Branching Out

by Stephanie Sherril
on Friday, September 04, 2009

Quietly but surely we are seeing new drinking and dining venues beginning to sprout up around the city again. Several of them are familiar faces, as many of Shanghai's well-established venues have taken advantage of this lull to branch out.

Perhaps the most buzz-worthy opening of the month is Lost Heaven's ambitious four-storey Bund-ish bar and restaurant. With their first location a perennial expat pleaser, the massive new space hopes to cash in on this popularity in an even more prestigious location. The décor is similar, with dark wood, dim lighting and soft red accents. The Yunnannese menu sticks to the well-loved formula, with a few updates. But it is the space that is the most impressive, boasting a lifestyle store on the first floor, a sprawling restaurant space on the second, an open terrace bar on the third and an upbeat lounge at the top.

More bold, high-rent expansions have been made by Gourmet Cafe and Aniseed. Gourmet Cafe has brought its excellent burgers and shakes to the Shanghai Center. From the long lines we've noticed at lunch, it seems their gamble should pay off. Meanwhile, Aniseed is moving upscale at Xintiandi where it hopes to win over the high-traffic area with its proven Vietnamese menu.

Moving in from the city outskirts, Boxing Cat Brewery has enjoyed a raging success with its second more centrally located bar and restaurant on Fuxing Lu. Another far-flung favorite has now followed suit, with the House of Flour gang opening a smaller dessert and cocktail boutique, Hof, in the new 30 Sinan Lu development.

Also at 30 Sinan Lu is the newest Ginger. Betty Ng is quite the busy Shanghai restaurateur; she now has four citywide locations featuring her winning combination of great South Asian cuisine and a cozy café ambience.

Marsala Art, one of the strongholds of Dagu Lu, has opened a second location in the re-emerging Fuxing Park neighborhood. The super-popular El Willy is also diversifying with el Cóctel, a smaller cocktail and tapas bar, set to open in mid October in a yet-to-be-disclosed space.

Which popular Shanghai restaurant will be next to branch out into a new location? Surprisingly there is no news from two of Shanghai's most prolific restaurateurs, David Laris and Eduardo Vargas. Or perhaps Bubba's will finally take the plunge and open another venue? Here's hoping.