SHANGHAI Sizzling Shanghai 64 In the past decade, China’s trendsetting metropolis has become a gastronomic powerhouse. Sarah O’Meara explores the city’s innovative dining scene

ugh Grant and John decades. Rewind 20 years and the city was Cusack were here last dominated by a small selection of conservative, weekend,” says our host state-run restaurants. Now there are more brightly, as my husband than 90,000 dining venues, according to and I walk along the restaurant review website Dianping. And “Hcorridor to the Mandarin Oriental’s Yong Yi while that number might include every little Ting restaurant. dumpling stand, it also represents a significant Above our heads, lampshades inspired by influx of high-end restaurants. Chinese wine jars light our way towards a With its booming economy and robust modern dining room that feels fresh, yet investment scene, the city is the perfect traditional, with translucent embroidered launchpad for budding restaurateurs, both screens separating the tables, chilled music from China and the west. Shanghai restaurants and an avant-garde waterfall feature. The currently take five spots in the prestigious top glitzy five-star hotel in Shanghai’s Pudong 50 best restaurants in Asia list. district has barely been open a year, but it’s “The western food scene is pretty cutting-edge,” already made its mark – and not just when it says Shanghai-based food writer Crystyl Mo. comes to welcoming A-list movie stars. “Everyone wants to be here because you can Yong Yi Ting has been acclaimed by critics get financing, find collaborators and open as offering the most innovative examples of contemporary Chinese cuisine in the city. Developed by one of the country’s brightest gastronomic talents, chef Tony Lu (currently number 26 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list for his Shanghai restaurant Fu1015) is cited by experts as China’s touchstone for modern dining. The menu is a sublime culinary combination of ancient and modern practises that, he says, is fundamental to his approach. “We create new flavours to suit contemporary clients. And the new creations may be tastier than those in their memories,” Lu explains. Light show ULTRAVIOLET USES UV The Shanghai dining scene has achieved a LIGHTS TO HIGHLIGHT

Photo: Scott Wright of Limelight THE COLOUR OF FOOD remarkable transformation in the past two Photo: Scott Wright of Limelight SHANGHAI Sizzling Shanghai 64 In the past decade, China’s trendsetting metropolis has become a gastronomic powerhouse. Sarah O’Meara explores the city’s innovative dining scene

ugh Grant and John decades. Rewind 20 years and the city was Cusack were here last dominated by a small selection of conservative, weekend,” says our host state-run restaurants. Now there are more brightly, as my husband than 90,000 dining venues, according to and I walk along the restaurant review website Dianping. And “Hcorridor to the Mandarin Oriental’s Yong Yi while that number might include every little Ting restaurant. dumpling stand, it also represents a significant Above our heads, lampshades inspired by influx of high-end restaurants. Chinese wine jars light our way towards a With its booming economy and robust modern dining room that feels fresh, yet investment scene, the city is the perfect traditional, with translucent embroidered launchpad for budding restaurateurs, both screens separating the tables, chilled music from China and the west. Shanghai restaurants and an avant-garde waterfall feature. The currently take five spots in the prestigious top glitzy five-star hotel in Shanghai’s Pudong 50 best restaurants in Asia list. district has barely been open a year, but it’s “The western food scene is pretty cutting-edge,” already made its mark – and not just when it says Shanghai-based food writer Crystyl Mo. comes to welcoming A-list movie stars. “Everyone wants to be here because you can Yong Yi Ting has been acclaimed by critics get financing, find collaborators and open as offering the most innovative examples of contemporary Chinese cuisine in the city. Developed by one of the country’s brightest gastronomic talents, chef Tony Lu (currently number 26 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list for his Shanghai restaurant Fu1015) is cited by experts as China’s touchstone for modern dining. The menu is a sublime culinary combination of ancient and modern practises that, he says, is fundamental to his approach. “We create new flavours to suit contemporary clients. And the new creations may be tastier than those in their memories,” Lu explains. Light show ULTRAVIOLET USES UV The Shanghai dining scene has achieved a LIGHTS TO HIGHLIGHT

