N 4 S E P T 2 015
THE SHANGHAI ISSUE 60 INSIDER SPOTS FEATURING
LEAF GREENER CHAIR YUAN LI SISI AUSTIN HU KELLEY LEE GARY WONG
A S P O T T LY W O R D Spottly is a social travel app – a community passionate about finding, collecting and sharing the best places in the world. Spottly helps you store both old favorites and fresh discoveries in one place. It’s been a year since we launched our debut issue of Spottly Insider in Hong Kong and looking back, what a journey that’s been.
For the fourth issue of the Spottly Insider Magazine, we embark on a trip back to the motherland
and visit Shanghai, a city full of contrasts. From the futuristic skyscrapers of the Pudong skyline to
the quiet, tree-lined streets of the Former French Concession, a walk, bike ride or drive through the city’s various neighborhoods reveals its chaos and complexity. Shanghai is defined just as much
by its endless miles of air-conditioned luxury malls as by its crumbling traditional lane houses and pajama clad elders roaming its streets. This vibrant juxtaposition of old and new, of excess and decay, makes Shanghai one of the few cities in the world we can call a favorite.
With all eyes on China, we identified six insiders to share with us their take on one of the fastest
growing cities in the world. We spoke about being Chinese in the global fashion scene over iced coffee with street style star and It girl Leaf Greener, hung out at eyewear designer Chair Yuan’s Shanghai studio, discussed the ins and outs of Shanghai’s hip hop subculture with Gary Wang,
dished about the dining scene with serial restaurateur Kelley Lee, kicked it with music and fashion
tastemaker Li SiSi and chatted about the future of Chinese food culture with star chef Austin Hu. Six local insiders with six different perspectives of Shanghai, alongside five special mini guides from a few of our favorite curators from the city.
We hope to give you a taste of what Spottly has to offer by showcasing hidden gems from
tastemakers whom we trust to curate the best of this vibrant, complex city. If you like what you
see here – and we have no doubt you will - download Spottly to start finding and collecting your favorite finds.
Becoming a tastemaker isn’t about having thousands of followers or having encyclopedic
knowledge of every city’s newest spots. We at Spottly understand that when it comes to travel,
each person has a different style – and as with the act of travel itself, the key is to simply leave the house and discover. We hope you’ll join our #SpottlyInsider community, and showcase your own personal curation of the best places to eat, shop, stay and play.
S P OT T LY F O U N D I N G T E A M FOREWORD BY CO - F O U N D E R A N D C H I E F M A R K E T E R O F S P OT T LY
CHARLOTTE CHEN
N 4 CO N T E N T S
THE SHANGHAI ISSUE
PRINTED IN SEPT 2015
Paper Partner – polytrade paper corporation limited Printed on fsc ™ certified typographia 150 gsm cover / fsc ™ certified natural fine paper 120 gsm text
FEATURING
04 — 09
LEAF GREENER
F O R M E R FA S H I O N E D I TO R O F E L L E C H I N A , STYLIST AND IT GIRL
10 — 15
CHAIR YUAN
F O U N D E R O F C H A I R D E S I G N S T U D I O, CHAIREYES, DARK RUNNERS, AND SATIE
16 — 21
Front Cover Converse All Stars in Shanghai Captured by Sam Q
GARY WANG
S P OT T LY A P P T E A M
C H I N A’ S F I R S T D M C W O R L D DJ C H A M P I O N , CO-FOUNDER OF THE SHELTER AND GRUMPY PIG
22 — 27
CHUCK’S SHANGHAI S P OT T LY I N S I D E R × CO N V E R S E THE ALL STAR GUIDE
28 — 33
KELLEY LEE
SERIAL RESTAURANTEUR ( C A N T I N A A G A V E , B O X I N G C A T B R E W E R Y, SPROUTWORKS AND LIQUID LAUNDRY)
34 — 39
LI SISI (NIKKI)
F O U N D E R O F C R E AT I V E C O L L E C T I V E S .T. D. , ARCADE BAR AND CLUB ARKHAM
40 — 45
AUSTIN HU
O W N E R A N D C H E F O F M A D I S O N R E S TA U R A N T. CO - O W N E R O F S P E A K E A SY CO C KTA I L B A R U N I O N T R A D I N G CO M PA N Y
46 — 49
S P O T T LY S TAY S I N S H A N G H A I OUR HOTEL PICKS– THE WATERHOUSE AT SOUTH BUND AND MANDARIN ORIENTAL AT PUDONG
Spottly Founder and Chief Spotter EDWYN CHAN edwyn.chan@spottly.com Co-Founder and Chief Marketer CHARLOTTE CHEN charlotte.chen@spottly.com Lead Engineer DUAN SHENGPENG Lead UX Designer ELIAS ANDREWS iPhone Engineer HUANG ZHIGANG
S P OT T LY I N S I D E R T E A M
Editor in Chief of Spottly Insider Magazine CHARLOTTE CHEN charlotte.chen@spottly.com Guest Editor JENNY GAO Editorial Intern NANCY LIM Portrait Photographer SAM Q, WAYNE VISION
SPOTTLY INSIDER MAGAZINE – NO.4: THE SHANGHAI ISSUE Printed in Sept 2015 To see more Spottly Insider interviews and behind the scenes shots, visit: www.spottlyinsider.com | brought to you by: Spottly – A Social Travel App www.spottly.com Download on the App Store now
Design MOM AND POP LIMITED Chinese Translation EVEN TANG
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A SHANGHAI PHOTO DIARY
WIND IN MAH HAIR
BY @SUPERWOWOMG BLOGGER, DESIGNER, AND FOUNDER OF FIRST LOVE MAGAZINE ALL PHOTOS BY DENISE LAI
Feel the whip of her multi-coloured mop of hair and the
sound of honks and beeps as we invite Denise Lai to capture her daily commute on a scooter, showing us what it’s like to ride through the bustling streets of Shanghai.
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What does your morning commute look like? Shanghai would not be the same without my trusty scooter. People here call it the "expat scooter" since it's basically a Vespa-lookalike but runs on a battery so it can't go above a certain speed. I love to scoot along the road we live on, Nanchang Road, which is known for lots of street food. My favourite place to grab a quick bite for breakfast is this tiny little Xiaolongbao 小籠包 spot called Loushi Tangbao Guan 陋室湯包館. A short drive down Fuxing Road takes you to Wulumuqi Road where I usually stop by the infamous Avocado Lady to get my fruits and veggies for the week. The streets in the French Concession are lined on each side with huge trees called London Planes that were planted during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In such a developed and urban city, it's really nice to still have tons of greenery and nature in and around all the buildings. Sometimes I drive a tiny bit further up towards Nanjing West Road which means crossing under the Yan'an Elevated Road that's lit up at night with this amazing blue light.
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I knew that I was a lot stronger in the creative aspects of fashion, and if you asked me to supervise factories every day, I think it would drive me crazy!
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F O R M E R FA S H I O N E D I TO R O F E L L E C H I N A , S T Y L I S T & I T- G I R L
LEAF GREENER @LEAFGREENER Instagram / Weibo
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@LEAFGREENER
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About Leaf Greener A former fashion editor of Elle China magazine, stylist and current it-girl of the street style scene, Leaf Greener is one of only a few Chinese personalities with a platform on the international fashion stage. With a whopping 100k followers on Instagram and 300k on Weibo, all eyes are on the quirkily dressed globetrotter who uses her personal style and an unwavering sense of authenticity to bridge the distance between China and the West.
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You’re originally from Beijing, tell me about how you ended up in Shanghai. I was born and raised in Beijing, then moved to Shanghai when I was hired to be a fashion editor for Elle China in 2008. I always liked Shanghai, my paternal grandparents lived here and I used to come to visit a lot. My feeling towards Shanghai is different from other Beijingers. You know, these two cities are arch enemies, and when I said I was moving here all my friends thought I was crazy. But because of my family background, it was easy for me to accept both cultures.
