Shanghai | Sugared & Spiced

2015/10/062019/06/29

[Shanghai] Quan Er 荃二 (2)

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Quan Er 荃二

Add: 1 Alley 76 Wuyuan Road, near Changshu Road
Tel: 186 2165 1927
Hours: [Thu-Fri] 8-10pm [Sat-Sun] 3-10pm (closed Mon-Wed)
Price: varies
Visited: Sep 2015

I had previously told you about 荃二 (Quan Er), a tiny boutique on Changle Road filled with beautiful ceramics and other knickknacks collected from Japan. It has since moved to Wuyuan Road to a bigger and brighter space, with a charming loft design. In case you had missed the info last time, here it is again: I met 文林 (Wen Lin), one of the three shop owners, years ago through a magazine interview. A soft-spoken man from Sichuan, Wen was then the Associate Director of the lifestyle section at Bund Pic and travelled often to Japan for work. Throughout the years, he and his colleagues have accumulated an impressive collection of miscellaneous goods, and decided to open Quan Er to share this with like-minded others.

之前曾介紹過的日式雜貨店荃二，最近搬了到五原路。新的空間更大更明亮，而且還有舒服的夾層設計。跟店主之一的文林認識是在去巴黎之前，通過雜志訪問的緣故。四川人，相當安靜沈穩，跟他說說話似乎血壓都降低了。之前是外灘畫報生活版副總監的他，由于工作的關系經常去日本，幾年下來和同事們收集了不少手工藝職人的作品。想想不如開間店，分享給同樣愛好的人，于是就有了荃二。

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2015/10/052019/06/29

[Shanghai] Mellower Coffee

shanghai

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Mellower Coffee

Add: 9 Jinan Road, near Songshan Road / 济南路9号, 近嵩山路
Tel: 6351 1079
Hours: 8:30am-10pm
Website: www.mellowercoffee.com
Price: [coffee] 40-58 RMB
Visited: Sep 2015

Mellower Coffee is a local Chinese chain that popped up about a year ago in Oct 2014, and is apparently very serious about its coffee. While coffee connoisseurs go for the real deal (AeroPress, Chemex, V60, ice drip etc.), most customers – myself included – go simply to try a drink called “sweet little rain”, consisting of Americano served with a piece of cotton candy hovering above it. Details below.

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Why yes, that is a piece of cotton candy cloud raining sugar into my coffee. As the steam from the coffee heats the cotton candy, it melts and drips, thereby sweetening the coffee. Super cute presentation and idea, but the result is mediocre coffee (inevitably you have to wait for the cotton candy to melt, and that means lukewarm coffee by the time you get to it) and a sticky coffee cup that’s messy to hold.

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2015/10/042019/06/29

[Shanghai] Chang Zuo 長作

shanghai

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Chang Zuo 長作

Add: No. 2, Alley 764, Changle Rd./ 長樂路764弄2號
Tel: N/A
Hours: N/A (no specific info during soft-opening)
Price: [drinks] 40-68 RMB [pastries] 40 RMB
Visited: Sep 2015

Just opened 2 months ago, Chang Zuo 長作 is the newest outlet by Chinese fashion brand/select shop Dong Liang 棟樑. Located on Changle Road, this beautifully renovated structure includes a first floor cafe, topped by 3 levels of boutique space displaying a carefully curated selection from independent designers, as well as Dong Liang’s own creations. The design style is a mix of modern and wabisabi, with careful attention to details. It’s exactly my cup of tea.

托荃二文老板的福，我在回上海的第四天就發現了棟梁于長樂路上新開的 “長作“。一樓是咖啡館，二至四樓則是與棟梁合作的獨立設計師作品陳列室。整個空間非常漂亮，許多小細節都做的相當用心，而且雖是新店，卻已有種沈澱過，令人安心的穩重感。

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2015/01/272016/03/14

[Shanghai] Flask

shanghai

Flask

Add: 432 Shanxi Nan Lu, near Fuxing Zhong Lu / 陕西南路432号, 近复兴中路
Tel: 3368 6108
Hours: [Mon-Sun] 7pm-2am
Price: 90 RMB/cocktail
Visited: Jan 2015

A sandwich shop called “The Press” recently opened on Shanxi Nan Lu. Glass façade, sharp concrete corners, neon strip lights that read “get your hands dirty”, a painting of superman munching away, and a vintage coca-cola vending machine. The emptiness and the eeriness of it remind me of Edward Hopper’s paintings, and it’s definitely not a place that you’d voluntarily venture in if you just happen to pass by.

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…unless you already know that there’s something curious about this coca-cola vending machine.

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Pull open the door and pass through the tunnel hidden just behind. Welcome to Flask, the newest addition to Shanghai’s growing speakeasy scene.

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The space is designed by Alberto Caiola. A few prominent features of the interior include the dramatic drop ceiling, a wall of giant whisky bottles illuminated by amber lights, and the sleekly arranged bar itself. More details here.

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2015/01/212015/08/05

[Shanghai] Doe

paris

Doe

Add: 105, 88 Tong Ren Lu / 铜仁路 88 号 105
Tel: 6180 8378
Hours: 10am-9:30pm
Price: 24~46 RMB/coffee
Visited: Jan 2015

I wouldn’t have ventured into DOE if not introduced by a friend. The shop is primarily a streetwear boutique featuring its in-house label DOE 餖, as well as familiar names like Nike, Jordan, Converse and selected brands from Japan, U.S., and Europe. Not really my type of place to visit, until I discovered that it also doubles as a cafe serving quality coffee. What I love about the space is its tiered stadium seating instead of the typical table-and-chair setup, making it an extra chill and comfortable hangout spot.

