Slice of the action

Shanghaiist wandered into Shanghai Times Square on Huaihai Lu the other day -- against our volition, of course (this being a shopping mall and all). But in the end it was worth the pain of having to stand inside various clothes shops and nod glumly in support of countless new items that the better half seemed incredibly energetic about the purchase of.

The reason? David Laris (yes, of Laris) has opened a deli, Slice, on the lobby floor level. You can’t miss it: it’s much bigger than you’d think -- with plenty of comfortable seating -- directly across from the main entry. This is the second Slice to open in a few months, though the other is out in Woop Woop (an intentional move: it’s aimed at villa dwellers in Shanghai’s western suburbs).

Considering what David Laris is capable of in the kitchen, it comes as no real surprise that Slice is an out-an-out winner. Sample items: a tub of fresh kalamata olives, dried wholemeal pasta for cooking at home, great espressos (20 RMB), inventive lunch sandwiches/salads (around the 45-55 RMB mark), imported Italian salamis and cheeses, “organic fruit of the day” (huge fresh pears on our visit, RMB 5 each), freshly squeezed juices.

A third Slice is planned for Pudong. But with a winning formula like this, it wouldn’t surprise us if this city ended up having more Slices than Ian Baker-Finch’s final round at the British Open.

Slice. Shanghai Times Square. 99 Huaihai Zhong Lu. Tel: 6386-8588. Also: Lakeside Ville, 1517 Huqingping Gong Lu. Tel: 5988-7007