You originally studied fashion design, how did your interest in styling begin? I always liked dressing up as kid and I had a lot of influence from my mother and my family. Growing up, I pored through hundreds of fashion magazines and dreamt of being a designer, so I enrolled to study fashion at the Central Academy of Fine Art, then the Raffles School of Design in Beijing, which is when I realized being a designer is really difficult and I was probably better suited for styling. There were a lot of challenges for Chinese designers back when I was still in school. It’s nothing like these days when you can become popular and everyone in the market is supportive of your cause. I know myself well and figured that I wouldn’t have the patience to handle the production side of the business. I knew that I am a lot stronger in the creative aspects of fashion, and if you ask me to supervise factories every day, I think it would drive me crazy! My parents were always very supportive of my choices, except when I said I wanted to be a film director, my father thought that life would be too tough.
It sounds like they were pretty open minded parents. My grandparents were diplomats and party officials, and my mom lived in New York for many years, so I would say I had a relatively international upbringing. My family was very open minded and supportive; whatever I wanted to do, I could do it. The kids I grew up with were also never subjected to a very traditional Chinese education. All of our parents were involved in music, art, film, you know, the crazy types, and us kids were the same. I loved to dance, and instead of doing homework after school, my friends and I would go practice our dance moves in a nearby arts school. We would have a big boom box, it was just like in the movie Flash Dance. Who is paving the way right now in Chinese design? I personally really like Zhang Huishan. Although there are a lot of good Chinese designers, I feel that many struggle when facing the competitive landscape of the global fashion scene. The ones who shine are the designers who have a unique design language that’s universal, with clothes constructed using world class craftsmanship and high quality materials. They also need to be able to cope with demanding production schedules and deliver on strict deadlines. Huishan does all of this and it’s not easy. Sadly, as a mainland Chinese designer entering the international fashion battlefield, you are nobody. It’s not like you’re a scientist or an athlete, there’s literally no one who’s come before you. It doesn’t matter if you have money, the respect isn’t automatically there.
How do you think the West views China from the fashion perspective? The West sometimes looks at us through an imaginary lens and has a stereotypical assumption of who we are. As an example, the Met exhibit “China: Through the Looking Glass”. For example even if they notice our work and find it unique and beautiful, they are still looking at us through a postcolonial lens, which is wrong because it’s not real. In the worst case, some may choose to look down on us, and treat us like “New Americans”. To an extent, it’s true, we have lost a lot of our culture, but on a deeper level there’s also cultural, ethnic, and political bias or prejudice. When they see me they don’t see Leaf Greener, what they see is a symbol, so I have to be careful of what I say or do.
Tell me about your WeChat magazine LEAF. Why you decide to go digital? I’m actually quite old fashioned, and am honestly not that digitally savvy. But I wanted to do something new, and WeChat is such an influential platform in China. My editorial background is from print, and I wanted to bring the same levels of quality and When they see me they professionalism to the digital publishing don’t see Leaf Greener, world. My magazine is not fixed to a what they see is a symbol, schedule, so I’m not pressured to constantly so I have to be careful of produce material just to fill pages and meet deadlines. All my content is exclusive and what I say or do everything is original. I believe my followers and readers are the forward thinking Chinese who strive to be unique and have their own opinions and personalities. My magazine is definitely not something that’s geared towards the masses, and my clients understand that. I may make my magazine into a print version later, but I think let’s take it one step at a time.
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10 CORSO COMO
1717 Nanjing West Road I come to Corso Como a lot since it’s just around the corner from where I live. It’s a beautiful multi-brand retail experience with a very well-curated selection of fashion, books and homeware and a fantastic exhibition space. There’s even a great restaurant at the top floor with a scenic view.
LEAF GREENER’S FAVOURITE SPOTS PENINSULA HOTEL
32 Zhongshan Dongyi Road For hotels, I love going to the Peninsula to enjoy afternoon tea with my friends. The classic Art Deco architecture is beautifully decadent and reminds me of Shanghai in its Golden Age of the 20s and 30s.
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YONGFOO ELITE 200 Yongfu Road
This is one of my favorite restaurants serving refined Shanghainese food, it’s a stunning old house set in a garden off a quiet street in the diplomatic area of the Former French Concession. Photo credit: Xin City
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LAO WANG HOT POT 1052 Wuding Road
My friends and I like to go for hot pot when we eat together, because it’s such a social meal and we could spend hours cooking, eating and chatting away. and Lao Wang is one of my favorites for its quality and flavor. Photo credit: House of Haos
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Follow @leafgreener to see all of her curated spots in the app
5 HEAD COUTURE
25, Lane 820 Fuming Road I’ve been coming to this salon for a long time because I’m very loyal to Michael, the owner and head hairdresser. I always have him style my hair for events.
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6 LE LUTIN
104- 88 Tongren Road My friend Diana Tu opened this high-end fashion boutique in 2009 and it’s been a favorite destination for a beautiful curated selection of international fashion labels.
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Shanghai has its own unique rhythm, it can be as slow or fast as you want it to be. It’s a place where you can slow down and sit on a chair if you like, or jump up and run as well.
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F O U N D E R O F C H A I R D E S I G N S T U D I O, E Y E W E A R B R A N D C H A I R E Y E S , RUNNING CREW DARK RUNNERS, AND FURNITURE LABEL SATIE
CHAIR YUAN
@CHAIREYES_EYEWEAR Instagram
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@CHAIRYUAN
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Spottly / Weibo
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About Zhou Yuan Zhou Yuan is a man on the move. Founder of digital agency CHairDesign Studio, eyewear brand CHairEYES, running crew Dark Runners and furniture label Satie, he embodies the modern day renaissance man. The former stylist and fashion editor has achieved acclaim in every area he’s embarked upon, from web to fashion and furniture design. But success has not been overnight for Yuan, whose slow approach to work and fine craftsmanship is informed by Shanghai, a city whose unique rhythm he continues to draw inspiration from each day.
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Tell me about your relationship to Shanghai and what it was like to grow up here. I was born and raised here but always loved to travel. I’ve been to a lot of places, but when people ask me where I want to settle, my response is still always Shanghai. It’s a city where you can choose to live as slow or fast as you want. Back in the 20s and 30s, Shanghai was one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. It was a center of the Jazz Age and drew people from all over. That was all interrupted by the war, and a lot was lost between the 30s and 70s, but if we didn’t lose so much, I believe that modern day Shanghai wouldn’t be so different from New York or Paris. Eventually when China started to reform, and people no longer needed to wear the same clothes, eat the same food, and live in the same homes, they realized that through hard work, they could find their own style of living. Things started to change quickly then.
You have curated a fascinating career, what’s behind your drive to pursue this eclectic mix of projects? My main company is called CHairDesign Studio, and we help design web experiences and create digital solutions for a variety of companies. Back in 2008 I was asked by a friend what I would design if I could create any product, and I thought, it has to be eyewear. I collected them for a long time and had always thought of starting my own label, and that’s how CHairEyes was founded. The furniture business is a new project I’ve been working on with a friend. We wanted to turn our design sensibilities into a product that fills a space, and Satie came out of that. We are launching our coffee table and agate stone light series this year. Dark Runners started at a time when not many people were running outside, much less after dark. One night some friends and I watched a movie called Crank, where the I’ve been to a lot of places, but when main character had to keep his adrenaline pumping by drinking a ton of Red Bull to stay alive. We decided to people ask me where I want to settle, drink some at 2 or 3 in the morning, and felt so awful I had my response is still always Shanghai. to get up and move around. I found myself running for the first time in years, across Nanpu Bridge all the way to It’s a city where you can choose to Pudong. I was hooked on the feeling and started running live life live as slow or fast as you on a weekly basis, minus the red bull, more and more want it to be. friends started to join me and it slowly grew from there.
