August 24, 2020 • 21 mins
In today’s penultimate compilation episode from Season 1, we’re talking about the favourite places people like to frequent in China. And since this first season has focused on resident of Shanghai, the resulting answers are a love letter to all the restaurants, bars and cafés of this vibrant world-class city. Whether you’re looking for recommendations of street food, high-end restaurants, bars, clubs, coffeeshops, malls or even supermarkets, you should find some inspiration from today’s episode. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:37 - Main 19:59 - Outro Instagram: www.instagram.com/oscology Facebook: www.facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat: www.mosaicofchina.com/wechat
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
[Trailer]Roz COLEMAN: Put
your bags and coats here. Let's geta drink. Right, now come in here. Now
we're going to do a dance”. And then I'mlike a four-year-old, I'm like “Listen,
can you hear me talking? You can hear me talking,but you can feel the bass, right? You can hear
me talking, but you can feel the bass?” It’slike, my friends laugh at me because they're
like “Roz, I know. We've done this before.You've literally showed me this five times”.
[Intro]OF: Welcome to Mosaic of China,
(00:22):
a podcast about people who are making theirmark in China. I'm your host, Oscar Fuchs.
So today is the penultimate compilationepisode from Season 01. And as we're coming
to the end of these special compilations, it'smaking me reflect on the fact that this is the
only season that I will personally curate.Because the whole idea of this podcast was
for the guests themselves to nominate whowill appear in the next season of the show.
(00:46):
This is where the idea of the ‘Mosaic’ comesfrom: I helped to lay out the first tiles
at the beginning, but then the mosaicwill organically build out from there.
The reason I bring this up now is toexplain that - as diverse as my network
was in putting together the season - it'sstill largely limited to people in Shanghai.
Next season the referrals are already a little bitmore spread out into other cities, and this trend
(01:09):
will definitely grow as the mosaic tiles buildout in the future seasons. But for Season 01,
Mosaic of China could have been renamed ‘Mosaicof Shanghai’. You might not have paid too much
attention to that across all thirty of theseconversations. But you will definitely notice
it now, because in today's episode we're talkingabout the favourite places people like to hang
(01:29):
out at in China. And it's a love letter to allthe restaurants, bars and cafes of Shanghai.
[Main][Voiceover]
OF (01:38):
Tom Barker, the diplomat from Episode 25. [Clip]
TB (01:42):
There is one place I particularly love. So on the outside it's concrete, and it screams out
“You will be murdered in here.” Like, for example,its name - as far as I was aware for ages - was
‘Cocktail.’ ‘Cocktail’, very faded. But one day,we were desperate for somewhere to have a drink.
Our kids had been really bratty all day, we werejust really frazzled, but we didn't really want
(02:06):
to go anywhere. So I saw that place, I saw itwas open, the lights were finally on for the
first time we’d walked past it. So we went in, andinside it was this amazing, clean, semi-welcoming
environment, where somebody had clearly reallybeen into the Beatles, and had just embraced
the, sort of, the 60s mod vibe in a really bizarreway. So it turns out the bar’s called ‘Beagle.’
OF (02:30):
‘Beagle’? Never heard of it. TB
you want inside - that’s the downside - butthe cocktails, they were so annoyingly good.
[Voiceover]OF:
Nick Yu, the playwright from Episode 13.[Clip]
NY (02:47):
If you say in Shanghai a place you love, it’s our theatre. I’m really crazy for my job.
Since 1995, I stayed in this road, and every nightI’m almost the last guy to leave this building.
[Voiceover]OF:
(03:08):
Jorge Luzio, the marketerfor Sprite from Episode 05.
[Clip]JL: Well, my terrace. I like my terrace. And
we throw amazing parties there. I really enjoyhaving people come over to the terrace and enjoy
the good weather.[Voiceover]
OF (03:25):
Greg Nance, the ultramarathon athlete from Episode 23.
[Clip]GN: One of my favourite things to
do is just go on long runs where I just unplug,I'm thinking, and I run and run and run until
I'm so hungry or I don’t think I cankeep going. And I will just jump into
the random hole-in-the-wall dumpling or noodle orrice place right there. And more often than not,
(03:47):
just like a really wonderful granny orgrandpa is cooking up something delicious.
We'll have a special moment there,I'll usually get a selfie in with them.
And then I'll have the fuel and the carbs tothen run back to 静安 [Jìng’ān] where I'm based.
That's kind of my favourite actually,of everything. And I feel like I've seen
a couple hundred wonderful holes-in-the-wall atthis point. For listeners who may be looking for
(04:10):
recommendations in Shanghai, I love The Press,it’s maybe my favourite coffee shop. It's down
in the 黄浦 [Huángpǔ] district. It is the site ofone of the old newspaper presses. And so it's
beautiful Greco Roman style architecture. And it'srelatively affordable, you know, americanos and
coffee there. It’s just a really beautifulplace to go do some work, set some goals.
