Calcutta-based pan-Asian brand Sanghai Flavours of China to expand across India

The journey from 2020 to 2024 has been a very successful one for Shanghai Flavours of China. After 12 outlets in Calcutta, the pan- Asian restaurant brand will now spread its wings across the country with its first stop being Hyderabad. t2 had a tete-e-tete with founder and managing director of the chain, Debraj De...

Congratulations on three amazing years in Calcutta with 12 outlets! What are the next stops for Shanghai Flavours of China?

I have signed a place in Hyderabad and it is one of our main targets. We plan to have four to five outlets in Hyderabad itself because according to market data for Chinese cuisine, Hyderabad ranks third. However, Shanghai Flavours of China does not just deal with Chinese, it encapsulates several other Asian cuisines like Thai, Singaporean, Japanese, Korean and Indonesian. While 80 per cent of our menu is Chinese, the rest is pan-Asian. After Hyderabad, Guwahati is a confirmed location which we would be looking at. Bengaluru, Pune and other tier-II cities are on the anvil.

How did you conceptualise the idea of Shanghai Flavours of China?

The concept obviously started with Chinese, which has a very high demand and popularity in Calcutta. But to stay in demand one also needs to do something new and different. Our generation is fast and everchanging, with Facebook, Threads and a different application emerging daily. In such a world, I knew I would have the first-mover advantage if I introduced a pan-Asian brand in the market and not just Chinese. In fact, when we opened the outlets in the second phase in Behala, Srerampore and Sodepur, that is when we realised that every next thela has Chinese food. That made us raise the question, “How are we different?” Additionally, we are a casual-dining brand and not a fine dining one. The reason behind this was that we wanted to tap into the middle sector. We never wanted to hit a niche market but wanted to be a space for comfort and excellent food to the major chunk of people.

When did it first occur to you that Shanghai Flavours of China has the ability to go big?

Definitely not when I first started it! (Laughs) The day we crossed six outlets in Calcutta, I could see people loving the brand and being regulars, that is when it dawned upon me.

What kind of preparation is underway with the expansion in mind?

To begin with, we have launched our own delivery app named Shanghai Flavours of China.

Steadily we will build up our own riders while presently it is a limited number. That will also develop a new sector of employment and since we are going pan-India that multiplies job opportunities for a lot more people. This is the year of the dragon and with the expansion taking place, we have launched our new menu too. To our delight, Parambrata (Chattopadhyay) was here to taste and launch the menu. Moreover, food is a passion for me. Recently, I travelled to Bali with my wife and two of our dishes in the new menu have been inspired from what we tried and explored there.

Who are your pillars of support in this journey and what is the goal going forward?

I would not have been able to do all of this at 28 without the guidance of my father, Deepak De, and the support of my lovely wife, Ruchika Debraj De. I got married at 25 and Shanghai Flavours of China was born within months. Even now my father, who is also one of the three directors of the brand, is the person to approve the final tastes of the dishes we introduce or carry ahead. The goal is to tap the young audience who will be around as foodies and pan-Asian connoisseurs in the next 30 years too.

2024 is the year of the dragon and Shanghai Flavours of China is celebrating it in a big way. Days before the Chinese New Year commenced on February 10, a special mouthwatering menu was unveiled by the casual-dining restaurant chain. t2 tasted the delicacies at their Ballygunge branch and here’s what we liked.