Chef Michael Wendling, the man responsible for fancy French spot Cuivre, gourmet burger joint CU2+ and Southeast Asian eatery T for Thai, has finally run out of space next to Hooters on Huaihai Lu and plumped for a prime spot in Plaza 66 for his new concept Saveur. Opening soon on the third floor, the new space is tipped as a healthy foods-focused cafe serving salads and sandwiches for the office crowd.
Also expanding are the folks from classy retro jazz lounge Heyday. A new venue from Brian McKay and team, entitled Shake, will be soft open from this weekend upstairs from BaoHouse on the corner of Jinxian and Maoming Lus. It's another live music and drinks spot with a similarly sleek decor, but this time with a vintage supper club theme - keep an eye on our blog for a full First look next week.
Over on The Bund, the powerhouse behind Mr & Mrs Bund, Bar Rouge, UV, The Cut and Tales From a Chinese Cookbook have a new opening in the works. They're cooking up a new spot - tentatively named Bo - that we hear may be looking to take the fancy Bund-side Cantonese fight to Hakkasan.
Sproutworks are now open in the newly revamped building opposite Zhang Yuan/Zhong Plaza in Jingan (aka 'that courtyard where Tomatito and Tap House are') that also houses the latest piece of the naked Hub empire. Joining them shortly will be a new branch of popular poke spot Little Catch (that's their 'Dynamite Ahi Poke' above), plus another outlet for JR Recipe.
Someone has finally taken over the former Shiva spot on Yongfu Lu. The new tenant is Sense Cocktail Club, offering classics and their own concoctions in a sleek, exposed brickwork interior slightly interrupted by a couple of big TV screens. Expect most cocktails to set you back 88RMB.
And finally, keep an eye out for Holy Smoke opening soon on Xiaomuqiao Lu in southern Xuhui. That'll be the people behind top notch Shanghai hot pot spot Holy Cow bringing the same quality to Mongolian-style barbecued lamb on the first floor underneath their original branch. We can't wait.
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