Photo: Scott Wright of Limelight THE COLOUR OF FOOD remarkable transformation in the past two Photo: Scott Wright of Limelight “ S HANGHAI IS projects. You can bring a trend to Shanghai in “He served the dish in a martini glass. The rice OPEN- MINDED AND the span of an airplane ride.” wine was made into granita. You’ll still see this Whether you’re after molecular gastronomy dish copied around town,” tells Fischer. READY TO EMBRACE served in a hidden location, French cuisine that Ten years since the Hong Kong chef took UNUSUAL PROJECTS” rivals the brasseries of Paris, Ethiopian food Shanghai by storm, there’s been a taste revolution served from a pop-up kitchen or an organic, that culminated in the opening of Ultraviolet, locally sourced Chinese meal in a laid-back cafe, ranked number eight in Asia’s 50 Best you can find it in Shanghai. Restaurants – and 58th in the world – this year. According to Lu, customers’ tastes have moved Conceived by French chef Paul Pairet more beyond the traditional and towards a more than 15 years ago, the still new-age restaurant modern appreciation of the dining experience. offers a fully immersive dining experience by “Chinese gourmands have a comprehensive implementing multi-sensorial technologies. appreciation criteria for high-quality dining, “Ultraviolet could have happened anywhere; Art and food which is related to sensual pleasures and I tried to launch the concept a few times in FOOD AND VENUE ALIKE ARE CREATED arousing your imagination. Australia, Miami and in Paris,” says Pairet. BY OWNERS WITH “Achieving the ultimate food itself may just “The reason it happened in Shanghai was the AESTHETIC IN MIND

SHANGHAI take up 30 per cent. The rest of the components positiveness of the economy. Shanghai is open- are service, art and ambiance.” minded and ready to embrace unusual projects.” Dishes at Yong Yi Ting include turnip The 3,000RMB per head restaurant was an 66 marinated with soy chilli sauce that melts on the overnight success and is regularly described by tongue like a glace cherry, a tuna tartar starter critics as “the best dining experience ever”. that tantalisingly combines fresh mango and Each evening, a table of 10 diners are treated plum powder, and desserts that cleverly deliver to a 20-course avant-garde set menu that Asian flavours with a modern, western flourish. engages their visual, auditory and olfactory Shanghai first found its high-end senses. “In a historical sense, we are going back Photo: Scott Wright of Limelight contemporary food voice with the opening of to the restaurant before the restaurant. To the Whampoa Club at Three On The Bund in 2004. 17th century, before any a la carte restaurant Managing Editor of SmartShanghai Justin opened. The DNA of Ultraviolet is to control the Fischer remembers how pioneer chef Jereme times that people eat, as well as the offering. Plate it up ULTRAVIOLET’S GUMMIES Leung turned traditional dishes such as drunken The principle that people can order different HIBERNATUS COLA chicken (marinated chicken in yellow rice wine, items from a menu to be served in a short time ROCKS (ABOVE); LIGHT steamed and served cold) on their heads. is not necessarily the best way to deliver a great & SALT CHEF TONY LU (LEFT); YONG YI TING KITCHEN (FAR LEFT)

Master at work LIGHT & SALT EXECUTIVE CHEF RAFAEL QING (RIGHT) AND ONE OF HIS DISHES (FAR RIGHT) “ S HANGHAI IS projects. You can bring a trend to Shanghai in “He served the dish in a martini glass. The rice OPEN- MINDED AND the span of an airplane ride.” wine was made into granita. You’ll still see this Whether you’re after molecular gastronomy dish copied around town,” tells Fischer. READY TO EMBRACE served in a hidden location, French cuisine that Ten years since the Hong Kong chef took UNUSUAL PROJECTS” rivals the brasseries of Paris, Ethiopian food Shanghai by storm, there’s been a taste revolution served from a pop-up kitchen or an organic, that culminated in the opening of Ultraviolet, locally sourced Chinese meal in a laid-back cafe, ranked number eight in Asia’s 50 Best you can find it in Shanghai. Restaurants – and 58th in the world – this year. According to Lu, customers’ tastes have moved Conceived by French chef Paul Pairet more beyond the traditional and towards a more than 15 years ago, the still new-age restaurant modern appreciation of the dining experience. offers a fully immersive dining experience by “Chinese gourmands have a comprehensive implementing multi-sensorial technologies. appreciation criteria for high-quality dining, “Ultraviolet could have happened anywhere; Art and food which is related to sensual pleasures and I tried to launch the concept a few times in FOOD AND VENUE ALIKE ARE CREATED arousing your imagination. Australia, Miami and in Paris,” says Pairet. BY OWNERS WITH “Achieving the ultimate food itself may just “The reason it happened in Shanghai was the AESTHETIC IN MIND

