First Central Cross Restaurants announced: JinLi Chinatown and Modern Shanghai add some spice to Chinatown London

Shaftesbury has today announced the first two restaurants to sign as part of Central Cross, a 48,000 sq ft mixed-use development at the eastern gateway to Chinatown London. Award-winning Sichuanese restaurant, JinLi, and casual noodle and dumpling concept, Modern Shanghai, will open new restaurants at the scheme this winter.  

JinLi, which won ‘Best in England’ at the Golden Chopsticks Awards in April, will open their second restaurant in the area, taking a 4,300 sq ft unit with space for 150 covers. Distinguished by the name ‘JinLi Chinatown’, the new restaurant will serve a menu of modern Sichuan dishes, retaining core elements of traditional Sichuanese cuisine with creative and modern twists. The menu will include traditional dishes such as Sliced Pork and Sizzling Rice Crust, and Yuxiang Shredded Pork, as well as new dishes such as JinLi Fragrant Rabbit which is the first of its kind and not traditional to Sichuan. To ensure a fresh offer, the chef from Chengdu will return to Sichuan every six months to develop new dishes and recipes.   

Designed by an in-house team, the restaurant interior will include wooden panels and modern soft lighting with fittings and tableware imported from China. There will be a digitalised menu for customers to read, replacing the traditional paper menu. The new Chinatown London restaurant is due to open this winter, with a special Sichuan opera performance.

Joining JinLi Chinatown is casual noodle and dumpling concept, Modern Shanghai, who will open a 4,000 sq ft restaurant. Designed by Habi Creative, the interior will have a simple modern design to reflect the feel of Shanghai, featuring wooden panelling, grey marbled tables and furnishings with gold finishings. The restaurant will also feature a display at the front, with chefs preparing fresh dumplings and noodles. The menu will include the brands signature Shanghai Dumpling (Xiao Long Bao), as well as roast duck noodles, wun tun noodles and a selection of grilled Chinese tapas.

Julia Wilkinson, Head of Group Restaurant Strategy at Shaftesbury, commented: “We are thrilled to announce two key restaurant signings, an exciting milestone in the evolution of Chinatown London. JinLi Chinatown and Modern Shanghai are both creative new concepts from existing Chinatown operators that perfectly reflect our strategy to introduce new flavours to Chinatown London, offering the very best Chinese and East Asian cuisine in the capital.”

Yi Fei, the owner of JinLi Chinatown added: “2018 has been a significant year for our brand’s expansion and we are proud to be a part of the brand new Central Cross development. This Chinatown London location will offer innovative and exclusive new dishes, with the aim of playing a big role in redefining London’s Sichuanese culinary landscape.  With its reputation as London’s leading destination for East Asian cuisine, we couldn’t think of a better place to launch our second London restaurant and to offer such dishes. We look forward to delivering a refined and modernised Sichuanese dining experience, without losing the essence that has been enjoyed by generations after generations.”

The announcement follows the recent launch of Filipino ice cream parlour, Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream at 32 Newport Court, Central Cross, which resulted in queues around the block and a social media frenzy.   

ENDS

For further information please contact Amanda McNally or Charlotte Croker at Aver via amandamcnally@aver.uk.com or charlottecroker@aver.uk.com

Chinatown

China is changing and traditional values are being complemented by new ideals and trends, inspired by other parts of the Far East and the West.  This is influencing what Chinese people and visitors expect in Chinatown.  Shaftesbury understands this and is experiencing directly the evolution of China, spending time in its cities to see, taste and hear what is happening first hand. 

Whilst inherently Chinese, under Shaftesbury’s long-term curation and partnership with the community, Chinatown is evolving to reflect the changes occurring in the Far East, creating is a mix of tradition and modernism that makes cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul some of the most exciting places in the world. 

中国城

中国正在经历翻天覆地的变化，而在东亚其它地区和西方的影响下，中国的许多传统价值也正在和新的理念与潮流相融合。这样的变化也在影响着中国人与其他地方游客对中国城的看法与期待。Shaftesbury对这样的趋势有着深刻的理解，而且也对中国的高速发展有着直接的体会。在过去的一段时间里，Shaftesbury的一些员工被派往中国，亲自去观看、去品尝、去倾听今天中国的脉搏。

虽然伦敦中国城本质上还是中国传统的延伸，但在Shaftesbury长期的精心策划与管理下，并且在与当地社群的合作下，中国城正在成为反映亚洲巨变的一面镜子。如今，中国城和上海、北京、东京、首尔等等许多令人激动的亚洲城市一样，成为了一个传统与现代相互碰撞、相互融合的地方。

 Shaftesbury 

Shaftesbury PLC is a Real Estate Investment Trust, which invests exclusively in the liveliest parts of London's West End. Our objective is to deliver long-term growth in rental income, capital values and shareholder returns.  

Focused on restaurants, leisure and retail, our exceptional portfolio extends to around 15 acres, clustered mainly in Carnaby, Seven Dials and Chinatown, with substantial ownerships in east and west Covent Garden, Soho and Fitzrovia.  

In addition, we have a 50% interest in the Longmartin joint venture with The Mercers' Company, which has a long leasehold interest, extending to 1.9 acres, in St Martin's Courtyard in Covent Garden. 

 Our proven management strategy is to create and foster distinctive, attractive and prosperous locations. It is implemented by an experienced management team with an innovative approach to long-term, sustainable income and value creation, and a focus on shareholder returns. We have a strong balance sheet with conservative leverage. 

有关Shaftesbury 

Shaftesbury是一个房地产投资信托基金，其主要的投资对象是伦敦倍受追捧、炙手可热的西区（West End）繁华地段。我们的目标是较长的一段时期内，提高租金收入、资本价值以及股东收益。 

 Shaftesbury专注于伦敦西区最有活力的区域发展零售、餐饮和娱乐业，我们的资产组合的总面积达到15英亩，集中在卡纳比大街（Carnaby）、七晷区（Seven Dials）和中国城（Chinatown）区域；同时，Shaftesbury在科文特花园（Covent Garden）东、西两侧、Soho区和菲茨罗维亚区（Fitzrovia）也拥有大量地产。 

 另外，我们和 The Mercers’ Company 共同拥有 Longmartin 项目50%的收益。Mercers’ Company 则拥有科文特花园（Covent Garden）里 St Martin’s Courtyard 区多达1.9英亩地产的长期租赁权益。 

  我们行之有效的管理策略旨在创造并促进多个独特、有吸引力、位于繁华地段的地产项目。负责执行管理策略的是一支经验丰富的管理团队，他们运用创新的方法长期稳定地带来收益和价值的增长，并且时刻着眼于股东的收益。我们的资产负债表呈现出强劲、健康的态势，仅有较为保守的杠杆率。