Is Pasta Lab the next Yongkang lu?
Love it. Hate it. Pasta Lab is an iconic part of the Jing'an experience.
If you haven't been, you've probably walked by and were intrigued by the clean, clinical feel.
On the corner of Wuding lu and Yanping lu is Jing'an's famed institution of carbohydrate experimentation.
Welcome to Pasta Lab!
Here you'll find an array of gluten-based delights, from dessert raviolis to spaghetti smothered in classic bolognese sauce.
"Only pasta a scientist could make" said Pasta Lab's friendly owner, Anis.
But could Pasta Lab be the next Yongkang lu?
One Jing'an resident thinks so.
Meet Joel, 2-year tenant of Jing'an's San He Hua Yuan.
"I was walking by Pasta Lab the other night," Joel said. "There were people on the patio wining and dining. They weren't the only ones whining though."
Joel had heard the locals living around Pasta Lab have been complaining about the noise.
"Rings a bell, doesn't it?" Joel stated.
For years, the residents of Yongkang lu have been subject to the late-night antics of its bar-going expat community. Locals have been known to throw buckets of water on the rowdy punters when things get too noisy.
Despite the complaints, Yongkang lu has become the quintessential hub of the Shanghai expat bubble. But with an over-saturation of FOB English teachers going on the regular, perhaps this dog has already had its day.
"I've been trying to tell my friends that we should go to Pasta Lab instead of Yongkang lu. They have beer on tap now," Joel remarked. "And honestly, I'm a little sick of the foreign bar-staff on Yongkang. Ever since my bud Rudy hit on the black chick from Cafe Stagiaires, they've been rather rude and dismissive."
Joel isn't the only one complaining. Taxi apps have made it increasingly difficult to catch a cab off of Yongkang lu.
When trying to wave down a cab, Expat drama-club enthusiast Gina has been cut in line one too many times.
"I might just start going to Sasha's again every weekend," Gina grumbled.
Pasta Lab might just be the place for her.
In this ever-changing experiment we call the city of Shanghai, Jing'an is cooking up something fresh in the Pasta Lab. Move over, Yongkang! You may have just met your match!
