American cuisine gets a French twist in the oriental metropolis

Shanghai's first self-labeled American brasserie, Pop, attracts both local gourmets and tourists with its sweeping view of the Bund waterfront and its refined food offered in generous American portions. [Photo/China Daily]

It is hard to say exactly how many American restaurants there are in Shanghai, but many put the number below 50. In contrast, there are over 90,000 restaurants in total in the city.

On the country's largest review website, dianping.com, there are 3,800 Western restaurants listed in Shanghai. These are classified into nine categories including French, Italian, Middle Eastern, Steakhouse, Pizza Shop and "Other". There is no category for American cuisine so it gets slotted away under "Other".

Not that Shanghai locals have lost their taste for American food. Hamburgers sell as quickly as Chinese buns during breakfast time at many of the city's 24-hour convenience stores.

But Huang Jiayun, who has worked in the food industry for over a decade, agrees with Chauveau that many locals are just waiting for the right excuse to fork out on top-notch US dishes.

"We've all known how taking pictures of your food and posting them online has affected the way people eat, or decide what to eat," she said.

"So French and Italian here are (for) showing off fancy eating. Middle Eastern fare is more exotic, street food is kind of freestyle and American food ... is for maybe when you are busy or eating unhealthily," Huang said.

Han Han, perhaps China's most prominent blogger, has invested in a fusion restaurant chain called Nice to Meet You.

One menu item has proved a hit since the restaurant opened. Billed as "The ribs from House of Cards", it refers to the comfort food enjoyed by the devious politician (played by Kevin Spacey) in the Netflix series of the same name.

Like the fried chicken from My Love from the Star, the city's favorite South Korean soap opera, the 32-year-old is growing his restaurant at a fast clip. There are already 20 new branches in his hometown, just one year after it first launched.