(04:31):
And then my favourite kind of hang out… I'mnot a big night owl anymore, I go to bed
relatively early, I'm pretty boring. But I do likeCo.Cheese, which is like a grilled cheese spot,
real close to Chinaccelerator,which is where I'm based. And so
yeah, that's a very tasty spot, if you’reever craving some some grilled cheese.
[Voiceover]OF: Lori Li, the private club GM from Episode 10.
(04:54):
[Clip]LL: My favourite place is
one we call ‘David Lynch’s 麻辣烫 [Málàtàng]’. It's麻辣烫 [Málàtàng], open very late into the morning,
and the atmosphere is really underground. It’slike David Lynch’s movies. All the decoration,
(05:16):
the people inside, and all the music playedthere, is really unusual from the daily life.
[Voiceover]OF:
Michael Zee, the Instagraminfluencer from Episode 07.
[Clip]MZ: One of my
new favourites is Heritage by Madison, whichis a lovely new restaurant down at the Bund
(05:38):
Finance Center, next to the lovely ThomasHeatherwick building that moves. And it's
excellent. You know, it's Western casualfine dining with lots of Chinese influences.
Really nice wine list. Really inexpensive.Stunning setting. World-class service. Nailed it.
[Voiceover]OF: Yang Yi, the broadcaster from Episode 21.
(06:01):
[Clip]YY: I think usually a friend
will recommend some restaurant or coffee shop,and they will bring me there. And at that time,
I will give it a score, like “This restaurantis good”. But it doesn't mean I will come back.
Or it doesn't mean it is my favourite. Because Ithink if you think the place is your favourite,
(06:25):
you will go there many times, right? So if youhave to say the place I usually go, it’s a small
noodle restaurant near my house. I go there everyday. But is it my ‘favourite’? I don't think so.
[Voiceover]OF:
Maple Zuo, the comedian from Episode 02.[Clip]
MZ (06:47):
OK, there was a Japanese restaurant I really really like. Because the designer is from Japan,
he’s very good - so you’re sitting there, youlook through the window, you can see the area
you're in, you can see the lobby, you can see theoutside view. It's like you’re starting from here,
and you can just see the world connecting.It's so beautiful and peaceful. It’s called
(07:07):
百川 [Bǎichuān] restaurant.[Voiceover]
OF (07:10):
Emily Madge, the aquarium conservationist from Episode 14.
[Clip]EM: Oh,
um, where's my favourite place? I tend to belazy with it, really. Kind of Funkadeli area,
just because it's five minutes walk from home,there's always people there. I love hotpot. So
(07:31):
any good hotpot restaurant. The spicy one is thebest. Yeah, I love that. So, yeah, I float around.
[Voiceover]OF:
Angie Wu, the jewellery craftsman from Episode 18.
[Clip]AW: I really like Malabar,
because of the Spanish environment. The foodis really good. And it's not overpriced.
(07:52):
Really good portions, it’s not like reallytiny tapas. So I will take you there next time.
[Voiceover]OF:
Astrid Poghosyan, the violinist from Episode 04.[Clip]
AP (08:03):
I think one of my favourite places for food is Sichuan Citizen restaurant. And it's been,
I think the first Chinese restaurant I've evereven tried in Shanghai, because back then they
used to be at 东湖 [Dōnghú] Road, and the ShanghaiConservatory of Music was beside it. And I've been
going there for, like, ten years already. Andthe people there, I’ve known for ten years. And
(08:24):
I spend, like, five to six of my birthdaysthere with them. So it's just very, very,
super, like ‘first place to go’ and takemy friends, whoever is visiting here.
[Voiceover]OF: Noah Sheldon,
the documentary filmmaker from Episode 09.[Clip]
NS (08:38):
There's a restaurant we love. What is the name in Chinese? The English name is ‘In & Out’. It's
a horrible translation.OF: In-N-Out Burger?
No, no. ‘In & Out’, it’s a 云南 [Yúnnán] restaurant.
OF (08:50):
Oh right. NS
in 湖滨道 [Húbīndào] mall. And it's so excellent.OF: I know it, it's on the third floor, yes.
NS (08:57):
Exactly. I think the food there is so great. But they don't have a lot of alcohol. So that's
kind of a problem.[Voiceover]
OF (09:08):
Sebastien Denes, the inclusion advocate from Episode 11.
[Clip]SD: Alright, so it's gonna sound odd. It’s a
restaurant in the Florentia Village. So, FlorentiaVillage is an outlet close to the airport. So
that's not so fancy, nor glamourous, let's put itthat way. But they have a very good restaurant,
(09:31):
a very good Italian restaurant called ‘BellaVita’. We know the chef, Stefano, personally. And
it's a little bit like every week, everySunday, we go back to Italy. Nothing fancy,
nothing ‘fusion’, just traditional Italiancuisine, where you can find a little bit of home
(09:51):
and, you know, spend good family time.OF: And that's because your wife is Italian,
right?SD: Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Vy
Vu, the fitness community leader from Episode 08.[Clip]
VV (10:04):
Blackbird, actually. Have you been there? OF
Yeah. So I only just recently discovered Columbia Circle actually. But it's the perfect mix
of everything. You've got great food on the lowerfloor. You've got great cocktails in the middle.
