Shanghai Bunny

Element Fresh

2012-01-14T20:19:00.002+08:00

Comfort food at Element Fresh. Our all-time-favourite chicken quesadilla.

And I can have this everyday!

Element Fresh
Many locations in town.

函极博 Korean Restaurant

2012-01-14T19:58:00.000+08:00

I can;t believe I did not know about this little gem sooner. It is now my favourite Korean restaurnat in town with to-die-for spicy seafood tofu soup.

Bibimbap was delicious.

Clam soup. A bit plain for my taste but my Korean friend C assured me that it's very authentic and well executed.

The best spicy tofu soup.

Loved the beef ribs as well.

C's favourite cold noodle dish. They weren't afraid to use spice for sure and it was very refreshing!

函极博 Korean Restaurant
39-45 YongHua Rd. East (nr. Gubei Rd.), Shanghai. Tel : 6295-7873

Hanagatami Japanese Restaurant

2012-01-14T19:25:00.000+08:00

It was my second visit to Hanagatami. Even though I found it a bit expensive for what you get it is a quiet place to meet with clean and consistent food.

The ginger beef lunch set which came with a green salad, soba, rice and miso.

A random salmon roll. Very average.

My sashimi set. Again a little to the expensive side in terms of quality at RMB200 but we enjoyed our lunch in general at our own pace. Will go back again if I am in the neighbourhood.

Hanagatami Japanese Restaurant
2/F, The Portman Ritz Carlton, 1376 Nanjing Rd. West (nr. XiKang Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6279-8888 Ext5898

Jean Georges

2012-01-14T18:38:00.000+08:00

Lunch at Jean Georges is easily the best in town. The lunch menu is full of great choices with at least 10 appetizers and another 10 main courses to choose from. The dessert menu was impressive too and for RMB218 you get to have all three courses it's really good value. And I must stress that everything we tried on that day was delicious as well. Plus valet parking and great service it's a really nice treat.

Tuna tartar, avocado, spicy radish and ginger marinade. My friend dreams about this dish regularly and from the orgasmic noises she made while she consumed her dish I believe her. I was lucky to have the chance to try a bite and I must say the ginger marinade was the winner. Tangy and slightly spicy it's a pretty unique taste.

Parsnip soup with coconut, lime and mint. I personally would not have picked soup from the wonderfully diverse menu but my friend C was pregnant and it might explain it. She was a little put off by the foam but she liked the taste in general. I am guessing potato is probably used as well as parsnip itself would taste a little weird?

Sea scallops with caramelized cauliflower, caper-raisin emulsion. Scallops were succulent and nicely cooked but I thought the cauliflower was a bit crumbly and awkward. I did like the caper-raisin emulsion very much but I couldn't figure out what made it an emulsion?

Soy garlic glazed beef tenderloin, potato puree and crispy onion. Decent cut of meat and grilled to perfection. A great dish.

Parmesan crusted organic chicken, white asparagus, basil and lemon butter. Lovely piece of juicy chicken with delicious parmesan. A bit more side dish would be great though.

Slowly cooked salmon, sweet and sour carrot sauce with basil. The sauce was absolutely beautiful and slow-cooking gave the salmon a soft and flaky texture. I wish I can cook fish like this at home.

We shared all our desserts and everything was sinfully delicious and smashing good! Crackling lime tart, vanilla chantilly mousse.

Jean Georges chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate creme brule, yogurt ice cream.

Jean Georges
4/F, Three On the Bund, Shanghai. Tel: 6321-7733

Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant

2012-01-12T10:24:00.000+08:00

A dim sum break in London China Town. Again we had no idea which restaurant to pick. I ended up listening out for Cantonese speakers and found this place. The menu surely looked very authentically Cantonese and the rice stick dish easily passed the authenticity test.

Singapore noodle. I was expecting a wiener-down version but instead it had a welcoming punch of spicy curry powder, which I thought was quite bold for the chef. Loved it!

The usual dim sum suspects were all pretty tasty too. The only problem: we were soooo thirsty after our meal and we usually have quite a high tolerance on MSG.

Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant
28-29 Gerrand Street, London, W1D 6JW, UK. Tel: 020 7734-2763

La Brasserie

2011-12-22T01:20:00.000+08:00

My favourite place to have a casual yet delicious meal in London. Love the retro dining room as well.

