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"I'm Back": Chef Carlos Sotomayor Returns to Shanghai, Taking on Two New Kitchens at VICE and Pony Up
Living

"I'm Back": Chef Carlos Sotomayor Returns to Shanghai, Taking on Two New Kitchens at VICE and Pony Up

After some time off, Chef Carlos Sotomayor is stepping into the kitchens of both VICE and the new Pony Up bar at the same time—while, in that very same month, the 18-year-old Maya and all Xiao Nan Guo locations quietly shut their doors for good.

Two-Michelin-Star 102 House Goes Dark, Leaving the Bund to Small Shops This Month
Living

Two-Michelin-Star 102 House Goes Dark, Leaving the Bund to Small Shops This Month

Shanghai Bund institution 102 House has closed after its lease expired, with Soif and EPIC shutting down the same month. Taking their place: sourdough bread, thick-cut popcorn, and French-Chinese fusion wine bars.

Tom Holland Was Interviewed Making Pizza, But Ended Up Endorsing This Kingston Thai Pub Instead
Living

Tom Holland Was Interviewed Making Pizza, But Ended Up Endorsing This Kingston Thai Pub Instead

To promote "The Odyssey," Tom Holland and Matt Damon made pizza on camera for The New York Times, but the conversation shifted to his go-to restaurant back home—The Cocoanut, a Thai pub in Kingston upon Thames that's been open for over a decade.

Kaneko Hannosuke Skips the Tendon This Time: Its Overseas-First Tempura Counter Lands in Xinyi
Living

Kaneko Hannosuke Skips the Tendon This Time: Its Overseas-First Tempura Counter Lands in Xinyi

Taiwanese diners know Kaneko Hannosuke for its tendon rice bowl, but the brand's Taipei debut is actually a different Nihonbashi lineup — "Tenpura Meshi." With just 20 counter seats and everything fried fresh in front of you, the standout is a 30cm conger eel and soft-boiled egg rice combo.

Thai Star Chef Pam Heads to Australia: Khao San Sek Transplants to Perth As-Is, Sydney Gets a Brand-New Concept
Living

Thai Star Chef Pam Heads to Australia: Khao San Sek Transplants to Perth As-Is, Sydney Gets a Brand-New Concept

After completing a full renovation and menu overhaul at POTONG, chef Pichaya "Pam" Soontornyanakij has announced her Australian expansion for 2027 — signature Khao San Sek moves into Crown Perth, while Sydney gets an entirely new concept called Sek.

The Day He Wrote His Mother's Eulogy, He Decided to Put 30 Years of Wild Gazes Into a Book
Living

The Day He Wrote His Mother's Eulogy, He Decided to Put 30 Years of Wild Gazes Into a Book

Conservation photographer Paul Nicklen, backed by Rolex, has released the photo book Reverence, featuring 200 images across 344 pages. The starting point was, surprisingly, a eulogy—behind it lies a five-year project that helped push Canada toward a legislative ban.

From Chinese Family-Style Feasts to Nobu Bar on the 57th Floor: Five Bangkok Tables Worth Booking This Week
Living

From Chinese Family-Style Feasts to Nobu Bar on the 57th Floor: Five Bangkok Tables Worth Booking This Week

32 handmade dim sum items at Conrad, five-sense cocktails at Nobu on the 57th floor, a seasonal menu from three chefs at SOMA, a two-night Phuket pop-up at Carlito's, and ingredients flown in from Tokyo's Toyosu Market at KAYAKI—Bangkok's tables this week each carry their own story of origin.

HK$558 Brunch with a 50th-Floor Infinity Pool Thrown In — Here's Why This Tsim Sha Tsui Weekend Deal Adds Up
Living

HK$558 Brunch with a 50th-Floor Infinity Pool Thrown In — Here's Why This Tsim Sha Tsui Weekend Deal Adds Up

Swim Club at Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui has launched Baja Brunch, and booking a table gets you access to the 50th-floor infinity pool and 11th-floor spa facilities — turning a meal into half a day of resort-style downtime.

