Social Supply's Camden Hauge and Olivia Mok Talk Bringing Their Events to Beijing for the First Time

While there is undeniably still some culinary rivalry between Beijing and Shanghai, we're all for welcoming members of the Shanghai F&B scene if it means we are on the receiving end of delicious food. Luckily for us, our very own Hatchery has teamed up with Shanghai's "everything events agency," Social Supply, to bring two of their popular events to Beijing on the weekend of September 8-9.

The highlight of the weekend is the Supperclub on Saturday, September 9. Priced at RMB 500, the event features a tasting menu cooked by a Shanghai-based chef at a secret location. The dinner is invitation-only so scan the QR code on the poster below for details of how to RSVP for a chance to have a seat (plus one guest!) around the table for this one-off dining experience – guests will be confirmed one week before the event.

If you don't make it onto the super-exclusive list for the Supperclub, then don't fret: the night before, the same crew will host one of their Cocktail Cinema nights, a film screening featuring cocktails from a top bartender paired to the film in an immersive environment. Beijing star bartender Warren Pang (Janes & Hooch and Canvas) will be slinging some delicious drinks designed for his selection of film, Daft Punk's feature-length animated musical Interstella 5555. Tickets RMB 250 per person. 

We spoke to Social Supply founders Camden Hauge and Olivia Mok ahead of the events.

TBJ: Tell us a little bit about yourselves and your background.
Social Supply:Social Supply was conceived in early 2016 as an organic expansion from the renegade dinner series Shanghai Supperclub that started almost four years before. Social Supply produces both client events and our own 'social' events that focus on expanding and elevating the cultural landscape in Shanghai. These events include the monthly Shanghai Supperclub dinner series; Cocktail Cinema, immersive film screenings paired with cocktails from one of Shanghai's best barmen; Liveroom, acoustic live music nights; and larger-scale events like our annual food festival, Feast.

Where do you get the ideas and inspiration for events like Shanghai Supperclub in order to keep them fresh and exciting?
We draw inspiration from the amazing talent available in Shanghai – we usually start with the chef's ideas for a menu or style and build up a theme around it, exploring Shanghai's unused or interesting spaces to find a venue and then decorating to expand into a proper concept. We have hosted dinners featuring upscale American food in a skate park, a rosé-drenched Provencal picnic on a leafy lane terrace, and even a 'traveling' dinner (each course in a different location) at an eco-resort in the bamboo forests of Moganshan.

How did the idea for Cocktail Cinema come about?
Camden: I had enjoyed attending the immersive experiences from Secret Cinema in London and was inspired to bring a similar type of event to Shanghai, although I knew that it had to be tailored to the market. Shanghairen love their booze and we're lucky enough to have a glut of incredible bartenders, and so we thought that introducing the cocktail element would be a fun touch.

What made you decide to bring Shanghai Supperclub to Beijing for the first time?
We have been wanting to explore different cities in China and abroad (we're hitting HK and Niseko, Japan, later this year!) and after speaking to our friends at The Hatchery about a potential need for fun and new options, we thought it could be fun to bring something different to the Beijing market!

For you, what are some of the biggest differences between the F&B scenes in Beijing and Shanghai?
Camden:Although I can't claim to be very familiar with Beijing's food scene, I feel like Beijing's strengths lie in street food and craft beer, whereas Shanghai seems to have many more solid restaurant options. 

Olivia: Shanghai has always been the more international and cosmopolitan city of the two, so there is a lot more international variety and a range of price options here. In Beijing, I find I'm able to find more authentic flavors that are prominent throughout the city's restaurants/street food stalls that give me an overall better cultural experience.

Say I'm going down to Shanghai for the weekend from Beijing, what are the restaurants/bars I absolutely must go to?
Camden:If I were to design the perfect eating day for you, I would start by taking you to grab some shengjianbao on the best breakfast street food corner in the center of the city, on the intersection of Xiangyang Lu and Changle Lu. I would then drag you a few steps north to my all-day dining spot EGG for a proper cup of coffee and some solid breakfast. Lunch would be xiaolongbao from Lin Long Fang or a full-on Shanghainese feast at Old Jesse. After wandering the streets of the French Concession all afternoon, I would suggest a drink and some okonomiyaki fries on the terrace at Highline to take in the sunset over People's Park. There are way too many good options for dinner, but I always seem to end up at Pirata to feast on tapas and wine before heading to Union Trading Company for Yao Lu's killer cocktails. The final – and most crucial – stop of the night would be at Er Guang's street-side stall for legendary late-night sesame wontons, lion's head meatballs, and warm beer.

Olivia: Jinxian Lu on the edge of the French Concession and Jing'an District has always been a great destination for small restaurants and boutiques. On each end of this short 200m street are two very authentic Shanghainese "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants, Chun and Lan Xin, that have been on the map for decades and still have lines out the door every day. After heading there for some authentic Chinese food I'd go to La Maison, located between both places on Jinxian Lu and also my restaurant and bar situated in a renovated 1920s building that used to be owned by China's most prominent gangster Du Yue Sheng (Big Ear Du). 

Coming from Hong Kong, I love my dim sum and I'd get my fix at Senses 8 in Xintiandi or Imperial Treasure on Beijing Dong Lu. 

For something a little fancier, or if I'm having a dressed-up girls' night out, I'd start off at the bar for both food and drinks at Jean Georges on the Bund – gorgeously decorated and never disappointing, the space is way more fun and not stuffy than you'd think – followed by a night out at Le Baron on Donghu Lu.

Can you give us a sneaky preview of the concept/menu for the Supperclub on September 9?
Although the chef/menu is always a surprise for our guests until they arrive at the dinner, we'll let on that we will be bringing up a young Chinese-Canadian cook who has gained a cult following here in Shanghai for her love of lajiao!

Follow all of Social Supply's official accounts on WeChat: 

Social Supply: socialsupplyshanghai
Shanghai Supperclub: shsupperclub
Cocktail Cinema: cocktailcinema
Liveroom: liveroom

More stories by this author here.

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Photos courtesy of Social Supply