And then you've got this gorgeous terrace wherethey play movies and everything. But it's a shame
(10:26):
that Colombia Circle hasn't actually takenoff as yet. But I'm really liking Blackbird.
[Voiceover]OF:
Nini Sum, the artist from Episode 16.[Clip]
NS (10:39):
Actually, my friend’s studio. So I have several artist friends, they all have studios
around my studio’s area, pretty downtown. And Igo in there, see what they're making recently.
And also sometimes invite peoplehere to my studio, having a beer.
OF (10:56):
Right. It's funny, you're never really far away from art. Even when you're hanging out,
you’re hanging out around art.NS: Oh my god, it's terrible.
[Voiceover]OF:
Roz Coleman, the theatre producer from Episode 22.[Clip]
RC (11:10):
I think one of my favourite venues - in the entire world, never mind Shanghai - has to be
ALL on 襄阳北路 [Xiāngyáng Běilù]. I think whatGaz has done there is absolutely astounding.
The sound system is unparalleled. WheneverI get there, it's the same story every time.
(11:31):
I'm like “Do this. Put your bags and coats here.Let's get a drink. Right, now come in here. Now
we're going to do a dance”. And then I'm like afour-year-old, I'm like “Listen, can you hear me
talking? You can hear me talking, but you can feelthe bass, right? You can hear me talking, but you
can feel the bass?” It’s like, my friends laughat me because they're like “Roz, I know. We've
done this before. You've literally showed methis five times”. “I know, but I can't believe
how good the sound is in here”. And what I loveis that any new music that's happening in there,
(11:54):
people will say “Oh, but I don't think I likeTrap music. I don't like Footwork. I don't
think I'm into industrial techno”. But they goin there, they hear that, as soon as you're in
front of the DJ, you’re dancing straightaway,because it’s always high quality programming.
[Voiceover]OF: Gina Li, the invention
company CEO from Episode 06.[Clip]
GL (12:12):
IAPM, a shopping mall based in downtown Shanghai. I think from the third, fourth,
fifth floor, there are certain different barsor a coffee shops that have terraces. And then
also, they have, like, supermarkets and a movietheatre. So I just like to put myself somewhere
in the crowd, but still a little bitquiet, where it has multi-functions.
(12:34):
[Voiceover]OF:
Abe Deyo, the tour manager from Episode 27.[Clip]
AD (12:40):
Probably RnB. Just because that's, you know, where a lot of my friends go. It's a record shop /
bottle shop.OF: Right. I
guess… I just worked out what RnB stands for.AD: Yeah, Records n’ Beer, Records n’ Beer.
[Voiceover]OF:
Sabrina Chen, the dance programmecurator from Episode 26.
[Clip]SC: Well if you put me into a fashionable place,
(13:05):
I will still enjoy it. But maybe I would notproactively choose to go. Maybe it's because
I grew up in Shanghai, I've seen too many of them.For me, I feel a little bit fed up with it. Yeah,
so that's why I like to go to places thatare more cosy. Ah, maybe the supermarket!
(13:27):
You know 盒马鲜生 [Hémǎ Xiānshēng]? It'smagic. So when you order seafood,
actually they will put it in a bagand they will hang the bag on a track.
So it's like an automatic system, you canreceive your goods. It's really funny.
[Voiceover]OF: Stephane de Montgros,
(13:48):
the events company CEO from Episode 19.[Clip]
SDM (13:51):
I’d like to give a shout to Shake. Shake is by far my favourite live music venue in Asia.
They’re on 茂名 [Màomíng] Road. Beautiful place fordinner, drinks, and some dancing. And trust me,
I've been to quite a lot. So go to Shake.Fantastic. And again, my favourite all over Asia.
(14:15):
[Voiceover]OF: Srinivas Yanamandra,
the compliance leader from Episode 15.[Clip]
SY (14:21):
So the best place to hang around is always The Bund. And once you go
and take a walk in the evening, I think youreally can't stop admiring the other side,
how it has been created. And the phenomenal factis that it has been done in the past 20 years.
[Voiceover]OF:
Sanford Browne, the biochemist from Episode 29.
(14:43):
[Clip]SB: So there are some
downsides to the pace of change that happens. SoI would say a lot of the favourite places that I
had no longer exist - my favourite 包子 [bāozi]shop, my favourite 小笼包 [xiǎolóngbāo] shop,
some older streets that I would love to walkin, that really felt like you're in older
China - unfortunately, those don’t really existanymore in Shanghai. I used to do… when people
(15:06):
came to Shanghai for the first time, I used totake my sidecar and go out to the countryside,
where you see farmers and everything, and thentake them down to the Bund. And you saw that
all within one day. And so, it was the completecontrast of that. So that's a that's a little
bit… But then on the flipside, you always havenew fantastic places. The new restaurant that
(15:30):
I like is Hiya in the Edition Hotel. Because,what I like about it, so food's very good there,
the quality's there, but the view… So theyhave a bar upstairs, and you have a rooftop.