Asparagus served warm with hollandaise sauce (£8.90).

Escagots with garlic and parsley sauce (£10.20).

Duck confit with potato gratin (£17.90).

Steak tartare with fries (£21.50). Once again we left very happy with full tummies. We are looking forward to our next visit already!

La Brasserie
272 Brompton Road, London, UK, SW3 2AW. Tel: 0207 581-3089

Zizzi Restorante

2011-12-22T00:47:00.003+08:00

A quick lunch stop at Zizzi, a UK chain Italian restaurant with some eighty branches across the country. The branch we went to was at Finchley Road. We didn't expect much but it didn't disappoint. Our quattro stagioni pizza (£8.95) and carne piccante calzoni (£9.95) were reasonably tasty and service was good. The place seemed spotlessly clean and bright - a good reliable choice for a quick stop!

Zizzi Restorante
Finchley Road O2 Centre, London, NW3 6LU, UK. Tel: 0207 4338259

Chicha

2011-11-30T18:15:00.001+08:00

We tried the tasting menu at Chicha when it first opened its door. We decided to try the 12-course tasting menu so we could try a bit of everything from the rather big and sometimes complicated menu, as we are not really familiar with Peruvian food . To sum up our visit we were quite happy with the food in general but the thing I remember most about the meal is the fact that we had ceviche after ceviche as the dishes were served. I heard that the tasting menu had since been improved and instead of ceviche there is more variety now.

Our first course was seabass ceviche. Loved the dressing and the freshness of the fish.

Our second ceviche. There were thin slices of sea bass in a slightly different sauce with sweetcorn.

Another ceviche with octopus. The dressing was quite similar to the second dish. Surprisingly the octopus was not very rubbery and it was quite a refreshing dish.

Fried mushroom wonton. A bit to the dry side and probably the dish we least enjoyed.

This was not part of the tasting menu. One of our friend arrived really late and had to order separate from the a la carte menu. She didn't think much of her salad, mostly due to that fact that it was drowning in dressing.

Back to our tasting menu again. I'm not entirely sure what the dish was but it was a seafood dish for sure. Crab meat perhaps?

Vegetarian risotto from a la carte menu. It was very rich and filling. We all had a taste and liked it.

Beef anticuchos from the tasting menu, they were basically skewer of beef with Peruvian flavours, served on potatoes and chimchurri. I think it was the most delicious dish for the evening.

Pork chicharrones. Twice-cooked pork with molasses glaze on sweet potatoes. I don't remember much about the dish I have to say.

Rack of lamb. Again I didn't get to try any but my friends loved it.

Grilled cod. Fish was cooked to perfection and it was another welcoming dish for our non-raw-fish eating friend.

Fillet of beef. I think it was much appreciated by our meat-lover friend and our pregnant friend. By then I was too full after all the ceviche which many were not keen on (and they asked me to finish them off) and I didn't try the beef.

An assortment of desserts. Cute but not really memorable.

Dessert from a la carte menu.

Chicha
Sinan Mansions, Block 33, 47 Fuxing Rd. West, nr. Sinan Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6418-0760

Sir Elly's

2011-11-30T17:00:00.001+08:00

Set dinner (RMB580) at Sir Elly's again. Our amuse bouche with chestnut mousse, if I remember correctly.

Jasmine soup/foam. I am not big with foam but I did like the faint but interesting jasmine flavour in the soup.

Scallops with endives. I actually like the slight bitterness of endives and the tangy sauce went really well with it. Scallops were cooked to perfection.

My smoked lobster and gnocchi came in a smoke-filled glass container before it got tipped out on my plate. You could definitely taste the smoke, which added another interesting element to the already interesting texture of the lobster. I wonder if it was cooked sous-vide then smoked? The texture felt super tender and soft, it was like nothing I had tasted before. I loved the truffle-infused gnocchi as well.

Pork fillet cooked in 3 ways - barbecued, braised and grilled. The BBQ version reminded us of Cantonese BBQ pork a lot. All in all all were tender and nicely executed.

A refreshing watermelon and grapefruit sorbet to clean the palate.

Chocolate souffle. I could eat a light and fluffy souffle any day.

