New Shanghai Bars and Restaurants: May 2018

By That's Shanghai, May 4, 2018

Here are all the new restaurant and bar openings we featured in our May 2018 magazine issue.

Restaurants

Ekeko

It seems like it was just yesterday when the news broke that elEfante was closing. Fulu Group reimagined the space rapidly into Peruvian eatery helmed by former elEfante chef, Carlos Sotomayor.

Named after the Peruvian god of fortune, Ekeko presents a highly conceptualized dining experience that is fun and fresh yet rooted in centuries of tradition. For RMB488, you sample eight courses. The inaugural menu focuses heavily on Peruvian and Nikkei influenced dishes. Each course has an accompanying card which expands upon the dish. Through personal and cultural details, a story of Sotomayor’s Peru emerges.

Total Verdict: 4/5

Price: RMB500-700 per person
Who’s going: mixed crowd, couples, groups
Good for: dates, Pisco sours, special occasions

Read the full review here. See a listing for Ekeko.

Bird

Bird is the natural culmination of Camden Hauge’s experience hosting events such as Shanghai Supperclub and FEAST Food Festival and running her popular café, Egg. The reason these concepts work so well is her uncanny ability to assemble a team of passionate experts.

This holds true at Bird where former surgeon, Chef Chris Zhu, is sending small bites out of the open kitchen with absolute precision. The menu at Bird is a short list of snacks, small plates and sharing-style mains on biweekly rotation, plus daily specials on the chalkboard. While there is the danger that beloved dishes will disappear, this format keeps things fresh.

Total Verdict: 4/5

Price: RMB300-500 per person
Who’s going: mixed crowd, diners in the know
Good for: low-key wine and nibbles

Read the full review here. See a listing for Bird.

Lobby

There’s no shortage of Japanese restaurants in Shanghai from uber-expensive omakase to simple ramen and everything in between. Veering from the expected, Hiro-san, erstwhile proprietor of Have a Good Time, has moved on from what has been called the best Japanese curry joint in Shanghai to a hip, Bund-adjacent Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant called Lobby.

Many dishes on the menu are straightforward. For example, a cold cut platter with prosciutto, mortadella and pate with bread (RMB98/small, RMB188/large) shows zero Japanese influence. The same applies to the saltimbocca (RMB88), porchetta (RMB168) and gnocchi with walnuts and blue cheese (RMB98), which are shockingly better than some at ‘real’ Italian places around town.

Total Verdict: 3/5

Price: RMB100-200 per person
Who’s going: Japanese expats, nearby office workers, pre-gaming
Good for: casual dining, groups, highballs

Read the full review here. See a listing for Lobby.

Wu Mian

It might not seem like the intersection of Shaanxi Nan Lu and Jianguo Lu, needs another noodle joint, but the owners of Wu Mian beg to differ. In contrast to the Shanghainese and Lanzhou-style options available nearby, the focus here is on Taiwan’s greatest hits, namely beef noodle soup and luroufan.

While both the cook and the owner are Shanghainese, the laoban hints at a business partner from Taiwan as the impetus behind opening this type of restaurant.

Total Verdict: 3/5

Price: RMB30-50 per person
Who’s going: people who live/work nearby
Good for: solo meals, quick lunches, luroufan

Read the full review here. See a listing for Wu Mian

Bars

Atelier by Taste Buds

When scouring the city for the new cocktail hotness, it doesn’t get more convenient than Daniel An’s newly opened Atelier by Taste Buds. Smack dab in the city center, Atelier takes up a massive chunk of real estate in the complex that houses More Than Eat, Lost Bakery, Lost Heaven Silk Road and The Beach House.

The regular drinks are a collection of “vintage and classic forgotten” libations ranging from RMB75-100. This includes standards such as the Old Fashioned alongside the spicy and well-balanced Mulata (RMB85), a blend of black pepper and chili infused rum accented by dark chocolate, lemon and bitters. Simple bar food is available like a steak sandwich with foie gras (RMB88) and messy poutine with bolognese (RMB48) that were both fine. We reckon we should have gone for something more Asian like the pan-fried pigs ear or tom yum goong chicken.

Read the full review here. See a listing for Atelier by Taste Buds.