SHANGHAI take up 30 per cent. The rest of the components positiveness of the economy. Shanghai is open- are service, art and ambiance.” minded and ready to embrace unusual projects.” Dishes at Yong Yi Ting include turnip The 3,000RMB per head restaurant was an 66 marinated with soy chilli sauce that melts on the overnight success and is regularly described by tongue like a glace cherry, a tuna tartar starter critics as “the best dining experience ever”. that tantalisingly combines fresh mango and Each evening, a table of 10 diners are treated plum powder, and desserts that cleverly deliver to a 20-course avant-garde set menu that Asian flavours with a modern, western flourish. engages their visual, auditory and olfactory Shanghai first found its high-end senses. “In a historical sense, we are going back Photo: Scott Wright of Limelight contemporary food voice with the opening of to the restaurant before the restaurant. To the Whampoa Club at Three On The Bund in 2004. 17th century, before any a la carte restaurant Managing Editor of SmartShanghai Justin opened. The DNA of Ultraviolet is to control the Fischer remembers how pioneer chef Jereme times that people eat, as well as the offering. Plate it up ULTRAVIOLET’S GUMMIES Leung turned traditional dishes such as drunken The principle that people can order different HIBERNATUS COLA chicken (marinated chicken in yellow rice wine, items from a menu to be served in a short time ROCKS (ABOVE); LIGHT steamed and served cold) on their heads. is not necessarily the best way to deliver a great & SALT CHEF TONY LU (LEFT); YONG YI TING KITCHEN (FAR LEFT)

Master at work LIGHT & SALT EXECUTIVE CHEF RAFAEL QING (RIGHT) AND ONE OF HIS DISHES (FAR RIGHT) “EATING SPACES REFLECT THE CITY’ S FASHION- CONSCIOUS REPUTATION” SHANGHAI

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“THE CITY IS ALSO represented by a handful of high-end western restaurants in five-star hotels and a few BURSTING WITH American fast-food chains, nowadays you GLOBAL FOOD can eat everything from Peruvian and Mexican to Turkish cuisine. FLAVOURS” “It’s just this wild mix that represents the parallel migration of international dining experience,” explains Pairet. entrepreneurs from all over, bringing their But it’s not just the food in Shanghai cuisines and ideas with them,” explains Mo. that’s undergone a revolution. Eating spaces Korean restaurant Chi-Q is the most recent reflect the city’s fashion-conscious reputation. addition to the modern fusion dining scene. Restaurant owners even go to the extent of Developed by husband-and-wife chef team hiring sophisticated design firms to create Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Marja, in chic dining environments. collaboration with Three On The Bund, the “People in Shanghai really care about how menu comprises of dishes that marry Marja’s things look,” says Mo. “Everything is industrial traditional Korean recipes with Jean-Georges’ New generation FRANCK CHEF YANN chic, or sophisticated living-room style – with modern spin on Asian flavours. MEINSEL (TOP) AND beautiful lighting, of course.” As Pascal Ballot, director of marketing ULTRAVIOLET CREATOR New restaurant, bookshop and speakeasy at Three On The Bund, explains: “Our PAUL PAIRET (BOTTOM) bar Light & Salt is situated in a historic 1920s restaurant is about revealing a food culture building on the Bund and reflects the city’s that’s simultaneously rooted in tradition and love affair with interior design. Executive chef devoted to innovation, in order to satisfy the Rafael Qing, who trained under American tastes of an international clientele.” chef Brad Turley in Shanghai, designed a Similar to customers in a lot of other 1930s-inspired menu, which includes roasted countries these days, diners in China are also miso cod with purple potatoes and pomegranate. increasingly concerned about where their food “Shanghai is good place to experiment. comes from, says chef Tony Lu. It’s modern and open and has grown up so “In recent years, people have become more quickly,” he says. “Chinese people are focused health-conscious, and the dining habits of Creative spaces on the whole experience of the dining, so local Shanghainese people have changed (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) CHI-Q’S they pay attention to decoration and the new tremendously. People focus more on local CREATIVE TAKE ON THE SEAFOOD concepts of this kind of restaurant.” agricultural products and consider seasonality BASKET AND ITS DINING ROOM; 28 HUBIN ROAD’S MODERN VERSION The city is also bursting with global food to be of utmost importance.” OF BEGGAR’S CHICKEN; LIGHT &

flavours. While international cuisine used to be Across the city, growing numbers of Photo: Scott Wright of Limelight SALT’S MEI LIN’S ROOM “EATING SPACES REFLECT THE CITY’ S FASHION- CONSCIOUS REPUTATION” SHANGHAI