Our very pretty petite four. A very satisfying meal indeed.

Sir Elly's
13/F, Peninsula Shanghai, The Bund, Shanghai. Tel: 2327-6756

Pho Asia

2011-11-25T15:13:00.001+08:00

I was on a quest to try out all the pho places in town. I thought the search was over when we got to Pho Asia, as we were genuinely happy with everything we tried....until we saw 3 giant rats running across the false metal-grid ceiling!!!

Vietnamese sausage salad. The dressing was very tangy and refreshing. The sausage was authentic and with the delicious dressing cucumber never tasted so good!

The curry beef dish got all the right spices and wet really well with the tender beef.

In the lunch set we got a small portion of spring rolls to start. They were not the best spring roll but they were reasonable.

Beef pho. The broth was rich and tasty and with a decent cut of beef, it was one of the better pho I had tried in Shanghai. Too bad the place was infested with rats and that management was so down right rude about it!

Pho Asia
85 Fumin Rd. (nr Julu Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 5212-1257

Pho No. 1

2011-11-25T14:40:00.001+08:00

Pho No. 1 is a fairly popular chain with 4 branches across town. I heard god reviews but I have to say I was hugely disappointed after my first visit. Are we talking about the same restaurant here? The pho we ordered lacked flavours, it was salty beef broth with noodles and a few bits of beef products floating around at best.

The pho in hot and sour soup was equally as bad. It looked fierce but it was not hot nor spicy and again it lacked flavour.

Our beef curry was very average also. The sauce tasted like curry paste with water and it lacked the complexity a good curry should have. Don't think I will be back in a hurry.

Pho No. 1
781 Huangjin Cheng Dao (nr. Gubei Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6290-7669

Bravo 10

2011-11-04T11:40:00.001+08:00

Bravo 10, a Spanish restaurant, apparently closed three months into its opening. Why am I not surprised? Below-average food, bad service, and a somewhat off-the-beaten-track location - good luck.

We went for lunch and decided to go for the set lunch (RMB78/2 courses and RMB98/3 courses). There were 3 soups or 3 salads to choose from but 2 of the soups were not available. We settled for the vichyssoise, which was served hot. It tasted like a blend version of cream of potato without much starchy potatoes. On the Chinese menu the dish was labelled Spanish, perhaps just to trick the unsuspected and to make it sound more authentic, as nothing on that lunch menu was very Spanish.

We ordered a chorizo dish from the tapas menu. It wasn't too bad.

Chicken breast in tomato and creamy sauce. I could probably make a better tasting and looking dish and I am not much of a cook.

Duck in orange. Presentation was a bit better than the chicken dish but it was pretty dreadful in taste. Duck was rubbery and overcooked and the sauce blah.

After our underwhelming courses we asked for our panna cotta and to our surprises we were told no. The waitress said unless we indicated we wanted dessert when we placed our orders. We spent 5 mins arguing that we were not eating at a fast food joint and reluctantly she agreed to change her till and added the dessert on. Gee. We didn't think we would ever go back again.

Bravo 10
10 Baoqing Rd. (nr. Fuxing Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6437-5805

Pho Season

2011-11-04T11:33:00.000+08:00

Lunch at Pho Season, another new pho place in town. The set lunch came with a salad and a couple of spring rolls as starter, then an elective main.

Dry noodles with spring rolls and pork.

Beef pho. We thought the set lunches were pretty good value. Even though nothing was outstanding everything was reasonable. Nothing stood out but we were not unhappy, especially in a city where good Vietnamese food is lacking. Will go back again if I'm in the area.

Pho Season
427 Dagu Rd. (nr. Shimen Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6327-3778

Xiao Yang's Fried Dumpling 小杨生煎

2011-11-04T10:52:00.001+08:00

I finally got a chance to try the legendary fried dumplings. The perpetuate lines in the shop turned me away a few times. It wasn't just the lines but rather the lack of system, as it's not very clear which line to go to. Luckily on this fateful day my friend and I decided to have some dumplings after our extremely unsatisfying lunch at a sushi joint in the same food complex.

For RMB5 you get 4 dumplings. First you need to line up at the cashier to pay. Then you get a little receipt and you can line up to collect the dumplings. The rest of the dishes are cooked and collected at the next window. Then you grab a table. A drag but there is some kind of order to it I guess.

