Situated at the cross-section of conventional and contemporary: In both venue aesthetic and menu design, Meet the Bund’s concept hones in on the idea of concurrently upholding tradition while striving for innovation. This translates to a modern interpretation of customary Fujian elements – be it anything from signature plates rooted in archetypal regional dishes to brick red décor representing the indigenous Minnan houses of southern Fujian juxtaposed against a sprawling view across Shanghai’s iconic skyline.

Why Fujianese cuisine?: As one of China’s eight culinary traditions, Fujian cuisine focuses on emphasizing rather than disguising the bona fide flavors of key proteins and produce. Famed for being simultaneously light yet layered in flavor, Meet the Bund aims to propel this coastal region’s cultural heritage onto the world stage.

Sustainability as a core tenet: The venue’s signature dish – Buddha Jumps Over the Wall – embodies the restaurant’s ethos of ‘developing sustainably’ by replacing the outdated use of shark’s fin with a collagen rich medley of fish maw and Australian sea cucumber to achieve the same coveted result – a soup as clear as tea yet as slickly viscous as the original.

Chef stats: Fujian-native head chef Chen Zhiping began his 16-year culinary career by studying under master Fujianese chef Wu Rong. He later joined the prestigious Yanyu kitchen team in Xiamen, the only Fujianese restaurant group to receive a Michelin star in China. In 2019, he helped open Meet the Bund, an official debut of the first Fujianese fine dining restaurant in Shanghai.

Meet the Bund, S301 BFC, 600 Zhongshan Dong Er Lu, 中山东二路600号BFC外滩金融中心南区三层S301. 

[All images courtesy of Meet the Bund]

This article was originally written for and published on the Asia's 50 Best Bars website here.