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2015/01/172015/08/05

[Shanghai] Ataraxia Studio

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Ataraxia Studio

Add: Alley 351 Huashan Lu, No 19, 1F / 华山路 351弄19号1楼
Tel: 6271 6901
Hours: [Fri] 2-5pm [Sat-Sun] 1-5pm (closed Mon-Thu)
Price: 50RMB/coffee
Visited: Jan 2015

I haven’t visited Shanghai since moving to Paris in 2012, and upon returning two and a half years later, I’m delighted to find the city blossoming with not just hip new restaurants, but also small shops with their own attitudes. Ataraxia Studio, opened about 6 months ago in August 2014, is one such charming spot. Tucked all the way in the innermost corner of 351 Huashan Lu, this space houses a collection of tableware and furniture, many of which hand-carried back from Japan. The owner is a Shanghainese man who calls himself 管家 (the housekeeper), an interior/space designer who travels to Japan 6-7 times a year because he is so enamored with the culture and lifestyle there. His day job keeps him busy and brings in enough money so he can afford to open Ataraxia Studio only 3 days a week (Fri-Sun). It’s not really advertised, but he will also brew you a lovely cup of coffee from his next door kitchen if you’d like.

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2012/08/282015/09/23

[Shanghai] Tang Gong 唐宫

restaurant

Tang Gong 唐宫

Add: 1/F, 103 Dong Zhu’anbang Lu, near Jiangsu Lu 东诸安浜路103号维景酒店公寓1-2楼, 近江苏路
Tel: 6251 6148
Hours: 7:30am-10:00pm
Price: 50~80 RMB/person
Visited: Aug 2012

Knowing that I won’t be able to get any good dim sum in Paris (not at this price, at least), I went for a dim sum brunch at Tang Gong right before my departure. Cha siu sou, shrimp dumplings, roasted pigeons, turnip cakes, egg tarts, cha siu buns, chicken feet, stir-fried noodles with beef…The best part? We stuffed our faces, yet the bill came out to be less than 60 RMB per person.

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2012/08/252015/09/24

[Shanghai] Dinner at Jean Georges

restaurant

Jean Georges

Add: 4/F, Three on the Bund, 17 Guangdong Lu / 广东路17号, 外滩三号4楼
Tel: 6321 7733
Hours: [lunch] 11:30am~2:30pm [dinner] 6:00pm~11:00pm
Website: www.threeonthebund.com
Price: [lunch] 218 RMB+ 10% [dinner] 668~1458 RMB + 10%
Visited: Aug 2012 (visit 2, 3)

At the end of my internship at Jean George’s pastry kitchen, Executive Chef Lam Ming Kin and Pastry Chef Seani Lin very kindly treated me to an extravagant meal at the restaurant. Now am I lucky, or am I lucky?

Kin put together a special tasting menu for me and my dinner companions that evening. It looked similar to the Seasonal Menu (1458 RMB + 10%), but a few dishes have been substituted.

It all started with a glass of Perrier-Jouët…

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2012/08/212015/10/07

[Shanghai] Pulau Ketam

restaurant

Pulau Ketam

Add: Xintiandi S. Block, Lane 123, 2-3 Xingye Lu /  新天地, 兴业路123弄2-3号
Tel: 5306 3706
Hours: 11:30am~2pm, 5:30~10:30pm
Price: 400 RMB+/person
Visited: Jul 2012

Please note that this is an arranged tasting.

The folks behind Haiku by Hatsune and Kagen Teppanyaki recently opened Pulau Ketam, an upscale Singaporean/Malaysian crab house. I’m not so familiar with this cuisine and was quite eager to try…but first, a chilled towel and a welcome drink at the door to cool down the summer heat.

We started the meal on a light note with an Organic Mixed Green Salad (138 RMB), a lush heap dressed in sweet orange vinaigrette and punctuated with crunchy candied walnuts. Crisp and refreshing.

Aubergine Tempura with Pork Floss (108 RMB), julienned aubergines fried to a golden crisp, then topped with sweet and savory pork tendon floss.

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2012/08/172015/09/27

[Shanghai] Bouquet

restaurant

Bouquet

Add: 3/F, Xinhua Bookstore, 1829 Beijing Xi Lu, near Wanhangdu Lu / 北京西路1829号, 近万航渡路
Tel: 3372 7600
Hours: 11am~midnight
Website: www.bouquet-wine.com
Price: [lunch] 50~100 RMB [dinner] 150~200 RMB
Visited on: 2012-08

Please note that this is an arranged tasting.

Hidden on the 3rd floor of the newly opened Xinhua Bookstore is Bouquet, a small wine bar with the ambience of a cozy, secluded attic. As the name suggests, the focus here is wine – there are some 100 choices by the bottle and a dozen or so by the glass – but the dinner menu is actually also quite attractive in itself. Executive chef Rafael Qing, formerly of Maya, has created a range of dishes that blend the east and west, with sizes that are meant to be shared. Could this be your new after-work hangout?

I particularly liked this corner of the room.

Wine, wine, wine, with Riedel glasses.

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