And of course, Shanghai has lots of rooftopbars. But what was interesting with this one,
it's a different view, at least from what I hadseen before, because you're further back. And you
have a different perspective on the city, that Ihad never seen before, even though I've seen it
(15:54):
a million times. And honestly, I think Shanghaiis the most beautiful city at night in the world.
[Voiceover]OF:
Philippe Gas, the Disneyresort CEO from Episode 01.
[Clip]PG: I recently discovered
a very good Cantonese restaurant in a hotelcalled Edition Hotel, it’s right off The Bund,
called Canton Disco. If you have not beenthere, I recommend you try it. It’s great food,
(16:19):
great environment, I love this place. I have manyhangouts, places where I go to. I live here in the
centre, so there’s some Mexican food that I love,and many of my friends like to hang out there. But
this one I recommend to try.[Voiceover]
OF (16:36):
Octo Cheung, the fashion designer from Episode 30.
[Clip]OC: The best restaurant
I really like is called Highline, which is on thesixth floor of the Ascott. And the best drinks is
Sober Company, which is one of the 50 best barsin Asia. And it was opened by a Japanese person.
(16:56):
[Voiceover]OF:
Eric Olander, the journalist from Episode 03.[Clip]
EO (17:02):
The perfect answer for this, and the cliché answer would be, some corner dive
in the French concession that serves the bestdumplings that you've ever heard of it, that
nobody else knows. And it's their secret spot,that only this one foreigner seems to know.
I won't give you that answer. Because to be honestwith you, eating Eastern Chinese food - so that is
Shanghai Chinese food - actually is not myfavourite. I gotta be honest with you. It's
(17:24):
greasy, I don't like the MSG, and it's very salty.I prefer Southern Chinese food, 云南 [Yúnnán]. So
I actually like the French bistros and theWestern food here in the French Concession.
I don't have a particular favourite. I mean,listen, I'm a big Wagas fan, I mean, that's a very
kind of mainstream pedestrian answer. But they dogood service. You know, what I'm gonna say? But
(17:45):
I don't actually have a favourite dive, orcorner, or hole-in-the-wall in Shanghai.
[Voiceover]OF: Lissanthea Taylor,
the pain expert from Episode 28.[Clip]
LT (17:56):
So my favourite place is a cafe, it's on 淮海路 [Huáihǎi Lù], it's called On Air.
And it's sort of tucked away in the back ofa little lane. But you won't know it's there.
OF (18:07):
Nice. LT
[Voiceover]OF:
Lexie Comstock, the cookiesupplier from Episode 20.
[Clip]LC: My friend
Adam had this amazing apartment right on thecorner of 复兴 [Fùxīng] and 乌鲁木齐 [Wūlǔmùqí].
And he made a New Year's Resolution oneyear to throw a theme party every month.
And he just nailed it. And it was super open,like you could bring anyone, and there were
(18:31):
various themes, like Chinese New Year, 80s prom,all this stuff. And people would dress up and…
So party side, that was really fun to goout in. But also he had a great balcony. So
you know, Sunday afternoons loungingon the balc'. That was pretty ideal.
[Voiceover]OF:
Gigi Chang, the translator from Episode 24.[Clip]
GC (18:51):
Well, my go-to restaurant, if friends come to town, in Shanghai would be Spicy Moment
on 五原路 [Wǔyuán Lù], it’s a 湖南 [Húnán] restaurant.I particularly like it because it's very difficult
to get good Cantonese food here. Good in the sensethat, Cantonese food is not just about ingredients
(19:13):
or tastes or flavourings, but you have to fryeverything on a very, very, very, very hot wok.
And that is a particular taste. Like, you can'treally describe it. It’s not like a flavour,
salty or sweet. But if you frysomething on a very hot wok,
it tastes different from a non-hot wok.OF: And is it also a wok that has been fried
(19:35):
before, and has some residual taste from it?GC: No, no, no, it is not like a flavour-type
taste, but that is something… It's likecooking something on wood, on coal,
or on gas, or on electric. They taste different.And I love that restaurant because even though
湖南 [Húnán] food tastes very different fromCantonese food, that taste of fire is in it.
(19:58):
[Outro]OF:
And with that, we've reached the end of anothercompilation. And I love that last comment. I've
been going to that restaurant that Gigi mentioned,and she's totally right about the taste of fire.
Next week will be the final compilation.It's all about favourite words and phrases
in Mandarin. Definitely a fun and useful one,and this time, not just for fans of Shanghai.
(20:32):
[Clips]PG: Thank you very much.
MZ (20:34):
Thank you. EO
AP (20:38):
Thank you too. JL
GL (20:41):
Thank you. MZ
VV (20:42):
Thank you so much. NS
LL (20:42):
My pleasure too. SD
YF (20:42):
Thank you. NY
EM (20:42):
Thank you. SY
NS (20:42):
Thank you for having me. SM
AW (20:43):
Thank you. SDM
LC (20:43):
Thanks for having me. YY
RC (20:43):
Thank you so much for having me. GN
GC (20:46):
Thank you TB
you very much.SC: Thank you.
