Date: Mar 17th 2014 3:35p.m.

Contributed by:
dominicngai

Shanghai’s weather is warming and so is the amount of dining gossip flying around the city.

The third annual Asia-Pacific Food and Wine Festival has been confirmed at the Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong on June 12-15. Last year, the extravagant four-day event was hosted at the luxury hotel’s Hong Kong branch and featured as guests some of the world’s top chefs.

David Thompson of Nahm

Organizers are in the final stages of confirming this year’s list, David Thompson of Nahm in Bangkok (recently named No. 1 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant in 2014) will likely be part of this year’s all-star line-up.

Some of my friends in fashion PR have told me that agnès b. Café is looking to expand their coverage to Shanghai. The famous fashion brand currently has about a dozen cafés in Hong Kong’s swankiest shopping malls.

Their team was recently in town to scout out possible locations and was spotted near Shaanxi Nan Lu. Given their track record on venue selection, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them opening up at the IAPM Mall.

Elsewhere in the city, Urban Thai just opened up a second location on Dagu Lu. House of Lasagna is now baking and serving on Xiangyang Nan Lu and Fuxing Lu.

Oh My Kebab on Yongkang Lu just soft-opened with a limited menu, while Captain Rooster (from the folks behind PiRO and Dos Locos) is frying chicken and pouring beer on Changshu Lu. (Check out the photos from their grand opening.)

Kelley Lee’s microbrewery and restaurant Liquid Laundry has put up signs on Donghu Lu, while El Bodegon is getting ready to open right next to Fortune Cookie.

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Got any hot dining news and gossip? Tell us about it in the comments …