yeah, i know, china is about the least ironic country in the world, well, maybe except for north korea. and the fact that shanghai is rife with ironic t-shirt wearing, skinny jeans wearing and fixie riding hipsters. but they’re not drinking ‘reeb’ – but a couple days ago i got this email titled “i think we need to try this place.”
linked within may have been china’s most ironic restuarant. or maybe it has to do with the chinese mao-era edict of “remembering the bitterness of the past to savor the sweetness of the present.
no. 9 factory restaurant – a sichaunese restaurant located in shanghai stadium, decorated to look like a 1970s era Factory.
decorated with factory machines, maoist propaganda posters, and household goods of the era (along with a mao statue in front, the restaurant succeeds on an imagery level. the waitstaff is smartly clad in shapeless overalls – although the hip haircuts, foreign beers and soft drinks as well as the touchscreen POS system computers do indicate the modern era.
the food? well, it was decent sichaunese. very spicy. nothing outstanding, and not the best nor the worst sichuan food in town – i mean its better than sichuan citizen, but its certainly not as good as . but the real attraction is the decor and atmosphere.
No. 9 Factory 666 Tianyaoqiao Lu ,
Xujiahui
In Shanghai Stadium near exit two, near Lingling Lu
About 60 rmb/person