How did you develop an interest in glasses? Where did the name Chair come from? I used to be a stylist, so I bought and borrowed a lot of accessories. Slowly I amassed a collection of glasses. I don’t wear a lot of fancy clothes and shoes as my style is generally quite classic, but with glasses, I can accept more exaggerated designs. Even the best footwear falls apart after many wears but quality eyewear lasts for a very long time. My collection includes vintage frames by masters like Jean Paul Gaultier, Moschino, Dior, Fendi, and early Moscots. In 2008 when fast fashion brands like Uniqlo and Zara were starting to enter the Chinese market, fashion became very cheap and disposable, so I named my company Chair because I wanted people to slow down, take a seat and really appreciate the quality of fine craftsmanship. You are known to take design cues from historical Chinese sources. In your own words, CHairEYES “mines the past, but is never nostalgic”. Can you tell us more about that? I want to create timeless eyewear, and never want to be too literal with my Chinese design elements. Material is central to my design; I’m inspired by natural patterns and colors of traditional Chinese mineral stones, so we’ve developed our own cellulose acetate that are a modern interpretation of materials like Chinese Liuli (colored glass), turquoise, cloisonné, jade, amber and the finest marble in Dali, Yunnan. I spent time in Fukui Japan learning the skills of eyeglass frame making from their veteran craftsmen, and today we use traditional techniques to hand make the frames just outside of Shanghai. Who is your customer, and how do they discover you? Our customers are diverse, age 20-40, and mostly female, although the other day a lama picked up two pairs of our frames in Xintiandi! A lot of them are from cities like Shanghai, where their styles have become more personal and are no longer changing constantly with trends or shaped by large brands. We sell quite well in Chinese cities outside of Shanghai too, they are still evolving, but are affluent and open to trying new things. I think in as little as 3-5 years, they will find their own style. We’ve also done pop ups in London, LA and New York, and Hong Kong. I prefer to sell through traditional fashion boutiques rather than open a web store because Iwant people to interact with my glasses before buying them. The product should speak for itself rather than my name or the brand.
How do you think Chinese design and people’s perception of it are changing at home and abroad? I’ve noticed a big difference in the way media interacts with us. They didn’t used to dig very deep, but now they want to engage with us in a more meaningful way, asking questions about the philosophy behind our work and where we are headed in the future. Chinese designers can also design and produce new products faster as factories are based here, so we are able to react to global trends and be at the same pace as international labels. There are some great designers like Uma Wang and Kim Kiroic (KKTP Shoes) with really unique voices, but there are also a lot of young designers who return from design school and set up their own brands right away with little experience, and it’s easy to spot the direct influences. I think new grads should spend time connecting with the customer, even if it’s through retail sales, to really understand what the market wants and develop their own voice.
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14 INNO DINING
Unit 101, No. 60, Lane 273 Jiaozhou Road One of my favorite restaurants, this is a small Japanese-run Italian diner in Jingan that uses quality ingredients and serves up low fuss food like fish carpaccio, miso fondue, and a good selection of sake and wine.
GUM GUM
No. 60, Lane 273 Jiaozhou Road
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I love a good burger, and my favorite spot for a burger fix is Gum Gum in Jingan District. It’s also opened by some of my friends. I like Bistro Burger too, which I think are comparable to the best ones I’ve had in New York.
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CHAIR’S LOCAL SPOTS
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KONG YI JI 孔乙己 Xuegong Street No. 36
This, to me, is simply the best Shanghainese food the city has to offer. It is in the old town and I remember going there as a little kid. When I go back now, it feels like I’m on a movie set; the interiors, tables, food, and waiters all remind me of Old Shanghai. The service is great, the food is very high quality and cheap as well.
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CHIANG MAI HEAVEN
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清邁天堂
Jixian Road No. 145 A small hole in the wall for authentic northern Thai food with a pink facade. There are only four tables inside, you wouldn’t want to go in by looking at the exterior, but the food is very good and spicy.
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FUXING ROAD Fuxing Road
My favorite street is Fuxing Road, I grew up on this street and have always lived near it. Fuxing is a long street, I like to run down it all the way from here (West FFC) until the Bund. You can see all the different sides of Shanghai along the way; near the Bund it is fancy, then there’s the lively Old Town, modern Xintiandi, and the quiet Former French Concession.
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Follow @chairyuan to see all of his curated spots in the app
ARCADE
Fuxing Road. No 57 Arcade is one my favorite bars in town, and we will often go there for a drink after going for a run with the Dark Runners crew. The cocktails are strong and the music and mood are always just right.
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The Shelter proved that anything good comes naturally and organically. You don’t think about making money, it’s just about good energy and playing the music that we love.
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C H I N A’ S F I R S T D M C W O R L D DJ C H A M P I O N , CO-FOUNDER OF THE SHELTER AND GRUMPY PIG
GARY WANG
@ T H E S H E LT E R @ G R U M P Y P I G Weibo
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About Gary Wang Over the past eight years, Gary Wang has quietly commandeered Shanghai’s subculture scene as China’s first DMC World DJ Championship winner and co-founder of underground music mecca The Shelter, drawing the likes of Cut Chemist, DJ Krush and Numark for the first time to China. His vocal repudiation of the mainstream nightlife scene and often brash opinions of everything from turn tabling to ramen has earned him the nickname of Grumpy Gary, the namesake for his pork-focused restaurant Grumpy Pig.
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Tell me about growing up in Shanghai. I was born in Shanghai, and grew up in a small lane house near Xintiandi. I remember my childhood being really enjoyable. There weren’t many choices for entertainment so everything was a ton of fun. After graduating high school, my cousin, who lived in Japan back then asked if I would like to go out there. I didn’t have any solid plans at that point and so I decided to take a trip out there. I spent my first year in Kobe working at a butcher’s shop and eating Kobe beef every day. That was awesome. Then I was enrolled to Nippon University so I moved from Kobe to Tokyo and lived there for five years before I came back to Shanghai in 1999. How did your love for hip hop begin? It’s a pretty ridiculous story. Do you know that corner just around here on Maoming and Yanan? There used to be a pirated cassette shop right there. Every weekend, these college students would sell bags and bags of cassettes in black and white sleeves. I picked up a copy of King of Rock by Run DMC by chance and was just knocked out by the impact. I had no idea that what I was listening to was “hip-hop”, so every time when I went back to the stand, I just bought every album I could find with an African guy on the jacket. When I moved to Japan, it really opened my eyes because you could get any kind of music there. Hip-hop culture was huge in Japan then and I had a part time job in Harajuku selling hip-hop clothes. All the other employees were DJs and MCs so it was paradise for me. I learned a ton, and then in 1998 I bought my first DJ set. I was either going to keep listening to music or do something about it myself.
Is that when you came back to Shanghai? I wanted to come back and start something new because there wasn’t much happening at that time; only one or two clubs, and nobody was playing hip-hop. It was the late 90s when hip-hop was huge everywhere else in the world but China hadn’t caught on. I got my first residence gig at a club called Pegasus, a huge spot that could fit a thousand people. My gig was on Thursdays and it was always packed. Then, more and more places opened up and the hip-hop scene started to become a lot more mainstream, and that’s when I stopped DJing.
I wanted to come back and start something new because there wasn’t much happening at that time; only one or two clubs, and nobody was playing hip-hop.
How did The Shelter come about? My partner and I threw an old-school hip-hop party called “Back to the Roots” at this tacky Chinese club called Blue Ice. We started doing gigs regularly and hundreds of people would show up every time. Eventually,
the Blue Ice manager offered us co-ownership to run the place, so of course we agreed and that was the beginning of Shelter. The Shelter project proved that anything good comes naturally and organically. You don’t think about making money, it’s just about good energy and playing the music that we love.
How big is the underground music scene in Shanghai? It’s a funny thing. In 2008, I brought Cut Chemist from Jurassic 5 to play at Shelter. It was his first time in China and I was stoked. He played at our spot on a Wednesday night and 600 people showed up, some have traveled from other provinces just to see him play. It was a great night. But interestingly, when I brought him on the second time two years after his first show, only 400 people came. Same thing happened with DJ Krush; when I first brought him in 2009, 800 people turned up, and the second time around, it was only half of that number. Why do you think that is? Because a lot of people treat gigs like a one-off thing. They’ve been there, done that, so they don’t need to see the same DJ again. People like new things and its like that everywhere, but these stereotypes and issues are especially strong in China. Here, you need to change the look of a place every two years, which, to a certain extent is a good thing, but it gets tiring after a while. Over the years, we’ve been able to weed out the posers; people who come to a show just so that they can tell their friends about it on a Sunday. I don’t think the scene is big enough to really satisfy us, but there’s a small number of people that need this type of music, and a few hundred of them still come to Shelter every weekend.
