Here are all the new restaurant and bar openings we featured in our April 2017 issue:
New Restaurants
New Orleans Kitchen
Visiting during Mardi Gras, we are handed bead necklaces and encouraged to start the night with a RMB45 hurricane cocktail, an icy mixture that masks four ounces of rum with passion fruit juice and grenadine. The menu winds its way through New Orleans and Southern cuisine without major surprises, but the RMB75 shrimp gumbo is a must try. It's a masterclass of buttery richness, with plump shrimp, Andouille sausage and okra plated around a serving of rice; each savory bite is followed by a Cajun-seasonings kick.
Price: RMB150
Who’s going: homesick Americans, jazz aficionados
Good for: New Orleans-style gluttony, heavy pours
Read our full review here. See listing for New Orleans Kitchen.
Sambal
The name’s the same, and so is the region represented, but Sambal’s Coco Park rebirth nevertheless marks the beginning of a new restaurant. Overall, it impresses with solid signature dishes and smooth service. The seafood tom yum soup (RMB58) wows with its first sour-spicy spoonful. The seafood laksa (RMB52) shines with perfectly cooked noodles served in a smooth, coconut-y soup and the Thai-style beef brisket curry (RMB78), loaded with spices, also leaves an impression.
Price: RMB60-100
Who’s going: world travelers, Southeast Asians
Good for: authentic eats, classy dates
Read our full review here. See listing for Sambal.
Taps Coco Park
Shenzhen craft beer stalwart Taps has made the leap from stylish suds stop to full-on gastropub with its new Coco Park incarnation. There's a wide selection of fusion-y snacks here. The Sichuan-inspired Taps fried chicken (RMB88) is a crowd pleaser, with boneless chunks of meat that send a spicy tingle humming through the taste buds. Also worth mentioning are the curried falafel tacos (RMB48), one of the few vegetarian offerings. They’re slathered with tangy sauce and served up on miniature green tortillas.
Price: RMB100-150
Who’s going: craft beer enthusiasts, tap-happy drinkers
Good for: high-quality brews, midnight munchies
Read our full review here. See listing for Taps Coco Park.
New Bars
Mouse Bar
Mouse Bar is a humble, high-ceilinged (mostly) bottle bar that has a DIY feel. Hanging from the walls are a guitar, ukulele and banjo, which customers are welcome to play, though the nearby sword is best left for show. In the fridge, we find New Zealand Hopwire IPA, a drink that shoots your mouth with enough hoppy flavor to satisfy any IPA fan. For those who prefer a pour, the floral Tank 7 farmhouse ale (RMB30/270ml) is on tap and though not ‘rare’ per se, was relatively hard to find in the city until recently.
Price: RMB50
Who’s going: locals, bohemian Europeans
Good for: board games, trap, ‘stooping’
Read our full review now. See listing for Mouse Bar.
The Tap Room
Sheltered beneath a gleaming awning sits The Tap Room, a bar that checks the boxes for quality beer, good food and friendly service, but falls prey to a pitfall that could be fixed with a few swats at a keyboard. During our visit, most of the 28 taps were in use, offering up selections like the RMB60 Ballast Point California Kölsch, a slightly fruity and totally accessible brew. Now for the bad: the music. A Spotify account and a leftward nudge on the volume knob would no doubt earn the appreciation of most customers.
Price: RMB100
Who’s going: dice rattlers, suited men
Good for: sausage snacks, craft beer
Read our full review here. See listing for The Tap Room.
Read more Shenzhen restaurant reviews and bar reviews.
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