Choice cuts

Shanghai native Liang Jiahao's My Butchery offers a wide variety of cuts, ranging from rib-eyes and ground beef to pork chops, and homemade pickles, cheese and sausages.

Beyond the wide variety of cuts, ranging from rib-eyes and ground beef to pork chops, the shop also offers homemade pickles, cheese, sausages and - unsurprisingly, given Liang's backround, wine that is more than reasonably priced.

There is also a special smell filling the air of the shop: from the rotisserie chicken in the oven, sparkling with a golden shine reflected in the potatoes below. It's become an unexpected hit that has lured in many passers-by.

There is no lack of trendy butcheries in Shanghai. Yasmine's Butchery, which has been on the Shanghai's carnivore map for years, has recently renovated its space and expanded it into a butchery and steakhouse. Nicolson's Butcher & Seafood, just a few steps from My Butchery, offers not only what its name suggests but also homemade sausages and bacons. The Swiss Butchery promises "a world-class meat experience" with the reputation of its owner, Swiss master butcher Markus Wermelinger, and arguably Shanghai's most extensive menu of meat.

Liang is finding his place in between, and he's having an impact much larger than his less-than-30-square-meters shop. His target market is very direct: young Chinese, or people like him.

"We grew up eating red-braised pork, fried pork chops, pork ribs in soup, till one day when we stepped out and found there is a whole other world of meat: steak," says Liang.

With the growing number of steakhouses in Shanghai, Liang detected a rising interest among his friends and peers to pan-fry a steak at home, and his shop fills the gap between overpriced offerings from import supermarkets, which have "as a cold service as its freezer", and the greasy market counters.

"Essentially, I hope My Butchery could become a chain," he says, "which could define the word and image of butchery for our younger local generation."

If you go

My Butchery

315 Wulumuqi Road M, Xuhui district, Shanghai. 131-2056-8079.