What’s up next for The Shelter? If you could bring anyone, who would it be? My list is pretty much done. I’ve brought Cut Chemist, Numark, Kid Koala, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Jungle Brothers, Quantic, DJ Krush, and Kentaro over the years. Kid Koala might come back this November for the first time in five years. I still haven’t had DJ Shadow, Questlove, Kenny Dope, or Jazzy Jeff, but I don’t know when I can get these guys, maybe never. Drawing parallels between Shanghai and other cities, where do you think shanghai is behind or ahead? The only thing where Shanghai is ahead is that you can get shit done real fast, that’s pretty much it. You get it done but you don’t focus on the details, which isn’t good for anything in the long term. The good thing about countries like Japan is that even though there’s more competition, they actually allow you to focus on quality because they appreciate it. Here you really can’t, there’s always something around, like a cockroach or a fly, just bothering you all the time. Do you think that’s going to change? No – it’s not going to change, it’s never going to change. It’s only getting worse…
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まるみち 丸道日本料理 675 Xianlu Road
You can find some really good Japanese food in Shanghai, mostly in Gubei and Hongqiao districts. This is a yakiniku place I go to often. Their grilled meats are excellent but the ramen is actually one of my favorites in the city.
GARY’S ALTERNATIVE SPOTS MOSTUNABE
2088A-319 Yanan West Road This place is famous for its cow intestine hot pot. It sounds totally weird and might lookstrange too but don’t worry about all that cause it’s f*cking delicious.
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2 SHUN FENG GANG WAN 順風港灣
4th Floor 175 Taixing Road
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This is my go-to for very decent Shanghainese food close to home in Jingan District. It’s a casual setting but slightly fancier than home style cooking, and always hits the spot. I usually bring out-of-towners here for a taste of authentic Shanghainese.
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NAN LING 南伶酒家
S3-01 Jingan Kerry Center, 1238 Nanjing Road This restaurant serves Huaiyang cuisine, which is the regional style of nearby Jiangsu province and very similar to Shanghainese cuisine. Its a bit more upmarket but does everything right including the usual crab, lion head meatball, scallion oil chicken, and hongshaorou.
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Follow @garywang to see all of his curated spots in the app
5 GRUMPY PIG
65-4 Maoming North Road This space started out as a concept store and base for my hip hop community project The Lab. Gradually we started serving food and then we turned the back of the space into what is today the Grumpy Pig. I shut down the concept store recently and am now converting the space into a funk and soul vinyl bar, opening later this month.
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THE SHELTER 5 Yongfu Road
Shelter is all about good energy. You can go in sweatpants and no makeup and have an awesome time dancing. It’s not like the other clubs where it’s about who you’re with and what you’re wearing. Here, we’re all about good music.
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What was intended to sink jump shots on the basketball court has evolved over the years into an iconic statement of individuality and self-expression. The Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker could never be put into a box, the world saw its unlimited potential and unleashed it while playing music, making art, skating the streets, and kicking back. A celebration of the free independent spirit and a blank canvas to be customized with personal style, it is ready to traverse boundaries and rewrite the rules. The world is limitless for Chuck, and its true life begins when taken on a journey. Where will you take Chuck?
F R O M S KAT E PA R K TO L I V E H O U S E S
CHUCK’S SHANGHAI S P OT T LY I N S I D E R × CO N V E R S E THE ALL STAR GUIDE
Spottly takes the Converse All Stars on a journey through the backstreets of Shanghai, from an urban skatepark to a gritty live house. Follow Chuck, and see China’s most vibrant city through his eyes. Go Where Chuck Goes. #ConverseAllStars
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24 DOE
No. 105, 88 Tongren Road
(SHOP)
Doe defies categorization, preferring instead to break down the boundaries of form, fusing coffee life with wooden bleacher seating and original streetwear designs. Doe was born out of creativity, passion, and a desire to walk the road less traveled, drawing a steady stream of the city’s coffee connoisseurs, independent thinkers and creative doers.
S P O T T LY I N S I D E R Ă— C O N V E R S E
(SKATE)
LOVE PARK
Shanghai Concert Hall, Jinling Road & Xizang Road The best gritty street skating of inner city Shanghai takes place in an unsanctioned corner of People’s Square outside the Shanghai Concert Hall. Known as Love Park within the skater community, its waxed marble ledges are a mainstay for local kids grinding it out alongside the occasional pro.
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26 YUYINGTANG 851 Kaixuan Lu
(MUSIC)
One of the oldest underground live houses in Shanghai, Yuyingtang has the grit to match. The space draws out independent rock acts from China and beyond as well as a steady stream of Shanghai’s alternative youth and expats alike.
AFTER PARTY
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Changle Road & Fumin Road After a night of dancing and booze-fueled antics on the club circuit, keep the party going at the corner of Changle Road and Fumin Road, Golden Triangle of late night street food. Grab a stool and get down and dirty on the sidewalk alongside locals noshing on deliciously greasy fried rice and grilled things on sticks, washing it all down with ice cold beers.
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Follow @converse to see all of Chuck’s curated spots in the app
POWER STATION OF ART 200 Huayuangang Road
Housed in a stunning converted power station, the Power Station of Art is the first state-run museum for contemporary art in China, and it’s been knocking the ball out of the park since opening in 2012. At 42-thousand square meters large and 27 meters tall, the one-of-a-kind space has played host to high-profile and cutting edge exhibits the likes of Shanghai Biennial and Cai Guo Qiang’s live gunpowder paintings.
(ART)
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Gone are the days of old Shanghai where you could just open a restaurant, serve mediocre food, charge high prices and people would just come anyway.
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SERIAL RESTAURANTEUR BEHIND SHANGHAI HOT SPOTS CANTINA AGAVE, B O X I N G C A T B R E W E R Y, S P R O U T W O R K S A N D L I Q U I D L A U N D R Y
KELLEY LEE
@SPROUTWORKS Weibo
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@KELLEYLEE
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About Kelley Lee Kelley Lee is an embodiment of the American Dream in Shanghai. The California native with ancestral roots in Jiangsu and Shandong has built a veritable restaurant empire since landing in the city a short 10 years ago, serving up a constant stream of fresh concepts and leaving an indelible mark on the Shanghai dining scene with Mexican restaurant Cantina Agave, microbrewery Boxing Cat Brewery, salad bar Sproutworks, and her latest hot spot, brewery and gastropub Liquid Laundry.
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Tell me about how you ended up in Shanghai. I was born in the US, and the first time I came to Shanghai was 2002, on one of those trips you take with your dad to a homeland you’ve never been to. At that time, I was just moving back from culinary school in France, and I remember thinking Shanghai was such a cool place, I’d love to come here if I ever had the chance to live somewhere before I actually “settled down”. I moved here initially to study Chinese, but within a month I found a job working as a chef at Azul, and just fell in love with the city. Back then, there were so many things still missing from Shanghai, so when I went back home, all I did was eat Western food like cheese and salads. Now that I’ve been here for so long, I’ve settled in, and really love this city. Whenever I travel away from Shanghai, I always come back with a renewed energy, because its just an amazing place with incredibly inspiring people.
How would you describe the current dining scene in Shanghai? I’d love to see the market become even more interesting than it is now, I mean, you are seeing new concepts, but there are still copycats. You know, once you open up a place, others will pop up with a strangely similar look and feel. But I think the scene now is definitely a lot more competitive. Gone are the days of old Shanghai where you could just open a restaurant, serve mediocre food, charge high prices and the people would just come anyway. Your restaurants have all been incredibly successful, what’s your formula? The formula is secret! Just kidding. The reason that I feel our properties do quite well, is that we always try to provide value for the customer, and that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s cheap. It means that for the price we are offering, we are fulfilling something that people want and don’t have, or find value in. I think because of that, we’ve built a customer base that comes back again and again; they just find something special that they can’t find anywhere else.
With so many different concepts spread out across the city, how do you spend your day? If we’ve just opened a new restaurant or are in the process of it, I’d be spending a lot of time on the floor or in the kitchen, just making sure that my standards for the food and service are being kept. But if we’re not in opening mode, I’ll go to the gym in the morning and usually end up in one of the restaurants at lunch time to help with service. Right now that’s usually at Sproutworks, as all of our locations are crazy busy during lunch hour. In the afternoons, there are meetings. Right now we’re working on our corporate strategy, aiming to help retain our staff longer. The service industry is notorious for high I really love this city. Whenever I turnover and I think that a really important aspect of the travel away from Shanghai, I always business is for our staff to be happy and feel like they’re come back with a renewed energy, a part of the family.
because its just an amazing place inspiring people.
