Anyone still here? Shanghai feels kind of empty. Not CNY empty, but it seems like everyone’s either home or on the way out. Not that it matters, Shanghai's F&B ballet continues cracking nuts, and I must report on it. This week there’s some good news for the Swedes in the city. Also, Garlic’s back, More Than Eat’s taking a (mandatory) break, Le Petit Canard is taking a permanent break, and Hard Rock is slowly creaking the doors open. Details after the jump.

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Openings - FIKA, SVEA, Hard Rock Cafe, Garlic

FIKA Sweden opened its doors on Shaanxi Bei Lu last week, just north of that part that got decimated earlier this year. It’s a cafe/bakery run by a Swedish lady with Shanghainese parents. The name comes from the Swedish slang for “taking a coffee break.” I tried their cinnamon buns (which were good, juicy and firm), their berry tarts and their saffron-flavored St. Lucia buns. The last one got the seal of approval from our resident Swede. Pastries go for around 15-20rmb a piece. In more Swedish news, SVEA opened up out in Hongkou. Continuing the trend of trying to learn us some Swedish (nice try), the name is a Swedish term for “Old Swedish Land.” It’s a Swedish restaurant with a bar and a VIP room, sounds like they want a place where people can both eat and have a drink if they like. I’d note VIP rooms aren’t in line with the “don’t think you’re better than us” attitude that Scandinavia is built on, though. Hard Rock Cafe is soft opening around December 25. That’s the best Christmas present there is. Don’t worry about the hazy opening dates, we’ll probably be there before you anyway and let you know. Speaking of live music, Shanghai's been waiting on getting their own Blue Note jazz club after the world famous brand opened a Beijing location earlier this year. Shanghai was always a part of their expansion plans, but the word on the street is an opening date in March 2017 or thereabouts. Their Beijing venue has already welcomed in Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chick Corea, and more. Garlic’s back since this weekend. They’ve been closed for a few months, but now they’re not. That is all.

Closings - More Than Eat (Temporarily), Le Petit Canard

We were packing our bags with bootleg baijiu and handfuls of MSG, so we didn’t notice that many closings. Or maybe it’s just white noise to me at this point, considering the kind of year it’s been. The More Than Eat complex on Julu Lu is closed, but it a temporary licensing issue allegedly. We stuck our heads in and they said they’d probably be shut until December 25 or so. That means the Lizzy’s All-Natural in there is closed, as is the Lost Heaven Silk Road. Le Petit Canard, however, is just permanently closed. They sent out a message earlier this week saying the landlord put an end to their lease. The language suggests they’re not looking to reopen anywhere else. Sad day for fans of bistro fare. And duck.

The Word Around Town

We’ve not heard too much gossip, everyone’s too busy organizing/desperately patching together Christmas and NYE dinner menus. You should really check out our page on Christmas dinners, there’s a ton of them. If you’re looking for a whole page of gossip though, come back later on today when we publish "2016 Shanghai's Favorite Meals", where a bunch of F&B bigwigs tell you what’s good. That’s the best kind of gossip. That’s it for this week. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, all that good stuff. Check back with us after you come out of your festive food coma for more scandalous, unsubstantiated F&B gossip.