ÉTAT HER CATEGORY
Food
Tokyo's Star Map: From a Bowl of Ramen to Shojin Cuisine, the Contrasting Flavors of 10 Michelin Restaurants
From a kaiseki institution with eight consecutive years of one-star status and shojin cuisine born from monks' dietary discipline, to a rarely-starred ramen shop and a French restaurant on the 45th floor, these 10 Tokyo establishments showcase the many faces of a Michelin star—and all offer online reservations in Chinese.
Water Bamboo Shoots with Mayo Make It Onto the Tasting Menu—28-Year-Old Chef Opens mirei in Dadaocheng
Kenta Iizuka, who trained in a two-Michelin-star kitchen in Tokyo, is opening his first solo restaurant, mirei, in Dadaocheng. He deconstructs everyday Taiwanese flavors like water bamboo shoots and sesame-sauce cold noodles, with tasting menus priced at NT$3,680 per person.
Thai Milk Tea Brand Karun Thai Tea to Open First Overseas Branch in October at AIRSIDE, Kai Tak, Kowloon City
Bangkok-founded Karun Thai Tea will open its first overseas branch this October at Kai Tak's AIRSIDE, coinciding with the brand's 7th anniversary, known for its handcrafted Thai milk tea with adjustable sweetness levels.
Paris' New Spot Mannie: Beetroot Burgers That Don't Pretend to Be Meat, Letting Plant Technique Take the Lead
Opened in August 2024, Parisian street food burger joint Mannie skips meat, fish, and even soy-based meat substitutes. Its signature Double Cheese burger, priced at €12.90, brings together beetroot, legumes, and mushrooms—applying meat-cooking techniques to vegetables instead.
Kai Tak Dining Guide: 13 Must-Eat Restaurants Before & After Games and Concerts
With AIRSIDE, The Twins, Cullinan Sky Mall, and Kai Tak Sports Park all opening one after another, a whole new dining cluster has sprung up in Kai Tak—everything from French bistros to standing sushi bars, all gearing up for that pre- or post-event meal.
Lai Lai Lai Opens Second Outpost on Jiashan Road, Turns Sauce Recipes Into Signature Dishes—One Dish Named After the Date Its Formula Was Born
Thai restaurant Lai Lai Lai has opened its second location on Shanghai's Jiashan Road, where chef Guo Li serves up Thai-style pork ribs braised in 24 spices and salted fish shrimp paste clams—with sauce recipes so personal, their birth dates make it onto the menu.
Shanghai's Gelato Map: Chinese Herbal Medicine, Tofu Pudding, and Scallion Oil Noodles Are All Getting the Gelato Treatment
Wulumuqi Middle Road has already been crowned Shanghai's "Gelato Street," but the real story isn't the sheer number of shops—it's places like Zhong Yao Tang infusing gelato with Chinese herbal medicine, Making Gelato turning tofu pudding into a scoop, and Dal Cuore going as far as serving up a scallion oil noodle flavor.
Shanghai Xiaolongbao Guide: Crab Roe, Paper-Thin Skins, Late-Night Stalls — Three Camps, Three Kinds of Loyalty
From crab roe xiaolongbao on Nanjing East Road to a basket of Manman soup dumplings for just RMB13 late at night, Shanghai has split the same dumpling into completely different eating experiences. This guide covers old-school names like Lai Lai, Jia Jia, and Fu Chun, plus chain options like Din Tai Fung and Paradise Dynasty.
Xintiandi's Multi-Concept Restaurant KLAZ: The Teppanyaki Room Is What You Should Actually Book
KLAZ sits inside Xintiandi's Galleria, combining a lounge, omakase counter, and KTV rooms all under one roof. But the real reason to make the trip is the teppanyaki room helmed by Chef Pang—starting at 888 RMB for an eight-course spread that runs from sashimi to black truffle fried rice.
Shanghai Korean BBQ Ditches Beer for Champagne—Hanro Rewrites the Rules with Dry-Aged Beef
Hanro Shanghai, opened by NABI chef Tom Ryu and dry-aging expert Chef Choi, swaps out the usual cuts for Shandong wagyu and Zhejiang black pork—and trades beer for champagne as the go-to KBBQ pairing.
A Late-Night Yakitori Sure Bet: Sake Ichi on Shanghai's Dagu Road Stays Open Till 1AM
Opened in 2019, Sake Ichi was the first F&B venture from the Sake-X Group, specializing in Akikawa chicken yakitori grilled over binchotan charcoal. The mentaiko series and wagyu confit scallion skewers are standouts, and you can still order right up until 1AM.
Shanghai Portman Ritz-Carlton's Terrace 8 Returns with Open-Air Rooftop, Adds Mini Golf
Terrace 8, the rooftop restaurant at the Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai in Jing'an, is back this season with a new mini golf course on the lawn, plus barbecue, Mediterranean-style snacks, and two-hour free-flow drinks starting from ¥129.
