Discover Chef Carlos Sotomayor's new global bistro and bar, VICE, located at 128 Yongjia Lu in Shanghai's Xuhui District. After 12 years shaping the city's F&B scene, the Peruvian chef debuts his first solo concept featuring borderless sharing plates, cocktails, daily lunch, and dinner.
Tags:By Ned Kelly
He didn't speak the language, knew not a single person, and had never set foot in Asia.
Today, Carlos Sotomayor is the creative force behind some of the city's most exciting F&B concepts—yet his latest project, VICE, marks the first time it is truly his name on the project.
Here's how a self-confessed picky eater from Peru found his calling, built a career across continents, and finally planted roots in a city that never stops reinventing itself.
On being a picky eater...
I was a very picky eater as a kid. Not picky in that I didn't like things—but I liked things that tasted right.
I would eat cauliflower, but it had to be battered. I would eat lentils, but they needed the right flavor in the stew.
On his grandmother's influence...
My grandma was always at home. When I didn't like something my aunt was cooking, my grandma would say, "Okay, I'll come down and make something else."
She was always in the kitchen, and I was always watching. Or when my aunt was cooking, I was right there, watching.
And then I started getting to do things—peel the peas, mix the butter.
I would always say, "I'm bored. What can I eat?" It was always about eating, about needing to munch on something.
Picky little Carlos with his grandma
On his first kitchen experience...
But my real kitchen experience came when I was 15 years old. I went to my first ever kitchen—a seafood restaurant owned by a good friend of my mother for over 20 years.
About 30 minutes south of Lima, near Los Pulpos beach, I spent the whole summer there. We'd go to the fish terminal at five in the morning. She showed me how to pick the seafood and the fish.
Then we'd bring everything back—40 kilos of fish fillet, 40 kilos of octopus, clams, mussels.
By six in the morning, we were processing everything. Nine o'clock, official preparation time for service. Eleven o'clock, doors open. We'd run service until around six in the evening.
Teenage Carlos "trying to figure my way in a kitchen I knew nothing about."
On being thrown in the deep end...
I was a teenager, trying to figure my way in a kitchen I knew nothing about.
Of course I did many screw-ups back then. But that's what made me understand the right way to make a ceviche, the right way to make a braised dish, the right ways to treat seafood the way we like it in Peruvian cuisine.
With the Chala team in Lima, Peru
On choosing cooking over IT...
I was always fond of computers and, after high school, adamant I was going to IT school. I thought that was my chosen career.
But then I started lying to myself. I'd say, "After five years in IT, I'm going to go to culinary school."
After my first semester, I realized that didn't make sense. Why would I study five years of IT and then not practice because I want to go to culinary school?
On his 'Aha!' moment...
That's when everything made sense. IT is my hobby. Cooking is the real thing I want to do every day.
I'd rather be 14 hours in a kitchen, 16 hours in a kitchen, than eight hours sitting at a desk.
So I changed.
Institut Paul Bocuse in France
On heading to France...
I worked in kitchens all my life, but I never officially went to culinary school until I went to Institut Paul Bocuse in France.
I forced myself to learn French six months before going, because I wanted to make sure I got the most out of the chefs down there.
It was so enlightening. The things you learn at work suddenly made so much more sense. Now you see the process from start to finish.
Chef training you how to be a chef, in the kitchen, in operations. He's very hands-on. But when you learn it by the book, everything becomes more refined.
It all fits together.
Carlos with Monsieur Paul Bocuse
On having his head hunted...
I was working in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, finishing a contract at a hotel. A friend called me in Peru and said, "There are these headhunters coming to Lima. Maybe you're interested." I said, "Okay, why not? Let me talk to them."
I finished my work in Jackson, went back to Peru, took a break, traveled to Machu Picchu, helped a friend at a boutique hotel in Cusco.
While I was in Cusco, the headhunters called. "Carlos, there's an opportunity in Asia. In Shanghai."
The person they introduced me to was Willy Trullàs Moreno.
This was in 2014, and Willy was very hot at the time. He had elEfante, a cocktail bar called El Coctel, a gourmet hot dog place called Bikini, and Tomatito was about to open.
