Video Info

Foodies Program Purple Onion No. 16, Lane 351, Hua Shan Road, Shanghai

About Us

Hidden from sight down a side street off Changshu Road is the latest creation of David Laris and his team, The Purple Onion, a new funky and quirky Mediterranean Restaurant endowed with its own bakery.

The space has a cool eccentric offbeat look. Three different areas to suit everybody’s mood: the intimate dining area in contemporary style, the sleek, sophisticated and sexy bar soon to be a models heaven (haven?) serving timeless European classic cocktails and the sunny petite alfresco terrace, so appealing in Shanghai’s balmy evenings.

 

For a long time David Laris has wanted to bring to Shanghai the classy flavourful food of Southern Europe. Finally The Purple Onion has it all. The essence of its dishes is Spanish, Italian and Greek with some North African influence, with “agrodolce” as the leitmotiv of all dishes. Executive Chef, Lex Hauser heads up the kitchen and brings the food to life as conceptualized by David Laris.

 

The Purple Onion will surprise you with its “Grazing Menu” (all day available small bites such as Portobello mushrooms and marinated anchovies) and the cold cut table with (unheard of in Shanghai) a choice of Spanish and Italian hams, French farmhouse cheeses and authentic thin crust pizzas of irregular shapes.

 

The Purple Onion wines list is rich but unconventional; you will find precious limited edition vintages and amazing new proposals from young unknown wine makers.

 

The “Aperitivo” style cocktail list is an old school cocktails manifesto showcasing some rare vintage Spanish recipes.

 

 

Last but not least, we suggest the Mediterranean homemade gelatos and the splendid selection of Italian coffees.

 

 

Corporate Interviews

Foodies - Purple Onion
Foodies Program Purple Onion No. 16, Lane 351, Hua Shan Road, Shanghai

Hidden from sight, down a side street off Hua Shan Road, is the latest creation of David
Laris and his team – The Purple Onion, a funky and quirky Mediterranean Restaurant
endowed with its own bakery.
The restaurant has a cool, eccentric, offbeat look with three different spaces to suit any
mood. The intimate dining area featuring contemporary design elements. The sleek,
sophisticated and sexy bar serving timeless European cocktails. And the sunny alfresco
terrace, especially appealing during Shanghai’s balmy evenings.
For a long time David Laris has wanted to bring to Shanghai the classy, flavourful food of
Southern Europe. Finally, The Purple Onion has it all. The essence of our dishes is Spanish,
Italian and Greek with some North African influence. Agrodolce, the delicate balance of
sweet and sour, serves as the leitmotiv of all of our dishes. Executive Chef, Lex Hauser
heads up the kitchen and brings the food to life as conceptualized by David Laris.
The Purple Onion will surprise you with its “Grazing Menu” (small bites available all day,
such as Portobello mushrooms and marinated anchovies) and the cold cut table with
(unheard of in Shanghai) a choice of Spanish and Italian hams, French farmhouse cheeses
and authentic thin-crust pizzas of irregular shapes.
The Purple Onion’s wine list is rich yet unconventional; you will find precious limited edition
vintages and amazing new proposals from young, unknown wine makers. The “Aperitivo”
style cocktail list is a classic cocktails manifesto showcasing some rare, vintage Spanish
recipes. Last but not least, we suggest the Mediterranean homemade gelatos and the
splendid selection of Italian coffees.

David Laris
Chef, Restaurateur, Entrepreneur CEO and Founder of David Laris Creates (DLC)

David Laris was born in Sydney, Australia and his style of cooking can be described as contemporary fine dining. His background and training is classic French. Growing up in Sydney, he was exposed to a city where cuisine takes on an innovative and experimental approach. In later years, the Chef worked across Southeast Asia, whereby Asian flavors and ingredients began to influence his style. Today, David combines classic techniques with fresh takes and unexpected ingredients to create his signature style of contemporary fine dining.
David became well known in London, where he made numerous television appearances while heading Mezzo, earning Sir Terence Conran’s flagship restaurant countless accolades for innovative and exciting dining. Noted especially for his talent for mixing fresh ideas and classic dishes, David elevated Mezzo to world-renowned status through his diverse culinary approach. From 1999 to 2002, he served as Executive Chef, heading a team of over 50 chefs across two separate restaurants, a private dining room and a café.
In 2002, Three on the Bund invited the Chef from London to Shanghai to open his first flagship restaurant. This landmark for fine dining excellence paved the way for other high level dining establishments to follow and successfully launch in China. From 2003 to 2010, Laris Restaurant became known in Shanghai, China and Asia as a symbol of innovative fine dining, five-star service and hospitality, and destination dining and entertainment.
In 2008, he founded David Laris Creates (DLC) to provide much-needed consulting and development services for third party clients.
The latest fine dining venture by the Chef is the twelve-seat private dining room located in Shanghai’s new development, Sinan Mansions.