AD (20:48):
Great to see you too. LT
SB (20:50):
Thanks. OC
[Trailer]Roz COLEMAN: Put
your bags and coats here. Let's geta drink. Right, now come in here. Now
we're going to do a dance”. And then I'mlike a four-year-old, I'm like “Listen,
can you hear me talking? You can hear me talking,but you can feel the bass, right? You can hear
me talking, but you can feel the bass?” It’slike, my friends laugh at me because they're
like “Roz, I know. We've done this before.You've literally showed me this five times”.
[Intro]OF: Welcome to Mosaic of China,
(00:22):
a podcast about people who are making theirmark in China. I'm your host, Oscar Fuchs.
So today is the penultimate compilationepisode from Season 01. And as we're coming
to the end of these special compilations, it'smaking me reflect on the fact that this is the
only season that I will personally curate.Because the whole idea of this podcast was
for the guests themselves to nominate whowill appear in the next season of the show.
(00:46):
This is where the idea of the ‘Mosaic’ comesfrom: I helped to lay out the first tiles
at the beginning, but then the mosaicwill organically build out from there.
The reason I bring this up now is toexplain that - as diverse as my network
was in putting together the season - it'sstill largely limited to people in Shanghai.
Next season the referrals are already a little bitmore spread out into other cities, and this trend
(01:09):
will definitely grow as the mosaic tiles buildout in the future seasons. But for Season 01,
Mosaic of China could have been renamed ‘Mosaicof Shanghai’. You might not have paid too much
attention to that across all thirty of theseconversations. But you will definitely notice
it now, because in today's episode we're talkingabout the favourite places people like to hang
(01:29):
out at in China. And it's a love letter to allthe restaurants, bars and cafes of Shanghai.
[Main][Voiceover]
OF (01:38):
Tom Barker, the diplomat from Episode 25. [Clip]
TB (01:42):
There is one place I particularly love. So on the outside it's concrete, and it screams out
“You will be murdered in here.” Like, for example,its name - as far as I was aware for ages - was
‘Cocktail.’ ‘Cocktail’, very faded. But one day,we were desperate for somewhere to have a drink.
Our kids had been really bratty all day, we werejust really frazzled, but we didn't really want
(02:06):
to go anywhere. So I saw that place, I saw itwas open, the lights were finally on for the
first time we’d walked past it. So we went in, andinside it was this amazing, clean, semi-welcoming
environment, where somebody had clearly reallybeen into the Beatles, and had just embraced
the, sort of, the 60s mod vibe in a really bizarreway. So it turns out the bar’s called ‘Beagle.’
OF (02:30):
‘Beagle’? Never heard of it. TB
you want inside - that’s the downside - butthe cocktails, they were so annoyingly good.
[Voiceover]OF:
Nick Yu, the playwright from Episode 13.[Clip]
NY (02:47):
If you say in Shanghai a place you love, it’s our theatre. I’m really crazy for my job.
Since 1995, I stayed in this road, and every nightI’m almost the last guy to leave this building.
[Voiceover]OF:
(03:08):
Jorge Luzio, the marketerfor Sprite from Episode 05.
[Clip]JL: Well, my terrace. I like my terrace. And
we throw amazing parties there. I really enjoyhaving people come over to the terrace and enjoy
the good weather.[Voiceover]
OF (03:25):
Greg Nance, the ultramarathon athlete from Episode 23.
[Clip]GN: One of my favourite things to
do is just go on long runs where I just unplug,I'm thinking, and I run and run and run until
I'm so hungry or I don’t think I cankeep going. And I will just jump into
the random hole-in-the-wall dumpling or noodle orrice place right there. And more often than not,
(03:47):
just like a really wonderful granny orgrandpa is cooking up something delicious.
We'll have a special moment there,I'll usually get a selfie in with them.
And then I'll have the fuel and the carbs tothen run back to 静安 [Jìng’ān] where I'm based.
That's kind of my favourite actually,of everything. And I feel like I've seen
a couple hundred wonderful holes-in-the-wall atthis point. For listeners who may be looking for
(04:10):
recommendations in Shanghai, I love The Press,it’s maybe my favourite coffee shop. It's down
in the 黄浦 [Huángpǔ] district. It is the site ofone of the old newspaper presses. And so it's
beautiful Greco Roman style architecture. And it'srelatively affordable, you know, americanos and
coffee there. It’s just a really beautifulplace to go do some work, set some goals.
(04:31):
And then my favourite kind of hang out… I'mnot a big night owl anymore, I go to bed
relatively early, I'm pretty boring. But I do likeCo.Cheese, which is like a grilled cheese spot,
real close to Chinaccelerator,which is where I'm based. And so
yeah, that's a very tasty spot, if you’reever craving some some grilled cheese.
[Voiceover]OF: Lori Li, the private club GM from Episode 10.