Yet it was relatively simple: "Your background looks nice. I think you'd suit our group." So I said, "Okay, let's do it. Let's go to Shanghai."
Carlos first summer at El Willy
On his introduction to Shanghai...
I was 27 years old, a spring chicken. June 2014. I remember it was a very rainy week, the second week of June.
I didn't even have a week to settle in. They sent me to an event two days after arriving—3 on the Bund or wherever Unico was.
I met Scott and Kim [Melvin] there. Christopher Pitts was on my other side. Abel [Matos] was there.
"Oh, hey chef, you just came to Shanghai. Stay in touch."
On the Shanghai chef community...
After one year in Shanghai, I still didn't really know anybody. I wasn't going out. I was thinking about leaving China.
But when Willy moved me to elEfante, it was like, "Go find this chef, go find that chef. Ask them to do a brunch with you."
I did one event, it was so much fun, and they recommended me to more people. That's when I started connecting with bartenders and chefs.
Birthdays with the Shanghai F&B community
On the lack of professional jealousy...
It's a feeling I haven't felt anywhere else. In big cities, there's jealousy—"You do your restaurant, I do mine. You're still my competition."
Here, it's, "You need something? I help you. You need a supplier? I give you one kilo right now."
That started with Scott and Kim [Melvin, of now-closed Commune Social]. They were always about giving back and passing it forward.
And it didn't stop with them. All the new chefs coming to Shanghai—you pass it forward to the next chef, and the next.
That's what I really like about this city. It's one of the reasons I'm still here, 12 years later.
On losing an inspirational friend...
I was so sad when Austin Hu passed. He was a very well-respected friend, a brother.
A lot of my food is inspired by what he shared through the years—the small plates, the philosophy, yourself on a plate.
That was Austin's food. My food, I also wanted to be like that. You can taste Carlos on a plate.
Some familiar faces from the Shanghai chef community, including Austin Hu, center
On working for Willy...
He has a really good palate. He has a very strong opinion about his food and the food he wants to present to his guests.
That helped us keep the standard very well.
Carlos with Willy Trullàs Moreno (left) and Chef Victor Arguinzoniz (center) of Asador Extebarri in the Basque Country, Spain
On why they're called the Fun F&B Group...
Willy called his company the Fun F&B Group because they were very well known for doing events and stuff.
And it was fun, because they never stopped enjoying what they were doing.
Sometimes when you work a lot, you feel tired and you burn out. But the burnout wouldn't come.
We worked hard, but at the same time we had a lot of fun with work.
Carlos with the elEfante team
On the challenge of Peruvian food in Shanghai...
After elEfante closed in 2018, the Japanese owner asked me to try a Peruvian restaurant.
It was the most challenging thing I've ever done in Shanghai—an ambitious omakase concept called Ekeko.
Many people loved it because I was cooking with the real flavor from home. But sourcing core Peruvian ingredients here is nearly impossible—the yellow chili, the red chili, our fruits and vegetables.
I could substitute Yunnan ingredients, but not fully. And selling Peruvian food to a market that's never tasted it takes real education.
We tried for three and a half months, then stopped.
Carlos and Chef Anna Bautista
On giving babies up for adoption...
After Ekeko, I started consulting with Anna [Bautista] and Sean [Jorgensen]—Blue Plate Consulting.
We opened a few places. One pan-Asian bistro in Chengdu, Upper Gallery. We did Obsidian in Shenzhen—now it's in Asia's 50 Best Bars. We helped open the first Momenti on Daxue Lu.
When you consult and set up a whole concept, it is a bit sad when you have to hand it over. It's part of the integrity of being a chef that makes you sad.
When you develop a concept, you're giving a little bit of yourself. Then, when you leave, it's like giving a baby away for adoption.
Opening Obsidian in Shenzhen with Chef Sean Jorgensen
On the pros of consulting...
That said, in some places—like Obsidian—it works so well that you're so proud to have been part of it.
I did Pony Up on my own, and it became so successful [ranked No. 19 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026] that people in a bar will say to me, "Oh, you're Carlos! You did Pony Up."
Your name in the underground is very popular. That's part of the fun.
Carlos and Pony Up opening team
On Shanghai not letting him leave...