Contact Us

Concept
 
Quirky little restaurant focused on the simple, flavourful foods of Southern Europe
http://www.thepurpleonionsh.com/
Location
 
No. 16, Lane 351, Hua Shan Road, Shanghai
 
Capacity
 
Indoor seating: 27 seats
Outdoor seating: 32 seats
 
For more information, please contact:
 
Christina Kao, Director of Business Development at David Laris Creates
Email: ckao@davidlariscreates.com
Telephone: +86 (21) 6103-8146
 
 

 
  
  
 
 
  David Laris
 
 
 
 
Chef, Restaurateur, Entrepreneur
CEO and Founder of David Laris Creates (DLC) 
 
Born | Sydney, Australia
Nationality | Australian
Current Home | Shanghai, China
Background | Born in Sydney, spent a few childhood years in Greece. Mother is Australian, father is Greek.
Previous Cities (Living/Working) | Sydney, Macau, Hong Kong, Hanoi, London
 
Food Style
David Laris’ style of cooking can be described as contemporary fine dining. His background and training is classic French. Growing up in Sydney, he was exposed to a city where cuisine takes on an innovative and experimental approach. In later years, the Chef worked across Southeast Asia, whereby Asian flavors and ingredients began to influence his style. Today, David combines classic techniques with fresh takes and unexpected ingredients to create his signature style of contemporary fine dining.
 
Mezzo, London
David became well known in London, where he made numerous television appearances while heading Mezzo, earning Sir Terence Conran’s flagship restaurant countless accolades for innovative and exciting dining. Noted especially for his talent for mixing fresh ideas and classic dishes, David elevated Mezzo to world-renowned status through his diverse culinary approach. From 1999 to 2002, he served as Executive Chef, heading a team of over 50 chefs across two separate restaurants, a private dining room and a café.

 

Laris at Three on the Bund, Shanghai
In 2002, Three on the Bund invited the Chef from London to Shanghai to open his first flagship restaurant. This landmark for fine dining excellence paved the way for other high level dining establishments to follow and successfully launch in China. From 2003 to 2010, Laris Restaurant became known in Shanghai, China and Asia as a symbol of innovative fine dining, five-star service and hospitality, and destination dining and entertainment. With The Chocolate Room (boutique, handmade truffle chocolates), Claws, Wings & Fins (seafood and raw bar) and The Vault Bar (premium wine bar and cocktail lounge), Laris Restaurant offered a total package for guest enjoyment and experience in Shanghai. The restaurant was awarded #8 in Asia and #1 in China in The Miele Guide (2009/2010).

 

Chef and F&B Consultancy
With his international experience and China market success and expertise, David has become a soughtafter consultant for large multinationals looking to open and setup F&B businesses in China. In 2008, he founded David Laris Creates (DLC) to provide much-needed consulting and development services for third party clients. David and his senior team of consultants and management professionals have helped such clients as Swire (The Opposite House, Beijing), Mattel (House of Barbie, Shanghai) and Media Markt (Flagship Store, Shanghai) enter the highly competitive Chinese marketplace and successfully connect with local consumers. DLC continues to work with Swire on an ongoing basis, creating and opening for the group the F&B concepts at East Hotel in Hong Kong (2010), along with the upcoming East Hotel in Beijing
(2012).

 

12 Chairs by David Laris
The latest fine dining venture by the Chef is the twelve-seat private dining room located in Shanghai’s new development, Sinan Mansions. Opened in early 2011, the private dining space features a mini show kitchen within the room where guests can watch the Chef prepare the meal of the evening. David cooks five nights a week in 12 Chairs and features an 8-12 course tasting menu that changes every 1-2 months. One of the best wine collections in Shanghai is available for guests to select just the right vintage to pair with their meal. 12 Chairs is available for private booking, with a minimum spend of RMB 10,000; or on nights that are not privatized, the room is available for ‘communal fine dining’ where multiple small groups may book and sit together in the room.