Have your restaurants impacted local Chinese food with incredibly culture in the time you’ve been here? I do think that there are some cross-cultural integrations and I definitely think that’s been influenced by Western cuisine. There’s been a move towards organic, because people are so conscious about what they’re putting in their bodies these days. I think in terms of salads and cold foods, we are definitely changing the mentality of a lot of Chinese people, as they didn’t traditionally have a lot of raw or cold things in their diet. But at Sproutworks, they can see the variety of food at the salad bar before they order, and feel less intimidated. Are you seeing more young Chinese enter the F&B industry and locally grown concepts emerging? I think China’s a little behind the West in terms of how accepted it is to work in F&B as a career. That’s kind of changing with the evidence of chefs like Peking duck restaurant Da Dong becoming famous globally and within China. So it’s changing, but still not of the same sentiments as the West where its glamorous to be a chef, which I also find kind of stupid to be honest. I mean, the truth is, you spend a lot of time shoveling shit and cleaning the cracks in the bottom of the stove, but lots of people romanticize it. I think the cultural upbringing and education system has also had an impact, and creativity hasn’t really been encouraged for most kids. We do have some young people on our staff who come up with new ideas and aren’t afraid to share, but it’s rare. That’s changing, but I think its still going to take time.
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XIN RONG YI
5th Floor Shanghai Plaza, 138 Huaihai Middle Road
This place is my go-to for really great dim sum in Shanghai. It opened a few years ago and I was so excited that I brought all my friends here, so now it’s hard to get a seat.
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KELLEY LEE’S TASTY SPOTS BULLOMAN
富樂滿韓國正宗炸雞
9, Lane 1051 Hongquan Road This K-town institution serves amazing fried chicken and beer and stays open late, so usually I’ll go with a bunch of chefs after we close. It’s a bit of a drive away in Gubei, the neighborhood where lots of Japanese and Korean expats live, but its worth it, trust me!
YAKITORI FUKUCHAN 223 Changle Road
This place is another regular haunt of mine. It’s a yakitori restaurant run by a Shanghainese guy who studied in Japan. Its kind of run down and their walls are brown from all the grease, but its simple and delicious.
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4 MOCOS
103, Lane 1245 Wuding Road This Japanese sochu bar is a hidden gem in Jingan. When I used to live in the area, this was my neighborhood haunt. I love the low-key atmosphere and sometimes, there are live reggae performances.
SPOT
YU MASSAGE 366 Wuyuan Lu
Yu Massage is my go-to place for a relaxing massage in the French Concession. Tucked in a peaceful lane house on quiet Wuyuan Road, it’s also open late. I highly recommend massage “No. 9”. It’s life transforming, but of course also the most expensive.
SPIN CERAMICS Y INS
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I always take my friends from out of town to Spin Ceramics. They are a ceramics workshop and boutique that sells beautiful handmade homeware and gifts. It’s impossible to leave that place without impulsively buying a few plates and bowls.
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360 Kangding Road
Follow @kelleylee to see all of her curated spots in the app
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Young people in Shanghai are all thinking of independence and entrepreneurship these days. They’re doing what they want and making their own choices. Its a good time.
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F O U N D E R O F C R E AT I V E C O L L E C T I V E S .T. D. ( S O N I C A L LY T R A N S M I T T E D D I S E A S E ) , ARCADE BAR AND CLUB ARKHAM
LI SISI (NIKKI)
@SSMANIA Weibo
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Spottly / Instagram
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About Li Sisi Li Sisi, one half of the founding partners of Shanghai creative collective S.T.D. (Sonically Transmitted Disease) has been an unstoppable force in the music and youth culture scene, exposing young people in the city to the best of new local and international DJs and bands. Her clubs Arcade and Arkham are beacons of cool in Shanghai’s nightlife circuit, attracting visitors and musicians from all over and firmly putting Shanghai on the map as the party capital of China.
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Tell me what it was like to grow up in Shanghai I’m a typical Shanghainese girl, born and raised here. I’ve traveled to a lot of places in my life but have never seen myself starting over anywhere else. I’ve been living in the former French Concession since I graduated university; I’ve always loved spending time here because I think it’s beautiful and there are less people than elsewhere in Shanghai. I love the culture, the trees, the quiet, although its a lot noisier than it used to be.
How did you first start to discover your love for music? I really liked rock music at a young age. In those days, Shanghai had a lot of markets for 打⼝碟 dakodie, surplus CDs and records from Western countries with drilled holes in them that could still be played. There was an area near People’s Square called Qufu Road, where the shops were inside people’s houses, so we’d go into their homes and pick through the records. Everything was really cheap. I’d buy albums, listen to them, and then go on the BBS sites to look them up. At that time, there was a website in Shanghai called 現代變奏 Xiandai Bianzhou, all local musicians, artists and writers were on there, so we used to always hear about new music from that site.
Tell me about S.T.D., how did it all start? We started S.T.D. about 7 years ago, I met my business partner Reggie on the music circuit, we had similar tastes and would go to the
When we started, there was nothing happening in Shanghai’s nightlife, but now there’s so much going on. Everyone says it’s the party city in China right now, so that’s pretty cool.
same shows. At the time Shanghai didn’t have many places to just hang out and listen to good music, so we decided to organize an event, invite bands that we liked and DJ ourselves. It can be hard to do events in Shanghai; you might get lots of people the first or second time, but slowly they always taper off. However, I think we’ve been consistently successful so far by being persistent and always inviting new local and foreign artists. We started by just holding music events, and now its slowly gotten bigger, which we didn’t expect or plan. When we started there was nothing happening in Shanghai’s nightlife, but now there’s so much going on. Everyone says it’s the party city in China right now, so that’s pretty cool. How did you decide to go from throwing parties to starting Arcade and Arkham? I think we never wanted to limit ourselves. My partner and I were both graduates in international marketing, and would use the money from our day jobs to feed our music projects. Even now, S.T.D. doesn’t just do events; we see ourselves as a creative agency, with various clients who work with us on everything from sound design to artist and celebrity collaborations. Whenever there’s been an opportunity, we’ve asked ourselves, why are we not doing this if we have the capability and no one else in Shanghai is? When the opportunity to open Arcade and Arkham came up, we had no clue how to run a club, but just decided to give it a try. It’s always been like this; if it feels right, we do it.
How has the music scene and youth culture as a whole changed in Shanghai? It’s changed so much. Seven years ago when we first started, there were practically no music shows. Cool kids didn’t even go out to listen to music, they just stayed home. Now people from all over China will come to Arkham and other clubs just to check out what’s happening in the scene in Shanghai. I feel like the friends around me are all accomplishing impressive things in their respective industries; just on this street alone there are several shops that my friends have opened. Young people in Shanghai are all thinking of independence and entrepreneurship these days. Previously, the options were to follow a straight path or what was taught in traditional Chinese culture, but I feel that people are exposed to more opportunities now and have more perspective. They’re doing what they want and making their own choices. It’s a good time to be in China. What influences you? Definitely music and the friends around me. I really do listen to everything, from rock to electronic to hip hop; music from any country, as long as its good. I also quite like fashion, a lot of my friends work in fashion, music, and other creative industries and they will often give me inspiration. If you could bring any three artists to Shanghai, who would they be? Probably A$AP Ferg,The National, and FKA Twigs. I think Twigs is really cool, she dresses crazily and would be really inspiring for all the kids in Shanghai.
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THE NEST
6/F, 130 Beijing East Lu This place has become one of my favourite spots to grab a drink with friends on the Bund since they opened last year. They have great cocktails and seafood at reasonable prices, and the atmosphere is relaxed, which is rare for the Bund.
LI SISI’S HIP SPOTS SPOT
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JING CAI XUAN 晶采轩
3F Kerry Center, 1601 Nanjing West Road This is a beautiful restaurant in the Kerry Centre with high ceilings and incredible design. I love coming here with friends for the refined but delicious Shanghainese and Cantonese food.