The dumplings seemed quite greasy but I told myself not to worry as other patrons were eating them by the dozen! The pastry was quite thin and almost crunchy, but sturdy enough to hold up the broth as well as the pork filling inside. Everything tasted nice enough, and the broth came to a nice surprise as I didn't expect liquid inside. The only issue was the broth, which tasted way too salty to me.

Almost everybody ordered this beef noodle dish and of course I had to give it a try. I believe the menu suggested it's curry base, which got me very confused. The broth had a very thin favour (read: salty coriander water) to begin with and there was no sign of curry taste. Can skip it next time.

Xiao Yang's Fried Dumpling 小杨生煎
2/F, 269 Wujiang Rd. (nr. Maomig Rd.), Shanghai.

伊秀 Classic Sushi

2011-11-02T18:40:00.001+08:00

My friend saw the restaurant reviews on a local food network and decided we should give it a try. By the time we arrived we walked straight in without checking out the menu and the venue first - big mistake.

The place was set up as a conveyor belt sushi place. We set down and looked at what was on the belt. Not good at all. Everything looked dull and old - a big no no for sushi. I would normally eat supermarket sushi (and they don't always look too good) but I was honestly frightened when I saw the stuff on the belt.

We decided to order from the set lunch menu. My friend's gyudon (beef bowl) looked and tasted like Chinese stir-fry. As a stir-fry it was not bad but as far as gyudon is concerned it was a big disappointment. And why were there green and red bell peppers?

The rest of the dishes in the set lunch. For RMB39 it's probably good value for some. Perhaps that's why there are good reviews written about this dreadful place.

My beef udon (RMB29). It was average at best but at least there were no nasty surprises.

We sampled our food quickly and briefly and left hungry.

伊秀 Classic Sushi
Shop 304-305, 269 WuJiang Rd. (nr. Maoming Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 3250-1872

Yue 1525

2011-11-02T17:14:00.000+08:00

The various reviews I read about Yue 1525 were all positive. Most reviews talked about a Hong Kong chef being in charge and that authentic dim sums are on the offer. We thought hey why not?

While we liked the ambiance but that's about it. The few dim-sum dishes we tried were nothing to cry home about.

The congee dish was a major disappointment. No respectable Cantonese would serve congee like this one. The consistency was all wrong and the congee base was also distinctively non-southern. The chef was clearly not from Hong Kong.

The fried rice redeemed a few points but it was not the best we had.

A soupy noodle dish I ordered for my 1-year old. Again it was clearly not Cantonese and it was actually not very nice either. Won't be going back again.

Yue 1525
2/F, 1525 Dingxi Rd. (nr. Changning Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6225-8665

Wagas

2011-10-17T15:04:00.000+08:00

Nicoise salad. Fresh crispy greens, and a nice touch of sun-dried tomatoes. Too bad the tuna was a tin variety.

Ginger lemon tea (RMB32). A very welcoming treat for the cold winter day.

Pasta of the day (RMB46) was cream of smoked salmon and asparagus. Simple but tasty.

Fusilli chorizo (RMB49). Another simple dish which I am thinking about making at home. I need to find out where to get chorizo.

Last but not least, blueberry cheese cake (RMB20).
Reasonable prices and simple great tastes were all we needed. Free wifi was another bonus!

Wagas (many branches across town)
265 Jiaozhou Rd. (nr. Xinzha Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6272-0358

Issimo

2011-10-17T14:49:00.002+08:00

Dinner at Issimo. The place was packed out! Admittedly we did not book but to be given seats at the bar when there were empty tables (and we actually waited for about 45 mins) was just off.

Antipasto. Good quality meat but I thought it's cheeky to have half of it as mortadella.
Deep fried calamari. Tasty and dainty batter and it didn't feel too heavy as a result.

House salad. Nothing to call home about.

Grilled sirloin. Big and juicy and grilled to perfection.

Pizza prosciutto. Simple but yummy. Loved the medium-thin crust. It was just doughy enough and not too crunchy.

A pasta dish with truffle. It was very rich and full of creamy truffle flavour but there didn't seem to be any pasta? Very odd.

