April is rolling in with a whole bunch of good stuff – openings, defunct restaurant returns, freshened-up menus and more.
Bull & Claw coming soon
First up, many will be happy to learn that some long-lost Shanghai favourites are finding their way back into town: in a revolving-door move, there’s the revival of Kelley Lee’s defunct Tex-Mex joint Cantina Agave to replace its less-popular replacement Tepito. Italian-Chinese fusion joint Xixi Bistro is making its return in a new spot in Xintiandi, and apparently May will see Bull & Claw moving on from its temporary home at Hooked to a permanent space in the villa currently home to El Patio (which naturally means El Patio is on its way out).
Heat's rotisserie spread
It seems that a rotisserie chicken trend is hitting Shanghai fast and hard. First, there was Dodu on Changshu Lu. Now, the team at new Dagu Lu spot Shanghai Republik are launching a delivery service called Pop Chicken for its in-house rotisserie – look for that debut in April. Meanwhile, there’s a lot of hype about the birds over at Heat French Rotisserie & Bistro, newly opened over on Maoming Bei Lu.
Hooked's fish and chips
As always, things are moving along at Found 158 complex: popular watering hole Café de Stagiaires is now open as is French eatery SEL Bistro & Lounge; Homeslice is open during the daytime and till late; Zapfler is getting rowdy on the weekends and this Saturday (April 1) Hooked and El Santo are having their official opening parties. But we’re looking for the new Arkham (initially set to open this month), because rumour has it that the team is rolling out their own dining venue, too.
Not so far from Found 158, there's a new American joint called Bulldog Bar that's grilling up Texas-style barbecue favourites for cheap. It's keeping things simple with just three main menu items: chicken, ribs and brisket; plus some 'fixins' like mac and cheese, creamed corn and grilled veggies.
Bo Shanghai's takes on China's eight culinary traditions
There’s action over on the Bund, too: newcomer Portuguese fine dining restaurant Sea Wheel claims to boast an immersive European eating experience via visual projections and a special soundtrack. Sounds interesting at the least. Alvin Leung’s fine dining hideaway in Five on the Bund Bo Shanghai has launched two new menus – still riffing off the eight cuisines of China crossed with French traditions, but now at two different price points; 1,080RMB and 1,680RMB each.
On Dongping Lu, prime candidate for Shanghai’s best pizza (nuh-uh, we didn’t just say that) D.O.C. Gastronomia Italiania launched a late-night menu on Thursdays to Saturdays that is totally killing it. The ‘Late Night Suppertivo Menu’ runs from 10pm until ‘late’, and every pizza is 100RMB and drinks like Aperol spritzes, Peroni beer and glasses of prosecco and wine are all 35RMB each. Quite the bargain for pizzas that average 150RMB a pop.
Logan Brouse plays the part for Cocktail Cinema
Events company Social Supply has launched Cocktail Cinema, a monthly series which pairs film screenings with cocktails inspired by the film, created by bartenders from around town, and much like the team’s Shanghai Supperclub concept, it will bop around town to different unique and unusual locations each month. This month's edition saw the screening of American Psycho alongside drink pairings from Logan Brouse of Logan's Punch.
Fire on Ice cocktail at Glam
Also on the drink tip, the bar at Pudong Shangri-La East Shanghai's Jade on 36 launched a new menu almost exclusively of martinis. It’s a totally ’90s move (which we love) and the views are top – plus happy hour is buy-one-get-one-free daily (5-7pm) which means sunsets for the win. Back at the Bund, Glam has revamped cocktail and dining menus, too.
Uber-thick milkshakes for days
Finally, the team at Charlie's are opening up The Milkshake Bar, another spot from which to sling their ridiculously awesome milkshakes, plus fried chicken and other glutinous treats. That's set to open over the next two weeks just a few doors down from Charlie's in the spot formerly known as Captain Rooster. Try the Fire on Ice cocktail, a strong tipple of hot cinnamon whiskey presented in flames.
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