Sherlock Holmes theme cafe in Shanghai, China! G9 & G2 design restaurants, Lane Crawford.
I spy a mysterious sign in Shanghai’s French Quarter. “Crime in progress. Please disturb.”
What bloodshed lies behind these doors?
Shh, it’s a secret… there’s a Sherlock Holmes theme cafe in Shanghai, China! Read on to peek inside, and I’ll also take you inside two fantastically-designed restaurants, G-9 and G-2.
The name of the cafe is 221B Baker Street, but don’t tell the taxi driver to go here or you might end up in London. The Sherlock Holmes cafe’s actual address is: 50 Ruijin 2nd Rd. (Gaolan Rd.), Shanghai.
The game is a-foot… but don’t try to find the place by foot. The street signs are confusing, and Google Maps doesn’t show the correct location. Instead, hail a hansom (or taxi) and ask your driver to take you to 瑞金二路50号, 近复兴中路. Cab fares are extremely low in Shanghai, so the ride will probably only cost you a few dollars.
Once you’re inside, you can lift a finger and announce, “Elementary, my dear Watson!”
❤ OUTFIT DETAILS ❤
Dress: Shakuhachi Future Minimal from West LA Boutique – purchase the same dress here.
Skeleton necklace: from LLazy Bonez.
(Above, click the images to shop the looks featured in this outfit post. I love this brand so much!)
The entrance looks like a shrine to Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the master detective in BBC’s Sherlock TV series (which is one of my favorites).
Who knew the show was so popular in China? Of course, there are cute miniature “chibi” versions of Watson and Sherlock.
The cafe is designed to look like Sherlock Holmes and Watson’s shared flat, 221B Baker Street. One room looks a Victorian parlor, with brocaded curtains and a game of chess.
Customers can pose with the props: this is not a real violin, and obviously I don’t know how to play it. Behind me, you can spot test tubes and a microscope for Holmes’ forensic examinations.
A deerstalker hat and a pipe are the ultimate Sherlock Holmes fashion accessories. Below are more must-haves for gumshoes in training.
Much of the decor feels authentic to fans of Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels. But a few rooms have a “huh” feeling, like this tropical wallpaper and portrait of Edgar Allan Poe.
The clever menu looks like a newspaper, and the top right indicates the cafe’s opening date: July 2013. The front page has “recommendations by Mrs Hudson,” the landlady of Watson and Holmes.
My baby niece sniffs at the decorated latte, with a coat of arms that shows Sherlock Holmes in profile. I ordered the “Moriarty” drink, an appropriately evil mix of iced coffee with vanilla ice cream on top.
The cafe serves sandwiches, cakes and other snacks as well. However, the selection of BBC Sherlock memorabilia is the biggest draw.
You can pick up Sherlock-themed bookmarks, art, and jewelry.
When you ask for the check, the waiter flips a top hat onto the table. Aha, the receipt is pinned to the brim! Case closed.
If you have never read the Sherlock Holmes novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, you must get your hands on them. The stories hold up over time and the writing doesn’t at all feel dated. You can get the whole Sherlock collection here.
Above is a close-up of my skeleton and black pearl necklace, by LLazy Bonez. These Hong Kong jewelers custom-make spooky skull pieces with quality silver and stones.
Now, let’s explore two more uniquely-designed restaurants in China. My team and I were invited to dinner at G9, a new restaurant at the department store Lane Crawford.
There was a light display in front of the designer mall. (All photos by Melissa Rundle, Eric Bergemann and La Carmina.)
Lane Crawford is the high-fashion destination in Hong Kong and China. The floors carry international luxury brands (like this Alice + Olivia Panda sweater) as well as local labels.
We were here to experience a dramatic new restaurant, G九 (上海) – also known as G-Force or G9 Shanghai. Address: 3/F Lane Crawford block, Shanghai Times Square, 99 Huaihai Zhong Road.
Designed by Ian Douglas-Jones of Atelier I-N-D-J, the interior is pop art meets vampire — a mesmerizing play on light and shadow. Above us, nearly 1000 pendants glow in a moving wave across the room. As you talk and eat, the experience changes as the lights constantly reveal and hide.
A long brass table cuts across the room, serving as both a catwalk and a dining space. Even for jaded diners like ourselves, the atmosphere was dazzling.
G9’s dramatic design is complemented by the artfully-presented meals on the menu. We shared a number of starters, including tuna tataki served in half an avocado, presented like a floral arrangement.
We ordered the lobster linguine twice — it was that good. The pumpkin ravioli and dry-aged beef (carved right at the table) were also outstanding.
All of the G restaurants emphasize local and pesticide-free ingredients. I’m surprised but pleased to see this approach to food taking root in China.
Dessert was literally a masterpiece. The young chef covered a canvas with Jackson Pollack-like swooshes, using ingredients like chocolate sauce as his paints. He told us the picture was inspired by the planets and stars.
For the grand finale, he used molecular gastronomy to release a fog of steam… and with a yelp, he smashed the “planet” on the canvas! We lapped up every last bite of the white chocolate shards and flavors.
The next night, we had Chinese food at G-2, also designed by Ian of INDJ. Once again, the interior design pulled at the imagination. We ate while were surrounded by a 14 meter aquarium of jellyfish, drifting through purple lights.
Address: G2, Shanghai Plaza, No.138 Huaihai Road 4th floor.
