So it seems that despite an ultimatum from their landlord, Azul is not closing up shop come this Monday. According to manager David Begg, "Azul has been given a stay of execution and will now be open for another six months!" more ›

Ah the shame - it looks like Dongping Lu's days as a middle-to-high end food street are nearing an end. According to managers at Azul, the Vargas-backed Spanish tapas turned Peruvian restaurant, the lease is up and the landlords, ICBC (who knew?), want to turn the entire building into a "private club and spa for tired bank managers." more ›

Every Friday, Weekendist brings you our picks of the best of what's coming in the next three days. Be sure to check our Shanghaiist Calendar for more info. more ›

The ever-vigilant other lifestyle sites/magazines in this city have picked up the news of local restuarant maven Eduardo Vargas' crazy inflated plans for expansion, so we figured we'd chat about it too. Basically, if you haven't read Urbanatomy or Smart Shanghai's takes, here's a summary. more ›

He does it again: We had the pleasure of attending a couple of tastings at Bambou, Eduardo Vargas' soon to soft-open new Southeast Asian restaurant. Eduardo has taken over the former "duck bar" above his own Azul and converted it into a tastefully dark and intimate space. With the dim lights and Buddha bar music playing over the speakers, we felt like we were at a Dragonfly awaiting our full body massages. What we got instead was a parade of delightful Vietnamese dishes, prepared by Eduardo's veteran chef with years of experience on the Hanoi and Bangkok hotel circuits. There was much gushing over the mango and tuna salad and the glazed pork belly. Traditional favorites such as the crispy spring rolls and the individual bowls of pho were also competently made. Our favorite dish was the seared tenderloin, crisp and flavorful and better than Puxi on a bright, spring afternoon. And of course, Eduardo's famously orgasmic creme brulee was the perfect capper to a near perfect feast. more ›