(04:54):
[Clip]LL: My favourite place is
one we call ‘David Lynch’s 麻辣烫 [Málàtàng]’. It's麻辣烫 [Málàtàng], open very late into the morning,
and the atmosphere is really underground. It’slike David Lynch’s movies. All the decoration,
(05:16):
the people inside, and all the music playedthere, is really unusual from the daily life.
[Voiceover]OF:
Michael Zee, the Instagraminfluencer from Episode 07.
[Clip]MZ: One of my
new favourites is Heritage by Madison, whichis a lovely new restaurant down at the Bund
(05:38):
Finance Center, next to the lovely ThomasHeatherwick building that moves. And it's
excellent. You know, it's Western casualfine dining with lots of Chinese influences.
Really nice wine list. Really inexpensive.Stunning setting. World-class service. Nailed it.
[Voiceover]OF: Yang Yi, the broadcaster from Episode 21.
(06:01):
[Clip]YY: I think usually a friend
will recommend some restaurant or coffee shop,and they will bring me there. And at that time,
I will give it a score, like “This restaurantis good”. But it doesn't mean I will come back.
Or it doesn't mean it is my favourite. Because Ithink if you think the place is your favourite,
(06:25):
you will go there many times, right? So if youhave to say the place I usually go, it’s a small
noodle restaurant near my house. I go there everyday. But is it my ‘favourite’? I don't think so.
[Voiceover]OF:
Maple Zuo, the comedian from Episode 02.[Clip]
MZ (06:47):
OK, there was a Japanese restaurant I really really like. Because the designer is from Japan,
he’s very good - so you’re sitting there, youlook through the window, you can see the area
you're in, you can see the lobby, you can see theoutside view. It's like you’re starting from here,
and you can just see the world connecting.It's so beautiful and peaceful. It’s called
(07:07):
百川 [Bǎichuān] restaurant.[Voiceover]
OF (07:10):
Emily Madge, the aquarium conservationist from Episode 14.
[Clip]EM: Oh,
um, where's my favourite place? I tend to belazy with it, really. Kind of Funkadeli area,
just because it's five minutes walk from home,there's always people there. I love hotpot. So
(07:31):
any good hotpot restaurant. The spicy one is thebest. Yeah, I love that. So, yeah, I float around.
[Voiceover]OF:
Angie Wu, the jewellery craftsman from Episode 18.
[Clip]AW: I really like Malabar,
because of the Spanish environment. The foodis really good. And it's not overpriced.
(07:52):
Really good portions, it’s not like reallytiny tapas. So I will take you there next time.
[Voiceover]OF:
Astrid Poghosyan, the violinist from Episode 04.[Clip]
AP (08:03):
I think one of my favourite places for food is Sichuan Citizen restaurant. And it's been,
I think the first Chinese restaurant I've evereven tried in Shanghai, because back then they
used to be at 东湖 [Dōnghú] Road, and the ShanghaiConservatory of Music was beside it. And I've been
going there for, like, ten years already. Andthe people there, I’ve known for ten years. And
(08:24):
I spend, like, five to six of my birthdaysthere with them. So it's just very, very,
super, like ‘first place to go’ and takemy friends, whoever is visiting here.
[Voiceover]OF: Noah Sheldon,
the documentary filmmaker from Episode 09.[Clip]
NS (08:38):
There's a restaurant we love. What is the name in Chinese? The English name is ‘In & Out’. It's
a horrible translation.OF: In-N-Out Burger?
No, no. ‘In & Out’, it’s a 云南 [Yúnnán] restaurant.
OF (08:50):
Oh right. NS
in 湖滨道 [Húbīndào] mall. And it's so excellent.OF: I know it, it's on the third floor, yes.
NS (08:57):
Exactly. I think the food there is so great. But they don't have a lot of alcohol. So that's
kind of a problem.[Voiceover]
OF (09:08):
Sebastien Denes, the inclusion advocate from Episode 11.
[Clip]SD: Alright, so it's gonna sound odd. It’s a
restaurant in the Florentia Village. So, FlorentiaVillage is an outlet close to the airport. So
that's not so fancy, nor glamourous, let's put itthat way. But they have a very good restaurant,
(09:31):
a very good Italian restaurant called ‘BellaVita’. We know the chef, Stefano, personally. And
it's a little bit like every week, everySunday, we go back to Italy. Nothing fancy,
nothing ‘fusion’, just traditional Italiancuisine, where you can find a little bit of home
(09:51):
and, you know, spend good family time.OF: And that's because your wife is Italian,
right?SD: Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Vy
Vu, the fitness community leader from Episode 08.[Clip]
VV (10:04):
Blackbird, actually. Have you been there? OF
Yeah. So I only just recently discovered Columbia Circle actually. But it's the perfect mix
of everything. You've got great food on the lowerfloor. You've got great cocktails in the middle.
And then you've got this gorgeous terrace wherethey play movies and everything. But it's a shame
(10:26):
that Colombia Circle hasn't actually takenoff as yet. But I'm really liking Blackbird.
