About Shanghai30's Restaurant
My favourite restaurant in Oxford was always The Restaurant Elizabeth, the place to go for that special occasion. After Senor Lopez died, the premises were left empty, and it was not until 2005 that Shanghai 30’s was established. Overlooking the gardens of Christ Church College, the former Bishop’s Palace has been gracefully restored to capture the stylish and classy ambience of 1930’s Shanghai.
The name Shanghai means “on the sea” and the city lies on the east coast of China, just south of the Yangtze river. In the 30's, Shanghai was called the “ Paris of the Orient”. It was a place of shows, restaurants, clubs and gambling to keep you from getting lonely. People from all over the world were throwing themselves into the Shanghai parties. It was these new immigrants who fuelled the fantastically opulent and innovative dinning culture in the town – a huge and varied range of different cuisines were being introduced to the city, while native food was being subsequently transformed into a taste and a style of west meets east in order to compete. Shanghai, was one of the melting pots of the gourmet world during the 30's. Situated in this 15th century building, Shanghai 30's cuisine is based on the both classic and contemporary dishes of Shanghai and the surrounding areas - Shaoxing and Yangchow, but also includes some of the most popular dishes from Sichuan.