Ravenous rivals: Hong Kong and Shanghai an influence for good
Hong Kong and Shanghai may be competitors, but their food scenes have often influenced each other for the better, writes Robin Lynam
Cross-pollination between the restaurant scenes in Hong Kong and Shanghai has been going on for as long as the rivalry between the two cities. One early example is Jimmy's Kitchen, which was established in Shanghai in 1924, and opened its first Hong Kong branch - a franchise - in 1928.
Shanghai's influence on Hong Kong dining increased significantly in the late 1940s and early '50s, with a huge influx of refugees from the mainland city. A fair number of cooks were among them, and Hong Kong has entertained a reputation for Shanghainese food ever since.
We have given back, too. Shanghai's lively Western restaurant scene started with the opening of a branch of what was then a purely Hong Kong operation - M at the Fringe - with M on the Bund in 1999.
Elite Concepts' Ye Shanghai, the name notwithstanding, was also established in Hong Kong, before becoming a focal point of the then new Xintiandi entertainment district in 2002.
Other Hong Kong brands to have opened in the city include the Gaia Group's Isola, which like the M Restaurant Group, chose Shanghai for its first operation on the mainland. It also opened in Beijing earlier this month. Capital M opened in Beijing in 2009; with its emphasis on a spectacular city view, as well as a heritage location, it's perhaps based more on the Shanghai model than the Hong Kong one.
M at the Fringe closed in 2009, and there is little prospect of another M in Hong Kong. Founder Michelle Garnaut would still be interested if a good location became available at the right price, but after four years of looking, thinks that is unlikely.