The Place
Chef Gabo (previously of Anarkia Craft Kitchen, Joye&Sam) just opened his dream venue – 8 by Anarkia – a punky new concept where traditions are both respected and broken by the man who is equal parts passion and pace.
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Taking over the Monkey space just above Diner on Wulumuqi Lu, this intimate 16-seater venue showcases a mad scientist’s level of unbridled creativity, with absolutely no boundaries – it's just you and the chef, inside his kitchen, with eight of everything.
All of the norms of fine dining are blatantly ignored, replaced by an approachable casualness, where good conversation and freedom to move about trump all. Yet, the food quality and originality is top of the line, matching any upscale dining experience.
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The menu features an eight-course dinner for RMB588 per person, with eight drink pairings based on the utmost seasonality and, really, just the whims of Gabo himself (they can change on the daily).
Expect ingenious fusion, eccentric uses of Chinese flavors and a consistent party.
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So how does it all work?
The space is basically a friend’s living room – a friend who just so happens to be one of Shanghai’s most ingenious chefs.
There are eight dining counter seats for watching the main event – Gabo himself, his supporting actors, and whatever wacky works of art he has a penchant for presenting that day.
These eight seats are by advanced reservation only – available in two nightly seatings: 6pm until 7.30pm and 7.45pm until “you’re hungover the next day,” jokes Gabo.
But seriously, time loses all meaning when you try to match his consumption pace.
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Drinks are extra, and the price wasn’t yet set at the time of our visit, so for now it’s serve-yourself wine, bubbles, and booze, with prices strung from tags around each bottle’s neck.
Expect cocktails to launch soon featuring the likes of Nepalese whiskey, Shanghai-based 白8 craft baijiu, and 18-year aged peated scotch.
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There are another eight non-reservable seats across four mini tables along the back wall that are for a la carte diners and post-dinner drinkers, meaning walk-ins can get a spot and chef’s table diners won’t be rushed out upon finishing dinner (just relocated).
And why eight?
The idea of eight both exemplifies wholeness and the dynamic and static state of all-natural phenomena – a fundamental Chinese philosophy of nature. Plus, it’s a lucky number that just so happens to be Gabo’s favorite.
“I thought up the idea for the restaurant over the course of a few fingers of whiskey – well, more like a whole handful of whiskey,” laughs Gabo. “I just really love the number eight, and it’s every chef’s dream to have the culinary freedom to cook what he likes, when he likes, for an intimate group of customers that are ready to be wowed.”
And wowed we were.
The Food
What we ate during our visit is not what you will eat. The menu is ephemeral; it’s more about the cohesion, the omakase aspect of it that connects each course to the next – and really just allowing Gabo to tinker with ingredients in unfettered, unexpected ways.
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“I’m really into fermentation lately, so there’s a lot of pickled, soured, and aged components going on this month,” explains Gabo.
And a lot turns out to an understatement; we had three kinds of kimchi, two kinds of pickles and numerous other fermented components throughout the night, essentially micro-dosing lactic acid.
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Case in point – a fried tofu skin sheathed by baijiu- and kimchi-cured prawn carpaccio, dusted with cumin, paprika and five varieties of chili spices, plus crunchy seaweed salad, and shaved homemade bottarga for a final punch of seafood to the face.
(No trending ingredients pushed by Shanghai suppliers to be found here.)
So will that same fabulously funked kimchi still make its way onto your plate when you visit? Who knows. Only Gabo is all-seeing, all-knowing in his self-created universe of a kitchen.
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Within his universe there’s an emulsion of roasted eggplant and soy, anchoring red kimchi- and gochujang-fermented broccoli to the plate.
The broccoli has been grilled over charcoal – because “charcoal makes everything sexy,” says Gabo, directly searing a piece of otoro tuna with a smoking briquette for the next course.
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Chef Gabo plays with ingredients, pushing boundaries on (mis)conceptions of what a particular dish can be and how specific ingredients can be interpreted.
Take that otoro he was just searing, for instance; it swims its way from the grill onto a pani puri shell, deluged with salmorejo (adjacent to a garlic-forward gazpacho), and topped with Iberico ham and pickled watermelon rind.
And all consumed in one monster bite like the Indian street food, but experienced as an orgy of Spanish flavors.
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There’s locally-sourced scallops marinated in a homemade choudoufu – or stinky tofu – paste, before being coated and fried in a baijiu and white kimchi tempura batter, anchored to the plate by rosemary, sugar and chili tossed apples and a laoganma chili crisp aioli…
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… and homemade ponzu-fermented burrata, saddled astride grilled kale, dehydrated tomato skin crisps, cured Wagyu “ham” shaved in paper thin slices like Jamón Ibérico, and a fiery tomato chutney that we would eat by the bowlful.
Unlike other set menu dinners, the eight courses can be run through in an hour flat, challenging the conception that fine dining must be a drawn out two-to-three-hour ordeal.
No, not here.
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Served sharing style so guests can interact with those they know (and those they don’t), the food continually arrives, glasses are repeatedly topped up.
The experience is just full on, then full off – like a whirlwind.
The a la carte menu is set to launch soon, and – no surprise here – it will consist of eight options.
Four will be premium splurges – think sea urchin, bottarga and other buzz-worthy words – and four will be snacks – including a takoyaki-croqueta hybrid topped with a whole baby octopus that you eat in one bite.
Obviously. How else?
Like the set menu, it will constantly rotate, conducive to regular repeat visits.
The Vibe
8 is meant to be playful, in your face.
“The concept is that there is no concept,” laughs Gabo, between sips of baijiu. “It’s food. Eat it. Enjoy it. If you like it, good. If not, well come back and try it again. Or don’t. I don’t care.”
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It’s Gabo’s personal test lab: If you’re into white tablecloths, prearranged ordering, and meticulous plating, probably give 8 a pass; if you’re into experiential dining that flushes the rulebook down the toilet, then it’s for you.
And, love it or hate, it’s guaranteed to be memorable.
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Book in advance by calling 137 6480 2978.
Price: RMB588/person for the set menu + extra for drinks
Who’s Going: Chef Gabo loyalists; well to do Chinese and expats; the curious foodie contingency
Good For: Adventurous food dates, meeting other like-minded foodies, experiencing a chef’s table in its rawest form
8 by Anarkia, 2/F, 145 Wuyuan Lu, by Wulumuqi Zhong Lu, 五原路145号2楼, 近乌鲁木齐中路.
Read more Shanghai Restaurant Reviews.
[Cover image by Sophie Steiner/That's]
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