Some very sad news reaching us. Sydney native Henry Thirlwall, who moved to Shanghai in 2005 and was a familiar and fond face on the city's F&B scene, passed away in Myanmar earlier this week. Thirlwall's friends are throwing a memorial party for him later this month. Here, two of those friends, Sara Villalobos and Zoe Clarke, remember him:
Our dear friend Henry Thirlwall passed away on August 31, aged 38. He came to China in 2005 and was involved in various business adventures from his beloved gourmet pink salt, to Jamberoo Shampoo, Grub and Groove Bar, G&G Storage and more.
Through the years Henry became one of Shanghai’s Greats.
In the words of the man himself, "I’m like the great Mahatma Gandhi, who marched from the city to the seashore cuz he was fighting for the people’s right to have salt, even at RMB900 a kilo."
After shoving his pink salt successfully in many restaurants around Shanghai, Henry opened the Grub and Groove, also known as G&G. The former French Concession’s Cheers, it was a place where everybody knew your name.
People went to Grub for Henry. A conversation made basically of attention and smiles. Henry’s mood was damned contagious, the best drug you could take after a long day of work. Always ready to party and have a good time, he was the first to “Get straight under the Table and on top of the weeeerld."
This Bogan had the biggest heart, truly bottomless. He was a true friend who would always be there for you. He touched so many people, including Hardeep. We will miss his rambling stories, that somehow go nowhere and leave you enthralled where you end up.
What a man this Henry was, so much fun. What will we do without him?
With love,
Your Grubby Family
We will be saying goodbye to Henry on Saturday September 24 from 5pm at F!X (formerly know as Grub and Groove). See listing for F!X here.
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