Restaurant Spotlight: Gypsy's wine Bar and Restaurant

One thing I really enjoy about spotlighting some of the better places to eat in Shenzhen are some of the stories I get about the city’s changes. Sitting with Xavier, the owner of the well known western restaurant Gypsies, I was treated to some interesting stories and some great food. Xavier, originally from Australia, has lived here for about 14 years and has seen the city change. He came from a background in logistics and around 6 years ago decided to open a western restaurant. "Back in 1989, the dining scene was horrible. There were only Red Rooster, Casablanca, and China Beach (a place that was similar to Red rooster). Also, none of them took credit cards." Over the years other places popped up, even a Wendy’s, but it has since gone under as have many. Logistics man to restaurateur might seem a little unlikely, but his family has been in the restaurant business for many years. Even his son Dorian works as one of the chefs and helped train their Chinese chefs who were trained from zero experience to serve some of the best food around. Gypsies is loved by many an expat. "95% of our business is from expats". Gypsies has built up a bit of a reputation for having western food that tastes like good western food, large portions, and has good service and restaurant etiquette. Restaurant etiquette and protocols are something many places around Shenzhen just don’t train their staff in. Gypsies made it the first thing they focused on. Waitresses are attentive but don’t hover around the table, they give you time to think, your food is brought in the right order and not all at once. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received my appetizers and main dish at the same time at other establishments in China. I’m a pretty big guy and I feel a little self conscious about people around me seeing so much food on the table at once. These girls really know what they are doing and have been on for over 6 years and Xavier wouldn’t trade them for the world. Beer is served cold in cold glasses and each wine is served at the temperature it should be served. "I’m not obsessed. I want to do things right. It’s the secret of Gypsies. In that sense I don’t want to compromise." They try to keep things as close to any western restaurant you would walk into back home. They charge western prices but try not to be greedy. Many wonderful extras can be found at Gypsies. You can have as many eggs as you want with your breakfast (which is served all day), and unlimited, toast, jams, and there are free refills of plain coffee, iced tea, orange juice and apple juice. They even have individual bathroom hand towels and after dinner mints. “These sorts of things build goodwill. We differentiate ourselves by our food and service”. I also noticed they leave crayons on the table and you are encouraged to draw on the paper tablecloth. The restaurant is decorated in an appealing way with wooden floors as well as mostly mellow yellow walls and the occasional brown to give an unfinished look. The lighting is a little dimmed down and you can hear light jazz in the background though on the weekend the music is turned up tempo a bit. You’ll notice the standard bar in the back stocked with all the standard beers as well as a few Australian Exclusives including Crowne Lager Premium, Victoria Bitter, Coopers Ale, and Coopers Bitter. Their wines are largely Aussie including about 65 red and white, but also include others from the US, Chile, Argentina, Italy, and France.
On to the food. It’s easy to get lost in the Gypsy’s Menu. At first read through it reminded me of my beloved diners from New Jersey. Breakfast all day, and a huge diversity when it comes to everything else. One thing in particular that I noticed was all the different salads both offered as Sides and as Mains. It took me some time, but in the end I was happy with what I chose. For appetizers, I had the Bang Bang Chicken (basically Quesadillas on steroids) and the Turkish Platter.
The Bang Bang Chicken (65RMB) was good but not my favorite of the night. I like something a little simpler. The taste was a mix of barbecued smokey chicken, cheese, Lime and sandwiched between two grilled tortillas and topped with a slice of avocado, sour cream, and a little chili sauce for a small kick. Gracing the center of the plate is a small leafy salad with vinaigrette. This dish is sure to please most and a mountain of an appetizer. Beware!
Next was the Turkish Platter (75RMB). This was more up my ally. Wow, what a big dish! It was presented with a small dish of Hummus and Baba Ganouj in the middle and was surrounded on all sides. One side by delicious grilled veggies including mushrooms, roasted peppers, eggplant, zucchini, asparagus, and the artichokes (the only vegetable of the bunch that I don’t care for). They were cooked tender and lightly oiled.
I asked if they had any plans to expand around Shenzhen but unfortunately there are no current plans. Another side had sliced Parmesan and Feta with pieces of Parma ham thrown into the mix. Finally, the last side had sliced thin pita for using in the silky-smooth dips in the center. The dips were lemony and flavorful and as good as some of the places from back home.
I was torn between what to try and suggested a smaller portion of a Main salad. I chose the Lamb Cutlets with Haloumi Cheese and Walnut Salad (100RMB). They accommodated me and made it a smaller portion but what you can expect are 3 lamb cutlets. It came piled high with salad and crowned with overlapping lamb. The carnivore in me went right for the meat. It was the right kind of salty and cooked medium. Really tasty. The Haloumi cheese was a first for me. Xavier told me it is a special cheese. The only kind you can grill and it keeps its form. No Melting. I combined a piece of the cheese with a grilled walnut, some of the fresh vegetables covered in the house vinaigrette. The combination was surprising and is something I would definitely get again. A few bites later and I started to feel full. A full dish is ahead of me and a dessert...It’s a good thing man invented the doggy bag.
I decided on one of the Chef Recommendations for my Main Course. The Seafood Thermidor with Fettuccini (95RMB). First you’ll be hit by the aroma strong aroma. The dish uses the sauce normally used on Lobster Thermidor, a thick creamy combination of vermouth, mustard, parmesan, fresh herbs and lemon juice that went really well with the pasta and the many many pieces of lobster, prawns, and scallops. It was a gooey seafoody delight. “The King’s English Mustard really does it. We bring down the bite with the lemon juice.” Also, they don’t skimp on the seafood. Every swipe of my fork would seem to strike a piece. Don’t miss trying this. It’s done so well there that it is probably moving to their regular menu.
To sample the full range of the menu I also put in an order for the Double Chocolate Fudge Brownie with Mocha Sauce (45RMB). A chocoholics dream, a diabetic’s nightmare. An amalgamation of dark chocolate fudge with milk chocolate chunks and topped with mocha sauce. It had a different texture than I’m accustomed to when having a brownie. I prefer a more cake-like brownie. It reminded me of chocolate cake batter in a consistency of cookie dough. It is a very rich decadent dessert reserved only for those with a really big sweet tooth.

Open 7 Days a Week
Mon-Thurs 10-11:30PM Full Menu
Fri-Sun 9-11:30PM Last order at 11

Be sure to check out their menu at
http://www.gypsysrestaurant.com/

Gypsies also offers catering. Buy your deli meats and plan your parties and barbecues with their extensive menu and services also shown on their website.