COVID happened. I got stuck in Peru for eight months, so cut ties with all my projects in Shanghai.
I decided to go to Switzerland, a job at the Intercon in Geneva. I only needed to come to Shanghai to sign the paperwork, get my visa stamped, and fly out.
They opened the borders in October 2020. High Yaki had just opened, and my first meal after quarantine was there.
That night, Justin [Xu] approached me. I've known Justin for many years because we worked at elEfante together. He was the GM of the whole house.
He said, "Carlos, I think I may need your help..." So I joined High Yaki!
On adding a Nikkei element to High Yaki...
The High Yaki concept let me bring in everything from Peru—we do Japanese there too, so the Nikkei side of High Yaki got to shine, building layers of flavor.
We kept it 70% Japanese, but we didn't want to be just another izakaya that could be easily copied.
We incorporated global flavors.
Carlos and Justin Xu during the High Yaki times
On High Yaki The Sea...
With High Yaki The Sea, it was an izakaya focused on seafood.
That's when the more Nikkei Carlos came into the picture—more traveling to Japan, more researching products, more bringing products back, trying to build the idea and keep changing it.
It also gave me the chance to host more people, more chef events, trying to give back to the community.
Back and forth, always trying to keep that circle in Shanghai tight.
Even though we're not natives from China, as an international community, we're still very hospitable, even in a place we call our second home.
Judging at FHC with Chairman Clinton Zhu and Senior Chef and fellow judge Eddy Leung
On nurturing the next generation...
I've also been a judge at the FHC (Food Hotel China) Young Chef competitions since 2020.
It's something I look forward to every year—a great way to nurture the next generation of local talent.
On partnering with Raffe Ibrahamian...
I've known Raffe for most of my time in Shanghai. We were always in the same neighborhood—me at elEfante and him at Cantina Agave—and we became close friends.
He got approached with this opportunity and said to me, "If there's one person I've known over the years to partner up with on a restaurant, it'd be you."
So we partnered up.
Carlos and Raffe Ibrahamian
On the name VICE...
We had a long discussion. It's about indulgence and the neighborhood feeling.
"My vice is chocolate and whiskey. What's yours?"
If it's drinking, go to the bar. If it's eating, come see Carlos on the first floor.
It's all about that passion for indulgence, but in a good way.
VICE on Yongjia Lu. Image by MLTK.
On the VICE ethos...
When they approached me to do VICE, it was about creating a neighborhood place—like a gastropub with lots of small sharing plates and some bigger mains.
I don't describe the cuisine as anything but global—grabbing flavors from Asia, from Europe where I worked and studied, and some that bring me back home to Peru.
We have two floors. The first is more bistro-ish. The second is the bar with high ceilings. Come for dinner, then head upstairs for cocktails—or just come to the bar for bites and drinks.
Something small where we can change the menu often. It's all about experience, sharing, and enjoying.
No labels. Very borderless, very open.
"I don't describe the cuisine as anything but global." Image by Shi, IG: yeshinobi
On the vibe...
The design was by hcreates, Hannah and Hadleigh [Churchill]. We wanted to be inviting and roomy. Modern, but at the same time comforting.
Like if you're coming to my house, enjoy a drink, enjoy some food, and then a place you can relax.
A lot of wood, some copper, plenty of marble.
VICE first floor bistro...
... and upstairs bar. Images by MLTK.
On finally becoming a lead singer...
After 12 years in Shanghai, it was time for a new challenge.
The natural transition was to own something. Invest all myself into doing something I really like.
That's why I'm serving the food I like, how I want to eat it. I hope the guests like it that way.
This is my first time as the front man. The lead singer. The breakthrough.
The front man's back. Image by Shi, IG: yeshinobi
On what's next...
I don't feel like I want to stop. Shanghai still astonishes me.
I still love the community. I still love the city. I can't imagine not being here.
Daily
Lunch, 11.30am-2.30pm
Dinner, 5.30-10pm
Bar open to 12 midnight
(1am on weekends)
Reservations: 6443 7858 / 191 4571 1790
VICE, 128 Yongjia Lu, by Jiashan Lu, Xuhui District 永嘉路128号， 近嘉善路
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