We love Shanghai. And with top-notch cocktail bars, off-the-hook restaurants and fabulous nights out hitting the tiles, how could you not? Here's this year's shortlist, with nominees hand-picked by our editors, for the Time Out Love Shanghai Awards 2016. Want to spread the love? Click 'Read more' at the bottom of this page to vote for your city favourites – shortlisted or not!
The shortlist
Alan Wong's Shanghai
A new addition to Portman-Ritz Carlton’s dining options, this intimate dining room specialises in modern-Hawaiian cuisine – think plenty of fresh seafood, US meats and variations on pokes (pronounced poh-keh – a popular Hawaiian appetiser of raw fish salad). Yes, it’s expensive (even considering the use of imported, high-end ingredients and a number of complimentary elements added throughout, including an epic bread basket) but you won’t find many other meals like this in Shanghai.
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Joël Robuchon is more or less a culinary god. With Michelin-starred restaurants spanning the globe and awards including Chef of the Year in 1987 and Chef of the Century in 1990 under his belt, his first foray into Mainland China was hotly anticipated, only heightened by the fact that the renovations were a long time in the making. The brand L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is a pretty well-oiled machine, and as such, the menu design is tried, if not perhaps a little tired, and very well tested. It’s expensive yes, but the food is very good, the views spectacular and the service excellent.
Pelikan
Raw Eatery and Wood Grill
Raw boasts a Josper oven – good for grilling meat at high temperatures and for enhancing natural flavours with charcoal – and as such, steaks play an important role on the menu. Although the selection is small (only Chilean free-range Wagyu and Argentinian Aberdeen Angus are on offer), the focus is on quality over quantity – perfect for meat fanatics.
Sabor
Settling into Sabor feels like you’ve arrived for a long weekend at your cool, eccentric, (and very wealthy) young Spanish uncle’s holiday home. Casual but opulent, the space is cavernous. In a city where you can easily drop a few hundred RMB a person on a nothing-special meal, Sabor’s pricing feels like a bargain. There’s no menu, no indication of what you might be served, only price points. Pick from 300RMB, 400RMB, 500RMB per person for eight, nine and eleven courses, respectively. Playful, fun and experimental in a way that’s not yet the norm in Shanghai, Sabor is a whiff of fresh air you’ll want to take a long breath of.
Thought For Food
The menu here is separated by size – small, main, large and sides – and all dishes include a wonderful array of fresh and organic ingredients. With exceptional service and a zen atmosphere, Thought for Food is a solid go-to restaurant if you’re after carefully sourced natural and organic ingredients prepared in a healthy way.
Want to have your say? Click 'read more' below to vote now!
More from Time Out Shanghai
Vote now in the Time Out Love Shanghai Awards 2016
6 Singles' Day sales you can get without Taobao