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3 LATE NIGHT STREET FOOD Shouning Road & Jinan Road
I always take visiting musicians and friends from out of town to these streets for a taste of real Shanghai street food late at night. You can find all of the best old-school snacks like fried crullers, savory soy milk and wontons.
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806 Julu Road Julu Road is lined with boutiques opened by my talented friends. SHC Shop is a new one opened by my friend, a former Vogue editor, which features a really unique selection of fashion, accessories and homeware.
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SONGJIANG BOTANICAL GARDEN
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3888 Chenhua Lu, Songjiang
I avoid places with lots of people, so the Songjiang Botanical Garden is a perfect place to chill. It’s far enough out of town that it’s quiet, but still easily accessible by subway. The park is filled with beautiful topiary and almost surreal in its beauty.
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AVENUE AND SON 2/F, 423 Guangfu Lu
I like to wear a lot of streetwear brands, and this retail store is one of my favorites, carrying names like Helas and Stüssy. It’s opened by some of the top skaters in China, a bunch of really cool and fun guys.
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There needs to be a modern Chinese chef at some point, who assumes all the best of modern cuisine, and prevents the death of Chinese cuisine. Part of that requires sharing knowledge for the betterment of society rather than being so fixated on the self.
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O W N E R A N D C H E F O F M A D I S O N R E S TA U R A N T. C O - O W N E R O F S P E A K E A S Y C O C K T A I L B A R U N I O N T R A D I N G C O M P A N Y. CHAMPION OF LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT
AUSTIN HU
@MADISONINSHANGHAI Weibo
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About Austin Hu Austin Hu’s name is synonymous with the farm-to-table movement that has taken Shanghai by storm. After training and cooking for ten years in New York, he brought his locally-sourced philosophy and method of ‘cooking within constraints’ to Shanghai, and has since transformed the way people think about food in modern China.
Spottly
42 You spent a period of your childhood in Shanghai, what was that like? My parents are originally from Wuxi and Shandong, but moved to Taiwan and then to the US, where I was born. They moved back to Shanghai with my dad’s job in ’87 and I went to Shanghai American School, when it was just 37 kids in the American consulate. Since we were technically foreigners, our housekeeper was required to go to meetings every Tuesday to report back to the government on what we were up to. It was a different world then; people still had meal tickets, and walked around in stereotypical communist outfits of greys and blues. Afterwards I went to school in Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and later the US for university, but my parents remained here and that’s where I flew back for summer vacation, so it’s the closest thing to home that I’ve ever had. Shanghai is a city you can see yourself grow up with, I’ve seen it mature from the world I just described to the modern metropolis that it is today.
Madison was the first Western fine dining restaurant in Shanghai to source almost completely locally, how difficult was that to do? Cooking locally and working within constraints is the only way I know how to cook, and in my opinion, the right way to cook. It was tough at first but I hit the ground running, used a lot of Google translate and talked to a lot of friends. My whole mentality was that with a country this big, it’s impossible not to find good products. They may be few and far between and the logistics are horrible, but they have to exist, just by pure statistics. There are some things that just are innately true, like that Chinese people are more seasonally aware, have a love for pork, and appreciate the freshness of ingredients. These all support the existence of quality local ingredients, so the question is just how to access it. It still is a long process, but it’s considerably easier now than 5 years ago with the help of social media. It’s a matter of using what’s in front of you too, instead of forcing yourself into certain molds. You adapt to the market, you don’t force the market to adapt to you. I mean if I was My whole mentality was that with in New York versus if I was here, it should be different, because you have a different a country this big, its impossible not to find basket of resources. You’ve got to work good products. They may be few and far within your constraints.
between and the logistics are horrible, but they have to exist, just by pure statistics.
You went to culinary school and worked as a chef in New York for 10 years, what made you decide to open a restaurant in Shanghai? I would visit my parents about once a year, and I watched Shanghai change by leaps and bounds. It reminded me a lot of New York in the 80s; a little wild wild west, a little dingy, but incredibly dynamic, and with amazing potential. I made the decision to move back about 6 years ago, when the food scene was on its upward swing. Western chefs like Franck Pecol, Willy, and Brad Turley had just started to open up, the food was getting really good and it was a break from the kind of dining scene that Shanghai previously had. There was definitely an emerging independent restaurant scene with a crowd to support, so coming back was a decision I made to see what was possible.
Beyond ingredients, how has cooking in Shanghai influenced your food? Since starting here, I’ve come to appreciate even more the concept of sharing food, that Chinese mode of eating, of collective people coming together to share the same plates. I knew it before and now I’m even more convinced that this is how you should eat. Instead of everyone waiting for their meals, lets just put everything in the middle, have everyone take a bite of the fish when it arrives so you can get it at the peak of it’s cooked freshness, while its still hot and crispy. Have a bite and move on to the next. In contrast, if you’re eating a steak alone, by the time you get to your fifth bite, its cold. There’s nothing you can do about it, it just is. You’re not eating it at the best of its ability. With the Chinese way, you get to taste more, discuss more, and it’s more fun. By nature you’re eating a more balanced meal too. Even more than before, this Chinese way is how I want people to eat my food if possible. How would you describe the culinary landscape in Shanghai? Shanghai is still into the “glam” food scene, with a focus on style and hype over substance. We will continue to see celebrity chefs opening restaurants, like Robouchon and Wolfgang Puck, as they see how big the Chinese market can be. But I think its a matter of time before you see home grown talent coming up.
What is that going to take? I think there will always be the traditional branch of Chinese cuisine which is prepared the same way for generations. But there needs to be a modern Chinese chef at some point who assumes all the best of modern cuisine, and prevents the death of Chinese cuisine. Part of that requires a systemization and a much more open minded approach to food by Chinese chefs; sharing knowledge for the betterment of society rather than being so fixated on the self. Maybe its harder for the old guard, but the new guard needs to do it. Tell me about your new project, the book on Chinese vegetables. This project came about as an attempt to systematize and document some of the amazing vegetables that are common in and truly unique to the area around Shanghai and the surrounding provinces. The kinds of produce available for chefs are incredibly localized, and a chef in Beijing might have never seen certain vegetables that a Shanghai chef cooks with frequently and vice versa. To my knowledge there has never been anything written in English or Chinese to document these varieties, their characteristics and cooking methods, so my aim was to preserve and pass along the knowledge I’ve gained in the years cooking here. The book will be published by the end of this year.
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A DA SCALLION PANCAKES
Back door of No. 2, Lane 159 Maoming Lu This is one of my favourite spots and a glimpse of old school Shanghai street food that’s quickly disappearing. A Da, who is probably in his 70s, wakes up at 5am every day to make his famous scallion oil pancakes. He makes only 300 a day and closes when he’s sold out. I’m not sure how much longer he will be around, but I hope he passes it on.
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AUSTIN’S CLASSIC SPOTS SPOT
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ER GUANG WONTONS 209-213 Zhao Zhou Road
Another classic Shanghai street food institution, this place is open every day until the wee hours of the morning so makes for great late night eats after us chefs get off work. Their cold wontons with peanut sauce always hits the spot.
UNION TRADING COMPANY 2, Lane 64 Fengyang Road
I may be biased but this is my baby. My partner Yao and I are so grateful that Union Trading Co has received the “Bar of the Year” award two times in a row now, and have our loyal friends and supporters to thank for that. Potent cocktails by award-winning mixologist Yao, tasty bar bites, and great conversation amongst friends, what more could you ask for?
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FU 1088
375 Zhenning Lu Chef Tony Lu is one of the most visionary Chinese chefs in Shanghai today, the food in each of his four restaurants is exquisite, refined and modern. In Fu 1088, multicourse set menus of classical Shanghainese dishes like smoked fish, lion head meatballs and crab are done to perfection in a grand lane house villa.
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NO. 2 FOOD STORE
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This classic Shanghai food store holds a lot of nostalgic value for people who grew up here, because it’s all that was available before modern grocery stores started appearing. There are several outlets and they carry many famous Chinese food brands like White Rabbit candy, mini pork mooncakes and other snacks.