Ex-Tattoo Artist Opens Restaurant: GEN Brings Guizhou's Sour and Spicy to a Jing'an Alley, Paired with Natural Wine
Living

Ex-Tattoo Artist Opens Restaurant: GEN Brings Guizhou's Sour and Spicy to a Jing'an Alley, Paired with Natural Wine

Guizhou native July went from tattoo artist to chef, chatting up the idea for GEN with neighbor Dali during lockdown. Using fermented sour-spicy flavors to create quirky East-meets-West dishes, paired with a full natural wine list, the tiny doorway hides a lively scene all night long.

On Fumin Road's Bar Strip, Laizhou Bar Earns Its Stripes with a Bone-In Pork Cutlet
Living

On Fumin Road's Bar Strip, Laizhou Bar Earns Its Stripes with a Bone-In Pork Cutlet

Fumin Road is packed with bars, and Laizhou Bar is often treated as just a place to grab a quick bite between drinks. But a bone-in Iberian ham and cheese pork cutlet is enough to make you reconsider what this kitchen is actually capable of.

Deng Huadong's Two Restaurants: Grand Spread at Nanxing Yuan, True Sichuan Flavor at Deng Ji Shi Yuan
Living

Deng Huadong's Two Restaurants: Grand Spread at Nanxing Yuan, True Sichuan Flavor at Deng Ji Shi Yuan

From cooking for Joël Robuchon, to Deng Huadong at Black Pearl restaurant Nanxing Yuan, to Deng Ji Shi Yuan where you can eat for 200 RMB a head — same chef, three price points, one Sichuan flavor.

7 New Bangkok Spots to Try This Rainy Season: From a 200-Year-Old Milanese Café to Royal Thai Cuisine
Living

7 New Bangkok Spots to Try This Rainy Season: From a 200-Year-Old Milanese Café to Royal Thai Cuisine

Ankle-deep water floods Bangkok streets, but the dining scene shows no signs of slowing down. Cova sets up shop at One Bangkok, Mezzaluna flies in a ninth-generation sake brewer from Fukui, and Wisetwiso crafts royal Thai dishes from post-rain ingredients — here are seven spots worth getting your feet wet for.

Carlos Finally Has His Own Restaurant: VICE Shanghai Opens in Xuhui
Living

Carlos Finally Has His Own Restaurant: VICE Shanghai Opens in Xuhui

Chef Carlos Sotomayor has spent years making a name for himself in Shanghai's dining scene, always as the headline act in someone else's restaurant. That changes with VICE Shanghai at No. 128 Yongjia Road — his first real stage to call his own.

Easter Comes Early, and The Portman Ritz-Carlton Is Anchoring Its Whole Brunch Spread with Brazilian-Style Roast Lamb
Living

Easter Comes Early, and The Portman Ritz-Carlton Is Anchoring Its Whole Brunch Spread with Brazilian-Style Roast Lamb

Easter falls on April 5 this year, and Portman's Restaurant at The Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai is rolling out a Brazilian churrasco-style roast lamb leg alongside a full carvery spread, with Peter Rabbit and hoop games on hand to keep the kids entertained.

Bangkok's Scenic Dining Roundup: As Vertigo Goes Dark, Six Riverside and Skyline Restaurants Step Up
Living

Bangkok's Scenic Dining Roundup: As Vertigo Goes Dark, Six Riverside and Skyline Restaurants Step Up

Bangkok's most storied rooftop bar, Vertigo & Moon Bar, has paused operations after 24 years. Meanwhile, six riverside, skyline, and golf course-view restaurants are proving with their own tables that this city's appetite for dining with a view is far from fading.

Shanghai Fu He Hui's Spring Menu: The Malantou Cold Noodles Outshine Every Meat Dish on the Table
Living

Shanghai Fu He Hui's Spring Menu: The Malantou Cold Noodles Outshine Every Meat Dish on the Table

A visit on the last day of Michelin two-star vegetarian restaurant Fu He Hui's 2026 spring menu—malantou pistachio noodles and an open-secret mapo tofu prove vegetables can carry the weight and finesse of meat.