Sourdough Brunch at Shanghai's Fuxing Park: A French-Japanese Mashup of Foie Gras Toast and Fried Monkfish Buns
Fuxing Project, tucked inside Fuxing Park, has rolled out a new sourdough brunch menu built on house-made sourdough bread, featuring French-Japanese fusion dishes like foie gras truffle toast and fried monkfish buns. Available daily from 11am to 4pm.
Shanghai Burger Month Turns 5: 15 Restaurants Serve Up Peanut Butter Bacon Burgers and Squid Ink Soft-Shell Crab Burgers
The 5th Shanghai Burger Month runs May 1 to 31, with 15 restaurants each rolling out a limited-edition burger. Collect six passport stamps for a shot at over RMB 20,000 in dining vouchers, with Cheese From The USA and Vedett White joining in as sponsors.
In a Xuhui Alleyway, Shanghai, Oyster Omelet Gets Deconstructed with Western Technique
Tucked away in an alley on Wuxing Road in Shanghai's Xuhui district, Verdant is a brunch café by day and a Taiwanese fusion bistro by night. Chef Dante reworks oyster omelets and thousand-year egg tofu using molecular gastronomy techniques—though not every dish lands.
Tokyo's Hamburg Steak Rice Chain Hikiniku To Come Lands in Shanghai—After the Lines Died Down, I'm Still Voting for the Local Rival
Tokyo-born Hikiniku To Come opened in Shanghai's FUFU mall on Donghu Road this January, grilling Australian Wagyu shoulder to order and drawing opening-day queues. Now that the hype has cooled, a real test suggests rival Roumi Dami might be the better line to join.
BBQ Joint Opens Grab-and-Go Spinoff, Smokin' Bowl Packs the Craft Into a Torta
Smokin' Hog has opened Smokin' Bowl, a fast-casual spinoff, next to its Wuding Road flagship in Jing'an. Ditching brisket and ribs for bowls, tortas and tacos, chef Nacho's two torta options are where the real ambition lies.
Late-Night Oden on Shaanxi Road South: Sake Ichi Oden Recreates Tokyo Alley Vibes with $30 Highballs
Sake Ichi Oden, located on Shanghai's Shaanxi Road South, specializes in chicken broth oden, ramen and tsukemen, with highballs starting at 30 RMB. Open until the early hours, it sits right next to the Jinxian Road bar strip.
Western-Trained Chef Ling Pivots to Chinese Cuisine: Pepper Tree Reassembles Chinese Flavors Through a Western Lens
Shanghai's new-Chinese restaurant Pepper Tree comes from chef Ling, who previously ran steakhouse StoneSal and private dining concept HIK9. This time, he's channeling over a decade of Western culinary training into Chinese spices and cured meats.
Oyama Takeo Closed Shop Years Ago—His Disciples Now Run Half of Shanghai's Omakase Scene
Starting from Sushi Oyama, which opened in 2010 and closed in 2018, chefs at several of Shanghai's most popular omakase spots all trace back to the same lineage. Here's a rundown of eight go-to restaurants, their chefs' backgrounds, signature dishes, and price points.
McDonald's Korea Refreshes Happy Snack Lineup: Bulgogi Burger Joins for the First Time, Cold Brew Coffee Drops to 1,000 Won
Starting the 20th, McDonald's Korea has updated its popular value-menu platform Happy Snack, with both sizes of cold brew coffee getting price cuts and the regularly full-priced signature item Bulgogi Burger being added to the discount lineup for the first time.
Ask for Alonzo Rolls Out Sicily-Only Menu, Spotlight on Rigatoni alla Norma
Hong Kong Italian restaurant Ask for Alonzo has launched a limited three-course Taste of Sicily menu, available now through November 15 at HK$358 per person, spanning everything from yellowtail crudo to eggplant tomato pasta, channeling flavors from Sicily's eastern coast.
South Korean BBQ Chain Hanam Dwaejijip Sets Up Shop in Vientiane, Laos, Opening Its 25th Overseas Location
South Korean barbecue chain Hanam Dwaejijip has opened its 25th overseas branch at Kok Kok Mega Mall in Vientiane, Laos, entering the Laotian, Cambodian, and Myanmar markets through a master franchise agreement signed with the Kolao Group.
Causeway Bay Food Map: From Basement Bikes to Michelin Stars, 19 Restaurants Hidden at the End of Staircases
From ninth-floor office-tower teppanyaki to basement Indonesian fare, Causeway Bay's best eats are rarely found at street level. This list rounds up 19 restaurants tucked into alleyways and vertical building spaces, spanning Michelin one-star establishments, old-school soy-sauce Western cuisine, and international flavors.