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Week Around the Ists
For this Shanghaiist, lunch during the work week typically consists of lukewarm slop served downstairs in the company canteen. So, when we get a rare chance to take a day off from work or telecommute, we like to venture out and take advantage of the many lunch specials that are offered by Shanghai's popular restaurants.
Boonna 2 has already earned its reputation as a hipster favorite with its cozy and laid back vibe. It's now even more of a favorite here at Shanghaiist for the delicious tuna melt, which is part of their weekday lunch special: 38 RMB for one of their grilled sandwiches and an espresso. We're big fans of tuna melts that aren't dripping in flop grease; Boonna's is light and crunchy and a steal at the cafe's always reasonable prices.
Not far down Fuxing Lu is Arugula, which has a pretty decent lunch special of their own. You can choose from four items on their 55 RMB set lunch menu, which includes a soup/salad and a drink. Arugula's offerings aren't particularly adventurous; we ordered the roast chicken and, as roast chicken that isn't over or undercooked usually is, it was juicy and tasty, but nothing mind-blowing. We didn't try the tuna salad sandwich or the lamb moussaka. Why are we recommending having lunc here? Because of the space; the first floor dining loft, with its brightly painted walls and wide windows reflect plenty of natural light. Indeed, a welcome oasis from the dreary life of the cubicle drone.
Boonna 2 Cafe - 57 Fuxing Lu (复兴路57号) - Tel: 13564832732
Arugula - Lane 49, House 2, Fuxing Xi Lu (复兴西路49弄2号) - Tel: 6433 8577
Eric Hu is Shanghaiist's Food Editor. Email tips, recommendations, and news and gossip about Shanghai's food scene to food at shanghaiist.com.
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I wanted to try Boona Cafe, but both times we went it was full, every seat taken, mostly by people with laptops, apparently surfing the net while seemingly hanging on to one cup of coffee for as long as they can. a sign on the door in Chinese with clumsy English translation reminds customers not to bring in food from the outside. if this is the regular situation of Boona, then they won't last long, unless their rental is really low and the staff work for free.
arugula does have a nice design on 1rst and second floor, but if you are non-smoker you are likely to be taken to 3rd floor, where the designer may have run out of steam, a bit. while the burger was entirely catastrophic, the quesiladas were just great. recommendable also the fresh fruit blends.
has shanghaiist not come accross marakesh on fushing lu, or is it being ignored? they are building a really hip bar next door, too.
EXACTLY!
I don't know what all the fuss is about. Come on guys, the food at Boona is mediocre at best - some basic passe sandwih designs and mamahuhu coffee. Yes, comfortable fit out, if u can get a table, usually full of black skivvies looking busy on their computers.
And if Shanghaist is serious about food, how could you possibly miss out on Ginger for lunch on Fuxing Lu. Ginger is probably the best cafe in town if you want some seriously thoughtful and well prepared food. Ginger have set the standard in my mind and cafes that come close you could count on one hand. Boona (1+2) deserves to be on my left foot.
Pick up your game cafes of shanghai!
No, see you both don't understand. Sitting in a coffee shop nursing one cup while tapping away at a laptop pretending to write the next great novel or screenplay is the HEIGHT of being a poseur hipster cool.
Being a poseur was supposed to have the tag through it. So much for being able to use HTML on the comments.
Too expensive for me. I think I'm the only foreigner in Shanghai that makes next to nothing.
Hm.... I guess I'm the lone one here. I actually like Boona 2 Cafe...AND the tuna melts... Then again, I love tuna melts and any place that serves it well deserve a spot on my heart.
Whats the hipster bashing that sometimes arises in Shanger's media. There's like three hipsters in the whole city. Hardly an epidemic. The people in Boona are Euro Yuppies. Plain and simple. Its a different breed entirely.
Just because they sport the same tight pants, not-quite-short-not-quite-long haircuts, tight T's and scarves doesn't make them hipsters. They are NOT working on screenplays or novels on their laptops. They are working on Luftanza logos or interior designing something.
These people have never heard of Pabst Blue Ribbon, Parliament cigarettes, Elanor Rigby, Gawker, or Williamsberg. Because they're from Stuttgart, man!
I think people drop "hipster" in Shanghai because they hate missing out on all the hipster bashing back home and want to get in on the action...
I will concede that the love of cocaine is shared amongst proper hipsters and Shanghai Euro Yuppies. However... lets not get lazy in our amature anthropology here people... I mean.. when was the last time you saw Euro Yuppies wasting their time in shitty bands?
My Pitchfork reading ass would be offended, except I lack the requisite thick black framed eyeglasses and the "bands you haven't heard of yet" t-shirts.