Profiteroles at the back, homemade rum ice cream and some kind of pistachio cream. Both were so good that we stuffed it all in despite our already-full tummies.
Issimo
2/F, Jia Shanghai, 931 Nanjing Rd. West, nr. Taixing Rd., Shanghai. Tel: 3302-4997

Moon's Steakhouse

2011-10-03T17:32:00.001+08:00

Another Xintiandi eatery in one week. We know not to expect too much from places in Xintiandi but we figured Moon Steak could not be too bad as it had survived all these years. Well my heart sunk when I saw the soup. It was the kind I fear most: cafeteria cream of whatever soup straight from a can. The smell was enough to turn me off.

Fortunately the steak redeemed the meal. The hot grill did wonders in sealing the meat and it was extremely juicy and tender, even at medium-well. The only slight problem was that we got crisps when I was expecting chips.

My set lunch was about RMB120, which was good value. I did notice prices for a la carte were very expensive. I felt that if I was to pay RMB 400 for a steak I could go to a nicer venue.

Moon's Steakhouse
1/F, South Block Xintiandi, 123 Xingye Rd., Shanghai. Tel: 6336-5683

Koyama

2011-10-03T17:11:00.002+08:00

Apparently Koyama was so successful and packed they had to open up Shinmachi. Is this city really that short of good Japanese restaurant? Why do we need two more mediocre places?

Fatty toro rolls(RMB80). It was probably one of the better dishes on that day. Still the fish had that supermarket sushi taste to it: rice was stone-cold and tasteless, somewhat soggy seaweed, and nondescript fish. For what they were charging I thought it was expensive.

Udon set(RMB68). At least this was edible and good value. The broth was actually rather nice and so were the fixings. The noodles were a little too soggy and overcooked though.

Chirashi set(RMB88). I guess you get what you pay for. Fish was rather bland it was difficult to tell them apart.

Some kind of store-bought ice cream as dessert.

Koyama 小山日本料理
3?F, South Block Xintiandi, No. 6, Lane 123 Xingye Rd., Shanghai. Tel: 5382-1125

Lung Ja Seafood

2011-10-02T22:10:00.001+08:00

Our favourite spot at Hua Hin Night Market. Seafood seemed fresh and selection was interesting and plenty. With a hot BBQ grill right in front of the restaurant we could see our dinner cooked in front of us. It's big part of the fun to eat at the Night Market!

BBQ catch of the day. Loved the meaty and firm white fish, although it seemed to be a little to the dry side. The dip was so out of this world it more than made up for it.

BBQ king prawn. It makes my mouth water just looking at the picture. Prawns were juicy and sweet, we didn't need to use any dipping sauce.

Fried rice. I always love Thai fried rice and this one was no exception.

Green curry chicken. Simply wonderful.

Black pepper squid. We thought we were getting the deep fried salt and pepper version like this one. We were rather disappointed and to be honest this was not very good at all. It was basically just soya sauce and a bit of green peppercorns.

Seafood salad. It wasn't the best. The noodles were all stuck together because there was not enough dressing. It was pretty bland as a result and disappointing.

A very long fish! They told us it's for fish stock mostly.

Lung Ja Seafood
Dechanuchit Rd., Hua Hin, Prachuap Khirikhan, 77110 Thailand.

Asara Villa and Suite

2011-10-02T19:36:00.004+08:00

A couple Thai dishes we tried at the hotel restaurant Kampu by Design. The seafood salad was much better than the pad Thai, which was way too sweet. We were very hungry still as they were probably the smallest Thai portions possible. We prefer the no-fuss Thai food in big cheerful plates.

Kampu by Design
Asara Villa and Suite, 53 Hua Hin Soi 5, Prachuab Kirlkhan 77110 Thailand. Tel: +66 3254-7555

Gyu Jin

2011-10-02T19:22:00.002+08:00

Gyu Jin created quite a big stir in Hong Kong because of its good value and great food. When we had found out about it's Shanghai branch we were there in no time.

The buffet spread was not as impressive as the spread in Hong Kong. There were vegetables, noodles, tofu, fish cakes, fried rice and so on. There were plenty and it was definitely quality over quality.

There were a number of choices of beef. This is the lean beef option (RMB48/person). Beef was a bit hard but I guess that's normal for lean beef.