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6 Follow @austinhu to see all of his curated spots in the app
ZHANG XIAO QUAN SCISSORS 490 Nanjing East Road
This shop is famous for its brand of old school Chinese scissors. They’re kind of scary and super sharp, but for the value they’re awesome. You can even use them to cut chickens in the kitchen.
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S P OT T LY STAY S I N S H A N G H A I
OUR HOTEL PICKS The Spottly Insider team embarked on a whirlwind week-long trip to Shanghai, packed with a frantic schedule of interviews with this city’s most influential insiders. After an action packed day of shooting and exploring, these are our 2 favourites we chose to rest our heads and unwind.
THE WATERHOUSE AT SOUTH BUND
Maojiayan Road Nº 1-3, Zhongshan Road South, +86 21 6080 2988 The Waterhouse at South Bund is a design concept boutique hotel that is a refreshing antidote to the city’s sprawling modernity. Its 19 guest rooms, cavernous lobby, rooftop bar and destination restaurant Table No. 1 are converted from a former 1930s army headquarters in the historic Shilipu dockyards. Superstar architecture firm Neri & Hu transformed the building while maintaining the original facade so to integrate with the traditional surroundings. Guest rooms offer stunning views of Pudong’s skyline juxtaposed over the ancient rooftops of Shanghai Old Town, blending heritage with modernity to provide the modern traveler a sense of meaning in addition to just luxury living.
Make sure to book a table at the impeccably designed and executed restaurant Table No. 1, the first independent restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton after leaving Gordon Ramsay’s Maze in London. Located on the ground floor of The Waterhouse at South Bund, it serves world-influenced modern European cuisine focused on communal dining set in a sleek and simplistic interior. To cap off your night, head up to the rooftop terrace bar for an innovative cocktail with drop dead gorgeous views of the city’s skyline and Huangpu River.
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MANDARIN ORIENTAL AT PUDONG 111 Pudong Road (S), Pudong +86 (21) 2082 9888
Perched on the east bank of the Huangpu River amidst Shanghai’s dramatic skyline, the award-winning Mandarin Oriental Pudong is a masterpiece of contemporary luxury in the city. Guests of the hotel’s 318 spacious guest rooms and 44 suites can enjoy bespoke commissioned Chinese artworks in their rooms, personalized butler service, and sweeping views of the Huangpu River, even from the bath.
For total relaxation, unwind with a cup of bamboo tea at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Pudong after one of their renowned signature therapies and holistic wellness treatments. Follow that with a visit to Yong Yi Ting, the Mandarin Oriental’s upscale Jiang Nan Chinese restaurant for a taste of the newly-designed wellness menu, featuring healthy choices that balance seasonal energy levels to achieve Yin and Yang harmony. Dishes like steamed lobster with enoki mushroom and braised bean curd skin filled with mushrooms and black truffle sauce provide healthy delights without sacrificing flavor. A weekend away at this modern oasis in the city may be just the escape you’re looking for.
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S P OT T LY I N S I D E R G U E ST E D I TO R A N D CO-FOUNDER OF BAOISM @JINGTHEORY’S
curated spots
THE FRENCH CONCESSION GUIDE Hi Jenny - tell me about a little
I know you are a long time
connection to Shanghai!
you choose to settle in this
bit about yourself and your
I was born in Chengdu but grew up moving around to a lot of different countries. Because
of that I have a relative sense of belonging and home, but
Shanghai’s been a good place for me. It’s a city of contrasts;
retro and futuristic, decrepit and decadent, with an underbelly
to every guise. New paradigms
constantly force you to question your assumptions and that
discomfort is strangely comforting to me. I have a background in
in the app
resident of the FCC, why did particular neighborhood?
Where I live on the Western
edge of the French Concession is probably the most peaceful
area in all of Shanghai. Walking or
riding my bike through the streets is always calming and full of new
discoveries; a hidden café, or an
Art Deco doorway I hadn’t noticed before. It’s a whole microcosm contained within a few blocks,
which is where I end up spending most of my time.
tech and innovation but for the
last year have been working on Baoism, a restaurant concept
focused on safe and accessible
food in China. I also write about
Chinese food culture on my blog
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1984 BOOK STORE 11 Hunan Road Probably my favorite hidden spot in the city, 1984 is a book store and cafe found behind an old house on leafy Hunan Road. The art deco vintage vibe, quiet reading corners and beautiful garden always relax me.
OLD JESSE 41 Tianping Lu You can’t really avoid talking about Old Jesse in a discussion of the French Concession, its an old stalwart on the food scene, and a must for first-time visitors to Shanghai. Book ahead and make sure to pre-order the sublime scallion cod fish head.
JINGTHEORY.
You’ve recently embarked
on a new journey - opening
restaurant Baoism, could you
tell us more about it and how
living in Shanghai inspired you to do so?
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Baoism came about in response to a need in the market, there’s
a lack of options for convenient,
tasty food that’s also responsibly sourced and affordably priced. I
think this is something basic that
everyone should have access to,
not just the elite. In order to really
improve the food system in China, we realized we needed to build
a scalable business with a lasting
brand, and the challenges of this task are constantly compelling for me.
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FARINE 1/F, 378 Wukang Road I avoid this place on weekends when the lines snake out the door, but during the week it’s my haven for a pastry and cup of good, albeit overpriced coffee. I can’t resist the Parisian vibe and smell of freshly baked bread. The baguettes and sourdough loaf are dinner party staples.
SENATOR SALOON 98 Wuyuan Road One of the original speakeasystyle whiskey bars in the city, it’s my go-to place for a quiet drink with friends, and I hate to admit how often I’m here. My usual is their Old Fashioned, which is probably the best I’ve had anywhere, but lately I’ve been into the Blood and Sand, a potent blend of Scotch, blood orange juice and Cherry Heering.
5
SINMEI TEA 35 Shaoxing Lu I love this tea shop by my friend Sinmei for a couple reasons; its location on Shaoxing Road, a lovely street with a literary past that’s one of my favorites to stroll down, as well as her endlessly innovative and surprising creations using tea as a medium.
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Follow @dianatu to see all of her curated spots
LE LUTIN FOUNDER @DIANATU’S SHOPPING GUIDE
SHOP TIL YO U D R O P
in the app
Hi Diana - tell me about Le
Lutin and your connection to Shanghai!
I started Le Lutin about 5 to 6
years ago, right out of business school. We are currently
a womenswear boutique but hope to eventually become a purveyor of all objects of
2
beauty, from artistic to spiritual.
PROJECT AEGIS 1 Taojiang Lu A nice menswear selection that strikes a balance between being fashionable and sensible. This is the second store the brand has opened after their original on Julu Road, and in addition to quality mens clothes including Rag & Bone, Opening Ceremony and Band of Outsiders, there’s also a coffee bar featuring vintage arcade machines.
I know you travel a lot for your job, why did you choose to
settle in Shanghai for Le Lutin? My family has a long history in Shanghai; my grandfather is
from here, my father has been
doing business in the city since the early 90’s and my mother
moved here after I went off to
university, so I suppose Shanghai was a natural choice for me - I
wanted to be close to my family
but be experimental at the same time, so Shanghai was it.
How would you describe the fashion scene in Shanghai?
I think retail and fashion are
often very different things. The fashion scene seems to be
booming, with a lot of young talent and people becoming
more and more interested in the
field, but retail is a different story. Being an independent retailer is very difficult in Shanghai. It’s an ongoing struggle.
4
W. W. CHAN & SONS TAILOR No. 5, 165 Maoming South Road I make all my shirts either here or at Charvet in Paris. W. W. Chan once made a shirt dress for me. I think it was the first and last dress they’ll ever make. It was a lot of work because they are not used to making womenswear
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LE LUTIN No. 104-204, 88 Tongren Road Am I allowed to recommend my own store? Do I need to give a reason? We opened in Dec 2009 and envision ourselves as a devotee of established designers and patron of fresh talents, spearheading the promising fashion retail scene in China.
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AVOCADO LADY 274 Wulumuqi Road I cook quite a bit at home, and the “avocado lady”, as the proprietress is affectionately referred to, is my favorite purveyor of food stuffs including a lot of Western ingredients that are hard to find in Shanghai.
