“It was a very difficult period, but we cannot waste time regretting it,” André Zhou, owner of Viva! and born in Braga, who is preparing to celebrate a decade after a year marked by blockades that paralyzed business in the city. China's economic capital. “This was the path I chose and I'm going to move forward”, he assured.
In 2022, Shanghai was maintained under quarantine and blockade measures, within the scope of the ‘zero cases' strategy of covid-19, which was in force in China until last December. The most prosperous and cosmopolitan Chinese city was especially hard hit by a two-month isolation in the spring of last year, which was marked by crises of violence and shortages of food and other basic necessities.
O Viva! however, it changed its location to Wuding Lu, where the city's nightlife is concentrated, and almost tripled the space, to 270 square meters.
This month, That's Shanghai, a local English-language magazine popular with the expat community, named Viva! the prize for the best ‘brunch’, the meal that combines breakfast and lunch.
The inclusion included the Sunday menu, consisting of grilled piri-piri chicken, Iberian pork chops and roasted chorizo. “In true Portuguese style, protein takes center stage in weekend meals,” described That’s Shanghai. “But, in addition to sharing Portuguese cuisine with customers, [André] introduces culture and design, history and flavors – and, of course, the famous hospitality – to bring the true essence of Portugal to Shanghai”, it reads.
Cork and tile panels cover the ceiling and walls of the establishment. The plates and cutlery are also ‘Made in Portugal'.
“Taste is important, but in today's world, the visual aspect is also extremely important”, said the businessman. “In the Shanghai market, the customer, more than eating, wants to live a good experience, and that includes the decoration and comfort of the space”, he noted.
Viva!'s menu, chosen by Paulo Quaresma, ‘chef' and Portuguese consultant based in China since 2010, also includes clams à bulhão Pato, cod à Brás, octopus feijoada, duck rice or francesinha, served with egg and fries and drizzled in a special sauce, faithful to the ‘tripeira' version. The shoe rack also works well: “It's a beautiful dish”, observed André Zhou.
“First is the local market,” he said. “We always choose dishes that are adaptable to the Chinese palate,” he said. “I won't choose too many cod dishes, because cod is a very salty dish that local customers won't like. We choose dishes that have tomato sauce, because they are used to tomato sauce. Coriander, which is often used in Chinese cuisine. The seafood. [The Chinese] are also very fond of our gizzards.”
The dessert list includes sawdust and chocolate or mango mousses.
Born in Braga, André Zhou speaks with a northern accent, but considers himself a “son of two different worlds”.
The businessman's parents are part of the first generation of Chinese immigrants in Portugal: “They started by working at fairs, then opened a shop and a restaurant”. When he left school, he went to work “at the till or cleaning, washing glasses, frying pancakes or serving at the table”.
“It's a business that requires a lot of energy,” he said. “But it's already in my DNA”.
After graduating in economics from the University of Minho in 2008, André Zhou went to Shanghai to study Chinese.
However, 16 years have passed: “It was love at first sight”.
With around 25 million inhabitants, Shanghai is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in China, along with Hong Kong. It was there that industry, cinema and the Chinese Communist Party were born.
Highly restrictive lockdowns during the pandemic and geopolitical frictions have caused the number of foreign residents in China to plummet.
But André Zhou is determined: “I'm here and I don't want to leave”.
“I want to develop my career and maybe also get married and stay here”, he assured. “Things happen much faster here.”