The special grade hotpot beef (RMB58/person) was noticeably nicer in texture once it's cooked.

Our soup bases: plain and sukiyaki. We could also choose from kimchi and Szechuan hot and spicy. We preferred the plain one as there was just too much MSG in the sukiyaki one.

And there was ice cream for dessert it's not Haagen Dazs.

Gyu Jin
In Point, 169 Wu Jiang Rd. (nr. TaiXing Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6218-5171

Chao Lay, part 2

2011-10-02T16:31:00.000+08:00

Our second meal in Chao Lay. We got more child-friendly dishes this time. The pineapple rice was a success! Our kids loved it.

The must-have tom yum.

Stir-fried crab with curry sauce. It was finger-licking good!

Sweet and sour chicken with cashew nuts. It's cooked the same way as sweat and sour pork, which the chicken was deep fried first. Great taste and texture, a little artery clogging tough.

Chao Lay Restaurant
15 Naresdamri Rd., Hua Hin, Thailand. Tel: 0-3251-3436

Chao Lay, part 1

2011-10-02T15:54:00.001+08:00

We walked around Hua Hin a little to search of a new dinner option but decided to go back to our old favourite Chao Lay once again.

Our tom yum was as good as usual, while the prawn rolls were a little boring in terms of flavour.

Prawn cakes had a nice texture and quite a lot of prawns.

We asked for no chili for our fish dish because of the kids. Unfortunately once the chili was gone there was not much flavour left to the dish.

At least our green chicken curry had enough punch, and there was plenty of chicken too.

BBQ tiger prawns. Fresh seafood is simply the best! And the dip was perfect with prawns. I would fly back to Thailand just for those!

Chao Lay Restaurant
15 Naresdamri Rd., Hua Hin, Thailand. Tel: 0-3251-3436

Issimo

2011-10-02T11:13:00.001+08:00

Sunday brunch (RMB288/person) at Issimo was not a typical buffet. At first we were a little disappointed but it was quickly apparent that the waitresses were trained to feed us well. There were four starters for the day: tuna and chickpea salad, potato and baby octopus salad, sliced pork with arugula and eggplant. My favourite had to be the eggplant! I don't usually like eggplant but the zingy dressing made all the difference.

Two or three varieties of bruschetta was also served with our starters.

Fried mozzarella.

For primo we had homemade ravioli and a bean stew. Both extremely yummi.

Risotto was also on the list.

There were three choices for secondo. My husband went for a pork loin with wine sauce.

I ried out fish grilled in basil and vinaigrette sauce. Both were fairly nice but did not impress like the appetizers.

The dessert spread was spectacular.

Our selection. Everything was excellent!

Issimo
2/F, 931 Nanijing Rd. West (nr.Taixing Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 3302-4997

Michael Caines @ Gidleigh Park

2011-09-23T18:28:00.001+08:00

Amuse-bouches for the evening. Can't say I remember what they were but we were both taken back by how flavourful everything was.

Bread was excellent.
We opted for the signature 8-course dinner menu. First course was Brixham scallops, celeriac puree with a soy and truffle vinaigrette. Scallops were big and juicy, they were probably the best scallops we ever tasted.
Terrine of foie gras, sauternes jelly, quince, sultana puree. I had to skip this dish as I did not want to have foie gras. My husband, who is not normally a foie gras eater, totally enjoyed the dish. The quince and sultana puree were great touches.
Brixham turbot, leeks, wild mushroom and chive butter sauce. This had to be the best dish for the evening. Fish was succulent and cooked to perfection. It was very moist and oily which did not feel like normal turbot at all. We wonder what the secret is?
Partridge, quince puree, braised chicory with marinated rasins and a Gewurztraminer wine sauce. It's very difficult to cook partridge from our experience but it's obviously not a challenge for the Michelin restaurant. The gamey taste made it so much more interesting then chicken. The wine sauce went surprisingly well with the slightly sweet quince puree.
Hatherleigh venison, braised pork belly, red cabbage and fig and chestnut puree. At this point I have to say I got a little bored. Maybe it was the same formula that bored me (gamey meat with sweet puree), or maybe I was just getting tired after 6 courses, it was hard to say. Both of us enjoyed the dish but it wasn't as spectacular as the previous courses.
A selection of South West cheeses. Sharpham Elhirst, Quickes mature cheddar, Sloe Tavy and Harbourne Blue. A good selection nonetheless but we were struggling to finish all.
Exotic fruit salad passion fruit sorbet and crystalline of pineapple. A light and refreshing (and certainly welcoming) dish. We particularly liked the crispy pineapple slice.
Hot prune and Armagnac souffle. Prune and Armagnac ice cream. We always love souffle and this was divine. I wish I had more ice cream too.
Dinner was followed by coffee and petit four. For £120 per person we thought it was worth every single penny. I should add my husband got the wine-pairing to go with his meal and got a glass of wine for each course. He was in serious trouble the next day of course. We have since tried to go back 3 times but the place was booked out each time we called. Seems like you have to book at least a month in advance.