[Voiceover]OF:
Nini Sum, the artist from Episode 16.[Clip]
NS (10:39):
Actually, my friend’s studio. So I have several artist friends, they all have studios
around my studio’s area, pretty downtown. And Igo in there, see what they're making recently.
And also sometimes invite peoplehere to my studio, having a beer.
OF (10:56):
Right. It's funny, you're never really far away from art. Even when you're hanging out,
you’re hanging out around art.NS: Oh my god, it's terrible.
[Voiceover]OF:
Roz Coleman, the theatre producer from Episode 22.[Clip]
RC (11:10):
I think one of my favourite venues - in the entire world, never mind Shanghai - has to be
ALL on 襄阳北路 [Xiāngyáng Běilù]. I think whatGaz has done there is absolutely astounding.
The sound system is unparalleled. WheneverI get there, it's the same story every time.
(11:31):
I'm like “Do this. Put your bags and coats here.Let's get a drink. Right, now come in here. Now
we're going to do a dance”. And then I'm like afour-year-old, I'm like “Listen, can you hear me
talking? You can hear me talking, but you can feelthe bass, right? You can hear me talking, but you
can feel the bass?” It’s like, my friends laughat me because they're like “Roz, I know. We've
done this before. You've literally showed methis five times”. “I know, but I can't believe
how good the sound is in here”. And what I loveis that any new music that's happening in there,
(11:54):
people will say “Oh, but I don't think I likeTrap music. I don't like Footwork. I don't
think I'm into industrial techno”. But they goin there, they hear that, as soon as you're in
front of the DJ, you’re dancing straightaway,because it’s always high quality programming.
[Voiceover]OF: Gina Li, the invention
company CEO from Episode 06.[Clip]
GL (12:12):
IAPM, a shopping mall based in downtown Shanghai. I think from the third, fourth,
fifth floor, there are certain different barsor a coffee shops that have terraces. And then
also, they have, like, supermarkets and a movietheatre. So I just like to put myself somewhere
in the crowd, but still a little bitquiet, where it has multi-functions.
(12:34):
[Voiceover]OF:
Abe Deyo, the tour manager from Episode 27.[Clip]
AD (12:40):
Probably RnB. Just because that's, you know, where a lot of my friends go. It's a record shop /
bottle shop.OF: Right. I
guess… I just worked out what RnB stands for.AD: Yeah, Records n’ Beer, Records n’ Beer.
[Voiceover]OF:
Sabrina Chen, the dance programmecurator from Episode 26.
[Clip]SC: Well if you put me into a fashionable place,
(13:05):
I will still enjoy it. But maybe I would notproactively choose to go. Maybe it's because
I grew up in Shanghai, I've seen too many of them.For me, I feel a little bit fed up with it. Yeah,
so that's why I like to go to places thatare more cosy. Ah, maybe the supermarket!
(13:27):
You know 盒马鲜生 [Hémǎ Xiānshēng]? It'smagic. So when you order seafood,
actually they will put it in a bagand they will hang the bag on a track.
So it's like an automatic system, you canreceive your goods. It's really funny.
[Voiceover]OF: Stephane de Montgros,
(13:48):
the events company CEO from Episode 19.[Clip]
SDM (13:51):
I’d like to give a shout to Shake. Shake is by far my favourite live music venue in Asia.
They’re on 茂名 [Màomíng] Road. Beautiful place fordinner, drinks, and some dancing. And trust me,
I've been to quite a lot. So go to Shake.Fantastic. And again, my favourite all over Asia.
(14:15):
[Voiceover]OF: Srinivas Yanamandra,
the compliance leader from Episode 15.[Clip]
SY (14:21):
So the best place to hang around is always The Bund. And once you go
and take a walk in the evening, I think youreally can't stop admiring the other side,
how it has been created. And the phenomenal factis that it has been done in the past 20 years.
[Voiceover]OF:
Sanford Browne, the biochemist from Episode 29.
(14:43):
[Clip]SB: So there are some
downsides to the pace of change that happens. SoI would say a lot of the favourite places that I
had no longer exist - my favourite 包子 [bāozi]shop, my favourite 小笼包 [xiǎolóngbāo] shop,
some older streets that I would love to walkin, that really felt like you're in older
China - unfortunately, those don’t really existanymore in Shanghai. I used to do… when people
(15:06):
came to Shanghai for the first time, I used totake my sidecar and go out to the countryside,
where you see farmers and everything, and thentake them down to the Bund. And you saw that
all within one day. And so, it was the completecontrast of that. So that's a that's a little
bit… But then on the flipside, you always havenew fantastic places. The new restaurant that
(15:30):
I like is Hiya in the Edition Hotel. Because,what I like about it, so food's very good there,
the quality's there, but the view… So theyhave a bar upstairs, and you have a rooftop.
And of course, Shanghai has lots of rooftopbars. But what was interesting with this one,
it's a different view, at least from what I hadseen before, because you're further back. And you
have a different perspective on the city, that Ihad never seen before, even though I've seen it
(15:54):
a million times. And honestly, I think Shanghaiis the most beautiful city at night in the world.
