a winemaker's guide to living in shanghai -即嗨体育app下载
winemaker alex xu splits time between shanghai and lijiang in yunnan province. he opened a restaurant called baoism (now closed) in 2015 and then focused on winemaking. in 2015, he started his wine project 淼庐 miao lu and developed a vineyard in yuhu village at the base of the jade dragon snow mountain in 2017. he plans to release his first red wines in 2025 and white wines in 2026.
alex xu is a winemaker who splits time between shanghai and lijiang in yunnan province.
please introduce the neighborhood you live in.
i live on taiyuan road, near jianguo road w. it's all the things i love about shanghai. narrow tree-lined streets, old heritage buildings, and small family-owned restaurants surround me, yet the skyscrapers and modernity of shanghai are just a short distance away. it represents so much of shanghai's best and why our city is so unique, both in china and the world.
what is the best thing about living in this neighborhood?
i love this moment in shanghai's development, where we can get world-class shengjianbao or guotie for 20 yuan, as well as michelin-starred fine dining within a five-minute walk. many cities in the world have great food, but i can't think of many that have such a range of excellent food at very low and very high prices.
my neighborhood exemplifies that. on the corner of jianguo and taiyuan roads, there is a wonderful small guotie restaurant that rolls dough and chops filling by hand every day. it's always full, and many of my former restaurant friends eat at this shop.
yet, le comptoir de pierre gagnaire and suzie, two beautifully refined restaurants that i love, are just down the street. it's wonderful.
xu enjoys wandering around the neighborhood and learning about the old structures.
what attractions here should not be missed?
just walking the streets of old shanghai. historic shanghai leads weekly walking tours, telling the stories behind the old buildings and streets in our extended neighborhood. i've learned so much history through these walks, and it's a wonderful way to connect in a deeper way to the beauty and grandeur of our city.
what is your favorite cafe?
i love the arabica coffee on jianguo (481 jianguo rd w 建国西路481号) for coffee and the boulangerie de pierre gagnaire (480 jianguo rd w 建国西路480号) for a kouign amann.
suzie is one of xu's favorite restaurants.
where should someone eat around here?
dong tai xiang sheng jian guan (309 shaanxi rd s 陕西南路309号), suzie (464 jianguo rd w 建国西路464号), and high yaki (481 jianguo rd w 建国西路481号) are some of my favorites in the neighborhood.
from high fashion to emerging designers, from flowers to fresh produce, where do you shop in your neighborhood?
i don't often go out to shop, but swiss butchery (86 wulumuqi rd m 乌鲁木齐中路86号) has both a great selection of meats and seafood, but also a great selection of vegetables.
is there a neighborhood place you recommend for a night out or simply a drink after work?
bar à vin (87 jiashan rd 嘉善路87号) has a fantastic wine list in a cozy atmosphere, and for something more elegant and indulgent, the tearoom at ehb (11 dongping rd 东平路11号) has half-priced champagne on weekdays!
cila恣辣 is a modern chinese bistro on wulumuqi road s.
most dishes in cila are coal-cooked and influenced by northwest china cuisine.
have you made any new discoveries in your neighborhood lately?
cila恣辣 (122 wulumuqi rd s 乌鲁木齐南路122号) is a fun new modern chinese bistro focusing on influences from the chinese north west and many dishes cooked over coal. i enjoy restaurants like this very much because, 10-15 years ago, many of the most exciting and innovative new restaurants in shanghai were being opened by expats. but now they are being opened by young chinese.