Gidleigh Park
Chagford, Devon, TQ13 8HH, UK. Tel: 01647 432367

MC Cafe Bar and Grill at ABode Exeter

2011-03-18T18:04:00.003+08:00

We were hoping to go back to Michael Caines' restaurant as we had a very good experience there last time but the place was shut for the day! Luckily we managed to find a table at the more casual cafe next door and we were happy to see that prices were pretty much 50% of the restaurant prices. Not bad!

Antipasti (₤13.00) from the platters to share section of the menu. We loved every single item, although I have to say my tongue was getting numb from the salty olives and chorizo. They were so good I could not stop myself from eating them though.

Beef cheeks (~₤10.00). I have to say the foam did not make the dish look very appetising at all. Having said that the beef was tender and flavourful. It would have been nice if there was bread or a side veg.
I don't really remember much about my fish dish (~₤10.00) except to say that I finished everything in no time so it must have been OK.
Sticky toffee pudding and caramel ice cream (₤6.00). Not bad but it was a little too cake-y. We prefer the one at the Ness.
Treacle tart (₤6.00). Delicious!
MC Cafe Bar and Grill at ABode Exeter

Cathedral Yard, Exeter, EX1 1HD. Tel: 01392 223 626

The Ness

2011-03-18T18:03:00.002+08:00

We enjoyed our meal at the Ness last time so much we made a promise to ourselves to come back. My husband took a quick look at the menu and decided to have the fish and chips (₤11.00). It surely did not disappoint: fish was moist and batter was crispy.

Beef burger (₤10.75). Given its 7-inch height it was a little awkward to eat everything in one mouthful. And somehow it's just not the same when you have to eat a burger with its components separate.

Bangers and mash with lamb sausages (₤10.75). It was my first time trying lamb sausages and contrary to my worry they were not too gamy at all. In fact they tasted richer than normal pork sausages and the seasoning was nice.

Moving to desserts: hand-cut fruit salad (₤4.25). We wondered how else fruits could be cut?

Best ever sticky toffee pudding (₤5.00). As the name suggested, it was the best ever!

The Ness

Ness Drive, Shaldon, TQ14 0HP. Tel: 01626 873 480

roasted Red-legged Partridge

2011-01-28T21:07:00.004+08:00

They say you can find anything in Harrods and it's true. We managed to take a stroll in the Food Hall after a crazy morning in the store and found these unusual birds. They came oven-ready with bacon. I think we over-cooked ours a little as our oven is super hot. It's meat is richer and gamier than chicken, somewhat similar to pheasant. A good change to roasting chicken and I like the one-bird-a-person size.

La Brasserie

2011-01-28T20:59:00.002+08:00

Our hotel was walking distant to La Brasserie, and as my friend recommended the place, we decided we would go try it out. We were happy with what we saw as soon as we walked in: unpretentious decor and people, happy customers and old wait staff. It's my theory that a place is all about food when they are not afraid to use old wait staff.

