The Merchants is three venues in one: a cafe, a fine dining restaurant, and a cocktail / wine bar on the second floor. Opened in a converted villa, they’ve got a beautiful ground floor view of a Spanish-ish colonial villa and a 150-year old tree in the back. The building used to serve as the writing department headquarters of the Shanghai Film Studio. A Beijing-based wine importer by trade, for this Shanghai expansion, their angle in the kitchen is house smoked and dry-aged everything, in particular the dry aged chicken, which is one of the dishes they’re known for. The majority of the dishes are prepared over a wood flame grill. Eating is sharing style and the main dining area seats maybe 25, in a warm, classy, and comfortable environment, with a few private rooms upstairs. The cocktail bar upstairs is also nice with an award-winning team in from Shenzhen behind the drinks, taking it all very, very seriously, and making great cocktails.