From Chicken Windpipe to High-End Omakase: The Full Spectrum of Chicken at Hong Kong's 13 Yakitori Spots
Living

From Chicken Windpipe to High-End Omakase: The Full Spectrum of Chicken at Hong Kong's 13 Yakitori Spots

Windpipe, testicles, unlaid egg yolks—all of it goes on the charcoal grill. Hong Kong's yakitori scene has long moved past chicken breast. From a 1991 institution to an omakase counter high up in Landmark, these 13 spots map out just how far this city will go for chicken.

Rambu Rolls Out Affordable Weekend Brunch — Homestyle Southeast Asian Flavors Beat Out the Creative Dishes
Living

Rambu Rolls Out Affordable Weekend Brunch — Homestyle Southeast Asian Flavors Beat Out the Creative Dishes

Shanghai's Southeast Asian restaurant Rambu is now open for weekend lunch, offering a wallet-friendly brunch menu featuring nasi lemak, asam laksa, and massaman curry beef in rotation — leaning homestyle rather than experimental.

The Year After Paying Off a $500K Debt, Seoul Siblings Borrow Another $500K—To Open a Restaurant They Don't Have to White-Knuckle Through
Living

The Year After Paying Off a $500K Debt, Seoul Siblings Borrow Another $500K—To Open a Restaurant They Don't Have to White-Knuckle Through

Rhee Hyuk Kee and Rhee So Hyun spent a year clearing their parents' $500,000 K-BBQ restaurant debt. The following year, they took out another $500,000 loan of their own to open a new spot at Singapore's National Gallery. This time, it's not obligation—it's choice.

Same Address, Four Italian Restaurants: How Eclectic Is Sheung Wan's Appetite?
Living

Same Address, Four Italian Restaurants: How Eclectic Is Sheung Wan's Appetite?

From 1908-style British Chinese cuisine to Nordic tasting menus, Foodie Hong Kong has compiled 17 restaurants in Sheung Wan—the neighborhood wedged between Sai Ying Pun and Central turns out to have a far more eclectic appetite than you'd expect.

Fika Ran For 17 Years, But Its Last Words Were "It's Not About The Rent"
Living

Fika Ran For 17 Years, But Its Last Words Were "It's Not About The Rent"

Fika Swedish Cafe And Bistro, which brought halal Swedish meatballs to Arab Street, will close on August 14. The founder admits the main reason isn't the rent storm hitting Kampong Glam, but a decision to shift focus to bakery brand Konditori.

Phuket Beach Restaurants: Don't Just Pick Randomly—These 9 Spots Back Up Their Laid-Back Vibe With Serious Kitchen Chops
Living

Phuket Beach Restaurants: Don't Just Pick Randomly—These 9 Spots Back Up Their Laid-Back Vibe With Serious Kitchen Chops

With so many beach restaurants around, kitchen quality can vary wildly. Koktail Kuisine has picked out 9 restaurants across Phuket, from three venues sharing one InterContinental address to a French bistro tucked away on a Cherngtalay side street—real skill hiding beneath the casual surface.

The 1,600-HP Koenigsegg CCGT1 Still Makes You Work the Clutch Yourself
Living

The 1,600-HP Koenigsegg CCGT1 Still Makes You Work the Clutch Yourself

The sold-out, 70-unit CCGT1 doesn't just resurrect the spirit of Koenigsegg's shelved GT1 racer—it also sneaks a manual shift lever into a hypercar world obsessed with automation. The new Koenigsegg Sequential Shift system still demands a human leg to get moving.

Porsche Scraps Leipzig Relocation Plan, Taycan Reportedly Set to End Production in 2030 at Original Plant
Living

Porsche Scraps Leipzig Relocation Plan, Taycan Reportedly Set to End Production in 2030 at Original Plant

German outlet WirtschaftsWoche reports that Porsche has reached a preliminary agreement with its works council to discontinue the Taycan, scrapping plans to relocate production to Leipzig. Instead, the model will continue being built at the original Zuffenhausen plant until production wraps in 2030.