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ROSA GALLICA 376 Wukang Road I love this beautiful florist in Ferguson Lane on Wukang Road. I often order arrangements from them for friends birthdays and other events.
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Follow @tom_teti to see all of his curated spots
DJ @TOM_YETI’S NIGHT LIFE GUIDE
in the app
WHERE TO PA R T Y I T U P YETI B is the moniker of Thomas
How would you describe the
Bray – a rising star in the Shanghai
nightlife scene in Shanghai?
a cross-atlantic music collective
huge; there is an endless number
DJ scene and director of YETI,
working with artists and venues
from Vancouver to Shanghai. Born
half Chinese and half British, Bray’s passion for music first flourished
in London’s mid 2000s bass scene alongside a fledging modeling
The nightlife scene in Shanghai is of clubs and bars. The music
scene however is still growing but at an exciting pace where more promoters and local artists are
THE SHELTER
career on the runway walking for
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Louis Vuitton, Y-3 and Gucci. With regular gigs and productions
DADA
at Shanghai’s best nightclubs,
dropping beats alongside Aluna George, Tropkillaz, Young Guru,
and Benji B, Bray has an insider’s
view of the hottest club nights the city has to offer.
Hi Thomas - tell me about your connection to Shanghai!
I ended up in Shanghai after a
work trip for Fashion Week F/W
13’, I was working for a Canadian based fashion PR agency at the
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getting involved.
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ARCADE 2/F, 57 Fuxing Xi Lu This is the local bar where we hang out, drink potent cocktails, play B2B street fighter and have our residency ‘YETI Sess’ – it’s good vibes and all you need to kick the night off.
115 Xingfu Lu Dada is an upretentious dive bar tucked between a corner shop and a fake dvd store. If you want cheap pints, reliable tunes and a bathroom graffiti wall of fame, you found the one! Kode 9 once released a titled track with their street name and Dada in Beijing is even rowdier.
5 Yongfu Lu The former bomb shelter is a Shanghai music institution with the main room is situated through a deep underground tunnel, playing there is always a treat! Over 8 years, they’ve had many legends roll through and on point programming crossing all sub genres.
time and got relocated six months later, with no regrets! Shanghai to me is 20 million hustlers and not much sleep.
Tell me about YETI, why is
Shanghai the perfect base for it?
YETI is a creative collective,
booking agency, DJ crew, party, club residency and a mythical
beast your mother warned you
about! We originated in London
then Hong Kong but being based in Shanghai allows us to be part
of a growing market and palette
for alternative sounds and weird dance moves.
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ARKHAM 1 Wulumuqi Lu This French Concession 500 capacity warehouse is where we put on most our international bookings, from live acts like Slow Magic to DJs like Sliink. YETI DJs play here on the regular too; in hindsight I probably spend way too much time here!
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LE BARON
TAIPEI CHUN K
7F, 20 Donghu Lu From carpet dance floors, disco balls to bottle poppers, Le Baron Shanghai is Mr. Andre’s latest club and feels like 1950’s Paris except when we drop 2Pac & Biggie bangers on our Thursday night residency. Watch out for those fish bowl size Gin & Tonics too!
3F Sun Moon Plaza,
618 Xujiahui Road We can’t talk about Shanghai nightlife without including a KTV in the mix! There’s nothing wrong with singing your heart out to ‘Empire State of Mind’ in a dark room with booze-fueled mates you just made at sillyo’clock…is there?
SHANGHAI
E ER GUANG WONTONS
A A DA SCALLION PANCAKES
ARCADE
26
15, 52
Fuxing Road. No 57
ARKAM 52 1 Wulumuqi Lu
AROOM CAFE (EAT)
F
L
FARINE 50
LAO WANG HOT POT
202 Wukang Rd, Xuhui
1052 Wuding Road
FUXING ROAD FU 1088
45
39
09, 51 25
GRUMPY PIG
21
near Xizang Nan Lu
65-4 Maoming North Road
51
M
SPOTS INDEX
39
MARUMICHI
まるみち 丸道日本料理
20
675 Xianlu Road
MOTSUNABE
20
2088A- 319 Yanan West Road
MOCOS
33
103, Lane 1245 Wuding Road
BULLOMAN 32 富樂滿韓國正宗炸雞
GUM GUM
14
No. 60, Lane 273 Jiaozhou Road
N
9, Lane 1051 Hongquan Road
NAN LING 南伶酒家 21
H
C 15
清邁天堂
HEAD COUTURE
S3-01 Jingan Kerry Center,
09
25, Lane 820 Fuming Road
1238 Nanjing Road
THE NEST
38
6/F, 130 Beijing Dong Lu
Jixian Road No. 145
NO. 2 FOOD STORE
I D
INNO DINING
DADA 52 27
36 Taian Rd
DOE 24
45
1000 Huaihai Middle Road
14
Unit 101, No. 60, Lane 273 Jiaozhou Road
O
115 Xingfu Lu
Unit 105, 88, Tongren Lu, near Anyi Lu, Jingan
52
Shanghai Concert Hall, Jinling Dong Lu,
Sonjiang, 3888 Chenhua Lu
DAGA BREWPUB (DRINK)
LE BARON
LOVE PARK
G
B
CHIANG MAI HEAVEN
09
7F, 20 Donghu Lu
LE LUTIN
375 Zhenning Lu
274 Wulumuqi Lu, near Wuyuan Lu
SONGJIANG BOTANICAL GARDEN
15
27
2/F, 423 Guangfu Lu,
AVOCADO LADY (WU YUAN ROAD)
KONG YI JI 孔乙己 14
Xuegong Street No. 36
104- 88 Tongren Road
120 Taian Rd
AVENUE AND SON
44
209-213 Zhao Zhou Road
44
Back door of No. 2, Lane 159 Maoming Lu
AFTER PARTY STREET FOOD (FUMIN LU × CHANGLE LU)
K
J JING CAI XUAN 晶采軒 38
3F Kerry Center, 1601 Nanjing West Road
OLD JESSE (EAT) 41 Tian Ping Road
50
P
W
THE PENINSULA SHANGHAI
08
32 Zhongshan Dongyi Road
POWER STATION OF ART
27
THE WATERHOUSE AT SOUTH BUND Maojiayan Road 1-3
W.W.CHAN SONS TAILOR
No.200 Huayuan’gang Road, Huangpu District
46
51
165-5 Maoming S Rd
PROJECT AEGIS
51
777 Julu Lu
X XIN RONG JI
R ROSA GALLICA FOR FLOWERS 51
32
5th Floor Shanghai Plaza, 138 Huaihai Middle Road
Ferguson Lane, 376 Wukang Lu, near Taian Lu, Xuhui district
Y YAKITORI FUKUCHAN
S SENATORS SALOON (DRINK) 50
YONGFOO ELITE
98 Wuyuan Rd
200 Yongfu Road
THE SHELTER
32
223 Changle Road
21, 52
5 Yongfu Road
SHC SHOP
39
YUYINTANG 26 851 Kaixuan Lu
39
Shouning Road & Jinan Road
SHUN FENG GANG WAN 20 順風港灣(泰興路店)
# 10 CORSO COMO
08
1717 Nanjing West Road
4th Floor 175 Taixing Road
SPIN CERAMICS
33
366 Wuyuan Lu
806 Julu Road
LATE NIGHT STREET FOOD
YU MASSAGE
08
33
360 Kangding Road
1984 CAFE (EAT)
50
11 Hunan Lu
T TAIPEI CHUN K
52
3F Sun Moon Plaza, 618 Xujiahui Road
U UNION TRADING COMPANY 2, Lane 64 Fengyang Road
44
Spot photos credit: Company website and press releases, Timeout Shanghai, Smart Shanghai, Gudumami, Two Suit Case and Datin Pot, Drops and Clicks, Xin City, House of Haos, Flickriver, Awiweibang, Sugarnspiced, Shanghaiwow, Cityweekend, Travel CNN, Globaltimes, Sinxy Kitchen, For Best Travel Guide, Jason Bonvivant, Life On Chang Lu, Shanghai Collected, Lancia Trend Vision, Twisper, Hunger Hunger, Bureau 36, Just Gola, Andrew Rowat, Ferguson Lane
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