From Dumplings to Donuts

There’s this funny thing about Crystal Jade. When I lived in Hong Kong, I would frequent it often enough, and it was renowned for its Shanghainese food. Now that I’m here, I find out that in Shanghai, the same Crystal Jade is popular for its Cantonese food. Turns out there are branches all across Asia, from Singapore to Korea, Indonesia to Vietnam. Famed for its Xia Long Baos (although I’m sure you could find better ones here in Shanghai), its spicy noodles and in last Sunday’s case at their restaurant in Xin tien Di, for the Dim Sums.. (more…)

I’ve already been there for the delicious, all-you-can-eat-and-drink 140 RMB brunch, and now I’ve been for dinner. The experience? Still great and even cheaper than brunch (~250 RMB for two people, including a beer and an order of rice to share). If you’re looking for good Indian food, add Kebabs to your list. The food in our experience is significantly better than that at Vedas, and the location is much better for strolling around, going out, or just staying put relaxing after your meal.

For starters, we got some Chili Naan that was crispy outside, soft inside and served piping hot. I’m (more…)

I never actually made it inside Kaiba when I was there Saturday but the verdict is: Nice outdoor seating, okay “Margherita” pizza for 55 RMB (tasted like it had been frozen but the crust was crunchy; too much tomato sauce and non-existent basil). Service was a bit slow. Drink list was good (paid 30 RMB for a peach juice that was heavy on the syrup). The good location right by Kuluska, Oz Gym and Cuvee brings a cool crowd in. Would go back.

Kaiba: 528 Kangding Road (near Xikang Road)/康定路528号近西康路.

I work in Pudong, which means I try and avoid it at all costs on my time off. However, Buzz managed to convince me to head over to the Sunken Garden in Lujiazui (next to the Jin Mao Tower) for a 50 RMB all-you-can-drink until 10pm Asahi deal. I’m not a beer girl, but I went along to catch up with our friend Kristen, who I hadn’t seen in ages. Anyway, by the time we got there, Kristen et. al were trashed and the clock was about to strike 10, so we just stuck around for them to finish off the last round. (more…)

I have a friend, Jerry, who is born and raised in Shanghai, and has helped me quite a lot in various matters throughout my sojourn here. Every two months or so, we meet up to share our love for spicy Chinese food, and for him to introduce me to a new Chinese restaurant. Admittedly, when he told me to meet at South Beauty in Citic Center, it was the first restaurant I had actually heard of. Shau-Ru had written about the same restaurant a while back, so I will keep it short. (more…)

In memory of Ponchiki, which sadly closed before I had a chance to try either their pirogi or donuts, I decided to hit up the Mr Donut on Wanhangdu Road just around the corner from Jing’an Temple. Most choices range between 5-8 RMB. The smaller ones that have a traditional donut shape tended to be cheaper, while the brand’s signature “pon” rings (composed of little balls fastened together) were at the higher end of the price rage.

I ordered the coffee cocoa flavor (咖啡可可) and ate it ball by ball until the ring was gone. As usual, Mr Donut’s flavor and texture couldn’t hold a candle to Krispy Kreme. Their product tends to be much chewier than American-style donuts and the flavors tend to be a bit mild. The chocolate always has that faux-lite flavor instead of the rich, heavy intensity I’m craving. If you like an oddly springy donut, you’ll enjoy these. If you like the kind that melts in your mouth, you’re not going to find it at Mr Donut. (more…)

Summer wouldn’t seem like the ideal time for roasted potatoes and melted cheese. One step outside during the day, and my skin feels like it’s going to burn up vampire style (more True Blood than Twilight). Although night time brings with it the sweet respite of a cooler temperature, here in Shanghai it still doesn’t conjure images of fireplaces and animal rugs usually associated with a Swiss dinner. Yet, for whatever obscure reasons my girlfriend bases her decisions, she was in the mood for cheese. She had recently got all four wisdom teeth removed, it in itself not a small feat, and she was getting sick of the constant soup and fruit juice diet I had administered. How the topic of fondue even entered the conversation I can not recall, but we were soon on our way to go check out Switzerland’s fondue representative in Shanghai. (more…)

I helped my buddy Miro house hunt this weekend and as a thank you for haggling with agents on his behalf, he treated me to a Thai dinner at Chiang Mai. I’m actually not entirely certain he needed my help; I think he really just wanted an excuse to go eat there and someone to eat with. This speculation is based on the fact that before he gave me his housing requirements, he started raving about Chiang Mai and saying he couldn’t wait to eat. I’ve never been one to turn down a free meal (or a friend in need of assistance) so I was game. And, after a pilates workshop in the morning and an afternoon bouncing between agencies and apartments, I was starving.

I let Miro do the ordering since he’d been there before and since he was clearly beyond excited. He decided on the green papaya salad, the pork salad and a beef red curry. Both the green papaya and pork salads came with lettuce wraps and cucumber, making them both ideal dishes to eat on a hot summer evening in Shanghai. I think my favorite of the three wound up being the pork salad. It had that whole sweet, sour, spicy thing going on that I love about Thai food. The green papaya salad while good, used too much fish sauce for my personal liking. The beef curry could definitely have used more beef (it came out looking much more like a soup) but had good flavor and was nice and (more…)

I’ve been eating a lot at Costa lately since this diet thing began. It’s the only Western option near my office and therefore the only place I can be assured that I can buy something not soaked in fat. At this point, the staff know me, and they also know I never get a beverage with my meal 99% of the time. (more…)

First off, let me apologize for the huge delay in posts. I was away in Belgium for a little under two weeks, and although I had thoughts of blogging about the amazing rich delicious food that I got to sample on my trip, I realised it would just be cruel and unnecessary to taunt you with my culinary adventures. Also, the food was usually gone too quickly for me to find a camera and take a picture. Let me just say that I returned here full, satiated and surely 4-5 pounds fatter. (more…)