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“THE CITY IS ALSO represented by a handful of high-end western restaurants in five-star hotels and a few BURSTING WITH American fast-food chains, nowadays you GLOBAL FOOD can eat everything from Peruvian and Mexican to Turkish cuisine. FLAVOURS” “It’s just this wild mix that represents the parallel migration of international dining experience,” explains Pairet. entrepreneurs from all over, bringing their But it’s not just the food in Shanghai cuisines and ideas with them,” explains Mo. that’s undergone a revolution. Eating spaces Korean restaurant Chi-Q is the most recent reflect the city’s fashion-conscious reputation. addition to the modern fusion dining scene. Restaurant owners even go to the extent of Developed by husband-and-wife chef team hiring sophisticated design firms to create Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Marja, in chic dining environments. collaboration with Three On The Bund, the “People in Shanghai really care about how menu comprises of dishes that marry Marja’s things look,” says Mo. “Everything is industrial traditional Korean recipes with Jean-Georges’ New generation FRANCK CHEF YANN chic, or sophisticated living-room style – with modern spin on Asian flavours. MEINSEL (TOP) AND beautiful lighting, of course.” As Pascal Ballot, director of marketing ULTRAVIOLET CREATOR New restaurant, bookshop and speakeasy at Three On The Bund, explains: “Our PAUL PAIRET (BOTTOM) bar Light & Salt is situated in a historic 1920s restaurant is about revealing a food culture building on the Bund and reflects the city’s that’s simultaneously rooted in tradition and love affair with interior design. Executive chef devoted to innovation, in order to satisfy the Rafael Qing, who trained under American tastes of an international clientele.” chef Brad Turley in Shanghai, designed a Similar to customers in a lot of other 1930s-inspired menu, which includes roasted countries these days, diners in China are also miso cod with purple potatoes and pomegranate. increasingly concerned about where their food “Shanghai is good place to experiment. comes from, says chef Tony Lu. It’s modern and open and has grown up so “In recent years, people have become more quickly,” he says. “Chinese people are focused health-conscious, and the dining habits of Creative spaces on the whole experience of the dining, so local Shanghainese people have changed (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) CHI-Q’S they pay attention to decoration and the new tremendously. People focus more on local CREATIVE TAKE ON THE SEAFOOD concepts of this kind of restaurant.” agricultural products and consider seasonality BASKET AND ITS DINING ROOM; 28 HUBIN ROAD’S MODERN VERSION The city is also bursting with global food to be of utmost importance.” OF BEGGAR’S CHICKEN; LIGHT &

flavours. While international cuisine used to be Across the city, growing numbers of Photo: Scott Wright of Limelight SALT’S MEI LIN’S ROOM chefs, business owners and restaurateurs are have worked all the way up and are now on focusing on homemade, artisanal products top of their game. I hope they will either open and locally sourced ingredients. something with me, where they can take more Shanghai chef Austin Hu has staked his responsibility, or find something just for them.” reputations on using locally sourced ingredients Pairet also believes Chinese chefs have more Sweet and savoury at his American-style restaurant Madison. of a chance to compete for top place when 28 HUBIN ROAD’S DESSERTS ARE JUST AS Meanwhile, companies such as Sololatte – who preparing their own cuisine. GOOD AS THE MAINS supply restaurants with fresh mozzarella – are “The things that can work are the things going from strength to strength. that are genuine. Take Franck Bistro [number So with all this gastronomic activity, the 48 on Asia’s top 50 list]. It is doing a very good question on everyone’s lips remains: When will job because it is doing food that would be very Shanghai have its own world-beating chef who good if it was in Paris. focuses solely on contemporary Chinese cuisine? “I see more and more that people are paying According to Pairet, it’s just a matter of time. attention to the detail. Shanghai’s still leading “I have a very strong core of people who have the face of cuisine in China… according to me,”

SHANGHAI been with me since I arrived in 2005, who he says, with a smile. X 70 企业领袖青睐 聘请 毕业生 根据全球大学就业排名, 2011– 2013

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Shanghai’s most innovative restaurants

Ultraviolet Yong Yi Ting Chi-Q Light & Salt Yu’s Family Ultraviolet is the first Tony Lu embraces Korean chef Marja takes This restaurant takes Kitchen restaurant to unite food innovative techniques age-old flavours and customers back to the Chef Yu Bo’s 40-course with multi-sensorial while keeping the culinary packs them with a modern roaring 20s with authentic tasting menu and edible styles of the city and technologies, in order to punch. Expect East food, decor and ambience, calligraphy brushes are neighbouring provinces, create an immersive dining meets West fusion dishes. all served with a hipster twist just some of reasons to Mandarin Oriental Hotel, experience. c/o Bund 18, Floor 6, 133 Yuanmingyuan visit this groundbreaking 111 Pudong Nan Lu near Three On The Bund, 2/F, Chinese restaurant. 43 6/F, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Yincheng Lu Pudong 17 Guangdong Lu, near Lu Near Beijing Lu Lu, Shanghai 20000 mandarinoriental.com/ Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu Huangpu district Zhao Xiang Zi, Xia Tong uvbypp.cc shanghai threeonthebund.com light-n-salt.com Ren Lu, Chengdu CRICOS provider: Monash University 00008C CRICOS provider: 14P-0580

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