Back in 2006, when Roy was working in the US, he had the idea to open a multicultural kitchen with a strong Asian cuisine component in the current Spíler. It was around this time that he became completely hooked on Asian cuisine in New York and Miami, where chefs were already making exciting forays into Asian cuisine.
In January 2012, Roy was in Amsterdam with Zsolt Litauszki, where they had an exciting experience with Chinese cuisine, when he got hooked on Asia again. From then on, his and Zsolt's minds started to spin on this topic...
Zsolt, with chef Lajos Lutz, started researching new Asian cuisines in 2013, with New York and San Francisco chefs like David Chang leading the way, who approached Asian cuisines in an exciting and totally relaxed way. They're not so bound by a strict set of authentic rules, but they're still building on their real roots. Zsolt immersed himself in their work and Roy and Zsolt travelled to New-York in 2013 for a serious field trip.
The principle within the group is that we only open a new place if we can create something exciting, original and niche in the area and if we can shape and develop the environment with it.
This was no different in the spring of 2014, when Spíler Shanghai opened.
After opening in 2012, Spíler became the downtown's favourite hangout place and bistro in no time. It occurred to Roy that the vacant property across the street from him could be a good "continuation" of the Spíler story. The property included a huge ground floor space and a basement space perfect for a speakeasy bar and party venue that was just as large.
Our creative team and I thought long and hard before the concept was clear, it wasn't at all trivial what kind of space should be opened opposite.
We felt it had to be connected to Spíler because the brand is strong enough now to continue the journey, plus the gastronomic direction soon became clear: we envisioned modern Asian cuisine in a 1930s-inspired Shanghai setting.
The aim was to offer both those new to Asian flavours and the more experienced an exciting range of dishes with a free, relaxed approach, at affordable prices, with a twist on the classics.
Lust, women, style, smoky warm lights, sultry eroticism... Shanghai in the 1930s embodies it all for us. Shanghai was vibrant, different cultures lived alongside the Chinese: English, French, everyone did business, everyone lived, had fun, mixed peoples and cuisines, enjoyed life, music was booming, there was style. That, in short, is Spíler Shanghai.
Spíler Shanghai opened in April 2014 as a bistro, bar, nightclub and terrace in an atmosphere reminiscent of 1930s Shanghai.
And although within a year it turned out that we were wrong, the Hungarian market was not yet ready for such a direction, we loved the Asian flavours.
At the time of opening, Roy said that Spíler Shanghai was so well thought out, the concept, the design, the offer and the image were so cohesive that he was very proud to have brought it together, but we had to change that in 2015 and slowly phase out the Asian direction and see the bistro that was previously Shanghai as part of Spíler Original.
The location and ambience remained, the menu changed.
That's how we like it, Spíler Shanghai!