Here are all the new restaurant and bar openings we featured in our April 2019 magazine issue.

Restaurants

PS Cafe

Image by Cristina Ng/That's 

Ask any of your Singaporean friends, and they will tell you that they really like PS Cafe. The brand started out way back in 1999 as a café within a fashion boutique called Projectshop, and has grown into a chain with eight locations throughout the city-state. 

Their new Xintiandi Plaza branch is the group's first overseas venture. They've brought their famous shoestring truffle fries, cafe standards, Asian street food and decadent desserts along for the ride.

Total Verdict: 3/5

Price: RMB150-300 per person
Who’s going: everyone, literally everyone
Good for: casual lunches, dinner dates

Read the full review here. See listing for PS Cafe.

Jin Hua

Image by Cristina Ng/That's 

The previous occupant of this space, Café Daliah, combined classic Austrian fare with the artistic streak of the eponymous proprietor. In addition to pretty decent schnitzels, the restaurant was well known for an indoor slide and hosting art exhibitions, LGBTQ+ events, fashion shows and animal adoption days. Occupying a special place in the community, it was understandable that we received some panicked messages when construction of Jin Hua was underway.

Daliah’s fans will be relieved to know that she’s sticking around and is partnering with some friends, including Niu Yan (of Slurp! and Pilipala), to transform her café into a Yunnan concept.

Total Verdict: 3.5/5

Price: RMB100-200 per person
Who’s going: artsy locals and 
Good for: casual dinners and cocktails

Read the full review here. See listing for Jin Hua. 

Open Kitchen

Image by Cristina Ng/That's 

Healthy eating concept Hunter Gatherer has come a long way since opening their first (now shuttered) location on Anfu Lu in 2014. In addition to the DIY canteen-style bowls, they’ve now added more composed options like ‘Back to Cali’ and ‘Smokehouse BBQ’ that continue to balance protein, carbs and veggies in a delicious manner. 

Continuing in this vein, Open Kitchen presents a collection of small bites and mains befitting a much fancier restaurant like Thought for Food, where Hunter Gatherer’s executive chef Alexander Bitterling previously worked. 

Total Verdict: 4/5

Price: RMB100-200 per person
Who’s going: wellness junkies, lifestyle bloggers, families
Good for: lunch, casual dinners, meetings

Read the full review here. See listing for Open Kitchen. 

Bars

Suzu Bar

Image by Cristina Ng/That's 

Hidden away from the dive bars lining Changshu Lu is Suzu Bar, an intimate space that feels worlds away from the glare of the outside world. Ginza native Toshiya Suzuki, who worked as bar manager for famed bartender Takao Mori, is behind the menu of strong drinks. 

Consisting of a short bar and limited lounge area, this laidback den of quality cocktails makes us selfishly consider keeping it to ourselves, but judging from the full house of sophisticated locals enjoying touches like warm towels and welcome cups of hot dashi-based soup, the cat’s already out of the bag. 

Read a full review here. See listing for Suzu Bar.

Leave Your Review

Have you been to any of these venues? Post your reviews on their listings for a chance to win a Saucepan voucher.

Read more Shanghai Restaurant Reviews & Shanghai Bar Reviews

[Cover image courtesy Jin Hua]