Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu, where he was born into a
family of fishermen. It was there he
learned ichiyaboshi – techniques for salting and drying
seafood overnight – from his grandmother. Once cured, the proteins
are prepared on traditional charcoal grills. Standout
dish: overnight-dried chicken (above); grilled Wagyu; beef
tongue Ifuku Isaribi, 5/F, 1266 Nanjing Xi Lu, by Shaanxi Nan Lu
南京西路1266号5楼,近陕西南路. Jin Hua Image courtesy of Jin Hua The previous
occupant of this space, Café Daliah, combined classic Austrian fare
with the artistic streak of the eponymous proprietor. In addition
to pretty decent schnitzels, the restaurant was well known for an
indoor slide and hosting art exhibitions, LGBTQ+ events, fashion
shows and animal adoption days. Occupying a special place in the
community, it was understandable that we received some panicked
messages when construction of Jin Hua was underway. Turns out that
Daliah was teaming up with some friends, including Niu Yun
(of Slurp! and Pilipala), to transform her café into
a Yunnan concept. Standout dish: roast tilapia (above); Dai
spiced burger Jin Hua 408 Shaanxi Bei Lu, by Beijing Xi Lu
陕西北路408号, 近北京西路 Karaiya Spice House Image by Cristina Ng/That's
After years of running successful Japanese restaurants Haiku,
Hatsune and Kagen, the owners have turned their attention to an
elegant take on the fiery flavors of Hunan at Karaiya Spice House.
Already open in Beijing, the Shanghai outpost also offers
spicy dishes with an emphasis on high-quality ingredients, and what
they call ‘Western-style’ presentation (although the dishes still
look Chinese). Standout dish: two-color chili fish (above)
Karaiya, 333 Huaihaizhong Lu, by Madang Lu 淮海中路333号新天地广场, 近马当路
Ministry of Crab Image by Cristina Ng/That's After months of
renovation, Barbarossa has recently unveiled a new look to their
famous People’s Park location and introduced a brand new concept to
the mix. Occupying the first floor of their Arabian-style building,
Ministry of Crab – one of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants from
Colombo, Sri Lanka – is now serving their famously large
crustaceans in a variety of ways. If you’ve been struggling to find
high-quality seafood that is comically large, you’re in luck. Chef
Dharshan Munidasa helms the original crab lovers’ haven. For the
award-winning restaurant’s first venture outside Sri Lanka, they’ve
sent over Chef Vimukthi, who’s worked with Munidasa for years, to
oversee the kitchen. Standout dish: black pepper crab, garlic
chili prawn (above) Ministry Of Crab, Inside People's Park, 231
Nanjing Xi Lu, by Xizang Zhong Lu 南京西路231号人民公园内, 近西藏中路 Open Kitchen
by Hunter Gatherer Image by Cristina Ng/That's Healthy eating
concept Hunter Gatherer has come a long way since opening their
first (now shuttered) location on Anfu Lu in 2014. In addition to
the DIY canteen-style bowls, they’ve now added more composed
options like ‘Back to Cali’ and ‘Smokehouse BBQ’ that continue to
balance protein, carbs and veggies in a delicious manner.
Continuing in this vein, Open Kitchen presents a collection of
small bites and mains befitting a much fancier restaurant like
Thought for Food, where Hunter Gatherer’s executive chef Alexander
Bitterling previously worked. Standout dish: spiced beef
kebabs with pesto dip (above), grilled mackeral with beetroot
barley Open Kitchen by Hunter Gatherer (Hubin Dao), B/1, E04, Hubin
Dao Mall, 150 Hubin Lu, by Jinan Lu 湖滨路150号湖滨道购物中心B1-E04, 近济南路
Phoenix Sushi Image by Cristina Ng/That's You might wonder how this
omakase joint, led by a chef from Anhui, has become so popular.
First of all, Chef Dong has worked in Japanese restaurants since
2003, most notably as an apprentice at Kenji Naramoto’s eponymous
upscale sushi restaurant on Yongjia Lu. The other reason is that
the most expensive set at Sushi Phoenix costs just RMB398, which is
a bargain compared to similar establishments around town. Standout
dish: the nigiri sushi courses Phoenix Sushi, 257 Xinyu Dong
Lu, by Anlong Lu 新渔东路257号, 近安龙路 The Pig Pocket Image by Cristina
Ng/That's Previously located in a small alley off of Fuxing Zhong
Lu, The Pig Pocket was a hidden gem where Taiwan-born chef Sophie
Huang and her affable Hong Kong-born business partner Eva Lee
quietly served a selection of pork-based plates at surprisingly
good prices. When we heard that this hole-in-the-wall was vacating
its 12-seat space, it seemed like terrible news. After trekking out
to Yangpu district to check out their new Daxue Lu digs and greatly
expanded menu, we see this move in a much more positive light.
Standout dish: TPP signature pork chop The Pig Pocket, 87
Daxue Lu, by Jinjia Lu 大学路87号, 近锦嘉路 Polux by Paul Pairet Image by
Cristina Ng/That's Shanghai diners get pretty excited when Paul
Pairet opens a new concept, and Polux is no exception. That might
have something to do with the accolades his restaurants have
received over the years, the most recent being Ultraviolet’s three
Michelin stars and a sixth spot finish in Asia’s Best 50
Restaurants 2019. Moving inland from The Bund, Pairet’s latest
Xintiandi venture serves pared-down French classics all day long,
covering breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch, afternoon tea and
dinner. The cooking combines rustic, traditional influences from
Pairet’s The Chop Chop Club (now closed) with the modern creativity
of Mr & Mrs Bund. Standout dish: French onion soup,
raspberries essential Polux by Paul Pairet, No. 5, Lane 181,
Taicang Lu, by Huangpi Nan Lu 新天地太仓路181弄5号, 近黄陂南路 Rye & Co
Image by Cristina Ng/That's After hitting the mark twice in a row
with The Nest and The Cannery, the team behind these venues mixed
things up this year by adding a bakery to their portfolio. Like
most openings these days, Rye & Co is located in a mall, and in
this case it’s the new Xintiandi Plaza. Consisting of two separate
spaces (a café and a bar), Rye & Co ticks off most of your
daily needs. Downstairs expect ‘grains for goodness’ in the form of
baked goods, Danish open-faced sandwiches and larger mains such as
(not quite) Swedish meatballs, pasta and mussels.The counterpoint
to all this wholesomeness (read: booze) is available on the second
floor (informally nicknamed ‘High on Rye’). Standout
dish: various smorrebrod, pumpkin on toast (above) Rye
& Co, 6-7/F, Xintiandi Plaza, 333 Huaihai Zhong Lu, by Huangpi
Nan Lu 淮海中路333号新天地广场6-7楼, 近黄陂南路 [Cover image by Cristina Ng/That's]
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