[Voiceover]OF:
Philippe Gas, the Disneyresort CEO from Episode 01.
[Clip]PG: I recently discovered
a very good Cantonese restaurant in a hotelcalled Edition Hotel, it’s right off The Bund,
called Canton Disco. If you have not beenthere, I recommend you try it. It’s great food,
(16:19):
great environment, I love this place. I have manyhangouts, places where I go to. I live here in the
centre, so there’s some Mexican food that I love,and many of my friends like to hang out there. But
this one I recommend to try.[Voiceover]
OF (16:36):
Octo Cheung, the fashion designer from Episode 30.
[Clip]OC: The best restaurant
I really like is called Highline, which is on thesixth floor of the Ascott. And the best drinks is
Sober Company, which is one of the 50 best barsin Asia. And it was opened by a Japanese person.
(16:56):
[Voiceover]OF:
Eric Olander, the journalist from Episode 03.[Clip]
EO (17:02):
The perfect answer for this, and the cliché answer would be, some corner dive
in the French concession that serves the bestdumplings that you've ever heard of it, that
nobody else knows. And it's their secret spot,that only this one foreigner seems to know.
I won't give you that answer. Because to be honestwith you, eating Eastern Chinese food - so that is
Shanghai Chinese food - actually is not myfavourite. I gotta be honest with you. It's
(17:24):
greasy, I don't like the MSG, and it's very salty.I prefer Southern Chinese food, 云南 [Yúnnán]. So
I actually like the French bistros and theWestern food here in the French Concession.
I don't have a particular favourite. I mean,listen, I'm a big Wagas fan, I mean, that's a very
kind of mainstream pedestrian answer. But they dogood service. You know, what I'm gonna say? But
(17:45):
I don't actually have a favourite dive, orcorner, or hole-in-the-wall in Shanghai.
[Voiceover]OF: Lissanthea Taylor,
the pain expert from Episode 28.[Clip]
LT (17:56):
So my favourite place is a cafe, it's on 淮海路 [Huáihǎi Lù], it's called On Air.
And it's sort of tucked away in the back ofa little lane. But you won't know it's there.
OF (18:07):
Nice. LT
[Voiceover]OF:
Lexie Comstock, the cookiesupplier from Episode 20.
[Clip]LC: My friend
Adam had this amazing apartment right on thecorner of 复兴 [Fùxīng] and 乌鲁木齐 [Wūlǔmùqí].
And he made a New Year's Resolution oneyear to throw a theme party every month.
And he just nailed it. And it was super open,like you could bring anyone, and there were
(18:31):
various themes, like Chinese New Year, 80s prom,all this stuff. And people would dress up and…
So party side, that was really fun to goout in. But also he had a great balcony. So
you know, Sunday afternoons loungingon the balc'. That was pretty ideal.
[Voiceover]OF:
Gigi Chang, the translator from Episode 24.[Clip]
GC (18:51):
Well, my go-to restaurant, if friends come to town, in Shanghai would be Spicy Moment
on 五原路 [Wǔyuán Lù], it’s a 湖南 [Húnán] restaurant.I particularly like it because it's very difficult
to get good Cantonese food here. Good in the sensethat, Cantonese food is not just about ingredients
(19:13):
or tastes or flavourings, but you have to fryeverything on a very, very, very, very hot wok.
And that is a particular taste. Like, you can'treally describe it. It’s not like a flavour,
salty or sweet. But if you frysomething on a very hot wok,
it tastes different from a non-hot wok.OF: And is it also a wok that has been fried
(19:35):
before, and has some residual taste from it?GC: No, no, no, it is not like a flavour-type
taste, but that is something… It's likecooking something on wood, on coal,
or on gas, or on electric. They taste different.And I love that restaurant because even though
湖南 [Húnán] food tastes very different fromCantonese food, that taste of fire is in it.
(19:58):
[Outro]OF:
And with that, we've reached the end of anothercompilation. And I love that last comment. I've
been going to that restaurant that Gigi mentioned,and she's totally right about the taste of fire.
Next week will be the final compilation.It's all about favourite words and phrases
in Mandarin. Definitely a fun and useful one,and this time, not just for fans of Shanghai.
(20:32):
[Clips]PG: Thank you very much.
MZ (20:34):
Thank you. EO
AP (20:38):
Thank you too. JL
GL (20:41):
Thank you. MZ
VV (20:42):
Thank you so much. NS
LL (20:42):
My pleasure too. SD
YF (20:42):
Thank you. NY
EM (20:42):
Thank you. SY
NS (20:42):
Thank you for having me. SM
AW (20:43):
Thank you. SDM
LC (20:43):
Thanks for having me. YY
RC (20:43):
Thank you so much for having me. GN
GC (20:46):
Thank you TB
you very much.SC: Thank you.
AD (20:48):
Great to see you too. LT
SB (20:50):
Thanks. OC
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