Tianzifang is a gentrified maze of narrow alleys located south of Xiantidi in Shanghai. I have a love-hate relationship with it. Sometimes I dismiss it as a tourist trap, but sometimes I go back and I kind of like the crowded alleys full of small eateries and cafes. One problem is that shops and eateries usually do not survive long. In October 2018 I was surprised to come across some Italian gelato.
The visit
Here and there you can find ice cream in Tianzifang. But my attention was caught by their sign on a small kiosk claiming to produce artisan gelato from scratch. Actually, if you look at Movo website you discover that Movo is an Italian company selling pre-mixed ingredients for ice cream parlour, so I do not know to what extent this claim is accurate.
The place is called Movo and it is just a small kiosk selling four or five flavors at any given time.
They claim to make their gelato daily with a shelf life of just 12 hours. This means natural ingredients with no additives.
I had chocolate and hazelnut. The flavors did remind me of artisan gelato: they were not strong like ice cream with chemical flavors, but still distinct.
The check
Two flavors cost me 48 CNY (around 7 USD).
Where in Shanghai:
In one of the corners of lane 248, Taikang Road.
Address in Chinese: 上海市卢湾区打浦桥泰康路248号