Bistro Bastard

Housed in a former youth hostel, the tiny 25-seat dining room makes a bold statement: industrial grey walls, neon-lit metal bar, and shockingly magenta tabletops . It’s the kind of place where Shanghai’s food-obsessed crowd comes to be seen, sharing plates over natural wines and house-infused highballs.
Signature dishes include hairy crab spring rolls with yellow wine sabayon—a clever deconstruction of the classic pairing. The pomelo prawn toast arrives two ways, while chilled eggplant comes dressed in a Shaanxi vinaigrette. The “white” mapo tofu is a house original: house-fermented lantern chili, bone marrow broth, Sichuan peppercorns, and crispy rice.