When Gordon Ramsay landed in Shanghai on a gray and drizzly day last February, he dispelled the slightest signs of drowsiness with his fiery personality and a generous dose of cool Britannia.
The British celebrity chef was in town to unveil his first venture in China, Gordon Ramsay at The Residence Shanghai, part of Harrods’ first private members‘ club, which officially opened its doors last December in Shanghai.
“It’s a tough one, that one, isn’t it? Because I’m a chef of the people, and it’s my first intimate private club in my portfolio of restaurants,” Ramsay says.
The 48-seat restaurant sits on the second floor of The Cha House, a century-old terracotta mansion that lives at the heart of the busy Chinese metropolis. Eloquently described by Ramsay as “a sleeping beauty,” the mansion’s first floor was first converted to The Harrods Tea Rooms, which opened in 2021. The second floor was introduced as The Residence, the luxury department store’s members-only club on the second floor.
Designed by Social F+B, a hospitality design firm, the location exudes classic Shanghainese glamour with its Art Deco details that seamlessly blend in Harrods’ distinctive brand of opulence.
Inside Harrods’ The Residence in Shanghai.
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The room is lined with intricate wall panels inspired by Chinese fans, customized golden display cabinets showcasing the club’s collection of rare whisky bottles and cigars, and features private suites equipped with a turntable dining table, which helps ensure a communal social and dining experience.
Inside a private suite.
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“Harrods is legendary back home in Knightbridge, and to be given this opportunity to be here, inside this beautiful building, it’s a chef’s dream,” says Ramsay,…