The patio gave a glowing view of the city. I can’t believe how much Shanghai has developed the past 5-10 years.
At G2, the food is contemporary Cantonese seafood. I tried tilefish, octopus, and glass noodles with an unidentifiable seafood (despite the mystery, it was my favorite).
I leave you with a colorful view of The Bund. What fun to explore Shanghai, which is becoming more cosmopolitan by the day.
And here’s the Oriental Pearl Tower, glowing like a space pod.
Were you surprised to see a Sherlock Holmes theme cafe and avantgarde restaurants in China?
(PS – if you want to learn more about the clothes I wore in Shanghai, browse and click the images above.)
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I judged the Miss Scuba Philippines Pageant! Cebu beauty queens, ocean conservation.
Why am I waving like a beauty queen? Because I was a judge in the 2014 Miss Scuba Philippines contest, held at Pacific Cebu Resort!
Unlike typical pageants, Miss Scuba has the meaningful goal of promoting marine conservation. All the contestants learn to dive, and are questioned on how they’d preserve the ocean ecosystem.
Let me tell you, it was difficult to crown a winner from the 12 contestants. Read on, and I’ll show you what went down at this unique Filipino beauty pageant.
Hong Kong-based hotel group sáv Hospitality hosted Miss Scuba Philippines at Pacific Cebu Resort. Since the resort is right on the water and home to a diving school, it was a perfect fit.
What I Wore: didn’t plan this outfit in advance, but somehow it came together and fit the ocean-theme of the pageant.
Crop top: Show Me Your Mumu Lil Miss Crop Top in teal green (get it on sale, they also have it in black).
Skirt: The bottom half is actually a scarf with a fish-scale pattern, similar to this tie-dye maxi skirt.
Browse more mermaid-styles by clicking the images below:
Princess Jasmine meets The Little Mermaid. The shell hair accessory is a gift from the Nalusuan Island marine sanctuary that we visited.
Before heading to the pageant, I waded in one of the hotel’s three swimming pools. (There’s one just for the diving school — you can see it in this post.)
Spa treatments are available at all hours — the resort can even send a masseuse to your room. But if you’re a DIY type, there is this self foot massage from smooth white rocks.
To get to the pageant, I walked down a jungle path lit up with torches. At the entrance, I posed for photos with the Miss Scuba backdrop, and left a drawing of my Scottish Fold cat.
My film team and I also posed for a nice souvenir: Polaroid photos to take home. (Images in this post by Eric Bergemann and Melissa Rundle.)
I went to my judge’s head table, and found my place card. The other pageant judges included the mayor of Lapu-Lapu, and sáv Hospitality founder/CEO Edwin Chuang.
The sáv team did an impressive job with the stage design, lighting it up in colors with a big screen in the back.
Here come the Miss Scuba contestants! They wear sashes that indicate their hometown in the Philippines. Amazing how they can walk in those heels, and toss their heads just so.
This contest is held in English, since it’s an international pageant (founded in 2011). The winner of this regional round will go onto the Miss Scuba finals in Kota Kinabulu, Malaysia on November 28.
Between the pageant segments, there were singers and performers, such as this happy number by the University of Cebu Dance Company.
So hard to give a score for each lady! There are typical sections like the swimsuit contest, but the most important criteria is how well the contestant advocates for marine conservation.
Pageants are a huge deal in the Philippines, and many young women spend a year in beauty queen training. They learn how to walk, carry themselves well, and speak eloquently — and all of them do their own hair and makeup.
In the Talent contest, their personalities come out. Some danced, some sang, some drew pictures. This contestant did a theatrical monologue, complete with evil queen cackling!
It was fun to get to know these young ladies during my stay in Cebu. I learned a lot about their daily life and pop culture — such as their love of “chika time” or girl chatting, and karaoke. Celine Dion’s “All Coming Back to Me” was stuck in my head because I heard several people bawl it out!
A quick change, for the evening-wear presentation. Everyone wore long, sparkling dresses that reflected the colors of the ocean.
They make it look easy… but the competition takes a lot of dedication. I was impressed by their unshakable poise. (Love this lady’s long blue ball gown — shop more styles like this below.)
Pick an envelope, and it’s time for the question and answer. Since Miss Scuba is a spokesperson for “saving oceans through beauty,” they were quizzed on how they’d educate the public on marine conservation.
Cebu’s “Prince of Ballad” Philip Mancol serenaded all the contestants, while I handed in my final scores to be tallied up.
Congrats to the winners of Miss Congeniality, Miss Photogenic, Bets Evening Gown and Swimsuit. They received a sash and cash prize.
Confetti rained down for Amanda Arbitrario, winner of Miss Scuba 2014! Last year’s winner, Christine Paula Love Bernasor, gives her the tiara, while the mayor of Lapu-Lapu and Edwin cheer.
Amanda stands with Princess and Reygin, the second and first runner-ups. Congratulations to all!
We ended the night with cocktails at the afterparty by the beach. Fireworks exploded above us — I’ve never seen them from so close.
It was an honor to be a judge in Miss Scuba, a beauty pageant with the goals of protecting the planet’s oceans, promoting safe diving practices, and inspiring the next generations.
Above is a selection of brands and styles featured in this post. Select the images for more details, and to shop.
Does this story make you think differently about beauty queens?
LA CARMINA