Perhaps we were hungry, we wolfed down the delicious bread and olives before our appetizers got there. My husband's duck pate with red onion marmalade (₤7.90). He didn't say much about it but didn't complain.
My escargots in garlic and parsley butter (₤9.80). Loved the sauce. I had to ask for extra bread to soak it all up.
Entrecote grillee (₤19.20). Somehow the guy sitting next to us had a much bigger steak than what we had. Maybe it was luck of the draw. It was juicy but a little small. It came with a side order of fries.
Steak tartare (₤19.90). It was probably the best steak tartare I ever had. It was smack full of seasonings: mustard, pepper and a good helping of Worcestershire sauce. The chopped onions, pickles and capers made it all very exciting for the tongue. I would fly back there right now to have this dish!
I don't remember what my husband had for dessert but he certainly finished his in record speed.
My creme brulee was excellent too.
La Brasserie

272 Brompton Rd., London. SW3 2AW. Tel: +44 (0)207 581-3089

Fifth Floor Restaurant

2011-01-28T20:52:00.002+08:00

After a crazy morning of shopping in Harvey Nichols we were way too tired to go anywhere to eat. Our attempts to grab a quick snack failed as both Wagamama and Yo! Sushi were packed we settled for the Fifth Restaurant on the fifth floor (with very low expectations to be very honest).

Maybe we were hungry, we found the pumpkin soup deliciously sweet and creamy. We wanted more!

Since we were not sure of the food quality we ordered from the cheaper market menu. My husband was pleasantly surprised that his eggs benedict on toasted brioche was cooked to perfection.
My elderflower marinated salmon, fennel and apple salad. The dressing was zingy and refreshing and certainly went well with the salmon. I did not think much of the fennel salad: it was basically shredded fennel and not much else.
Ballotine of turkey, brussels sprouts, apricot stuffing, gravy. There is nothing not to like on this plate. Turkey was moist and juicy, stuffing with sausage and apricot was delicious with a nice sweet undertone, and I was told the gravy was out of this world. Even the sprouts tasted good - it must be good!
Pan fried sea bream, mussel and saffron orzo pasta. Although the fish was fresh and of very good quality but the real surprise was definitely on the pasta. Cooked like risotto with all the rich flavours it was a lot less heavy in texture. It was a perfect compliment to the fish.
We wished we had time for dessert but Prada was waiting!

Market menu two courses ₤19.50; three courses ₤24.50.

Regular lunch menu two courses ₤35; three course ₤40.

We had to wait a relatively long time for our food to arrive (and the place wasn't that busy as it was almost 3pm). As annoyed as we were the food more than made up for it. I was so glad Yo! and Wagamama were full.

Fifth Floor

5/F Harvey Nichols, 109-125 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7RJ. Tel: 020 7235-5250

Bob's lamb salad

2011-01-28T20:43:00.003+08:00

Our housekeeper's signature dish. One of my favourites! I tried roasting sweet potatoes at home but it did not turn out like his.

Mr. Willis

2011-01-14T22:04:00.001+08:00

Perhaps it was my high expectations which made me more disappointed at the end, but our second visit to Mr. Willis was very underwhelming compared to our first.

Smoked salmon bruschetta (RMB72). Very ordinary. Even I could make it look more appetitzing at home.

Fish tartare (RMB68). It was so bland could not tell what fish or seasoning were used.
Beef cheek (RMB148). It was the special of the day and while the dish was pleasing enough to the taste buds where were the side dishes? I know increasingly restaurants are making side dishes extra dishes to order. Well give your customers some warnings if you are going to do that.
Snapper (RMB145). It did come with vegetables and I was grateful as the fish was so fishy I had a hard time eating it. I was close to sending it back but decided we would just quickly finish off and make our exit.
Dinner for two with a bottle of Australian wine came to RMB883. Cheap but we did not enjoy our meal at all.

Mr. Willis

3/F, 195 Anfu Rd. (nr. Wulumuqi Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 5404-0200

Shinmachi

2011-01-14T22:01:00.005+08:00

Shinmachi is cute. I could see why it's the talk of the town and that the place was packed out for lunch on a weekday.

Now the food. Set lunches were between RMB80 to RMB100. Reasonable enough. Quality wise everything was fresh enough, but it had that supermarket sushi taste - or should I say the lack of taste. Somehow all the fish tasted the same - cold and plasticky - like cheap sushi.
I guess I shouldn't complain as the restaurant could easily charge more, like many of the others in the area.
Part of the set.

Lunch for two came to just under RMB300. It filled the hole.
Shinmachi

159 Madang Rd. (nr. Tai Cang Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 3366-1281

Pelham's

2011-01-14T21:58:00.007+08:00

Our first visit to Pelham's at the hyped Waldorf Astoria in Shanghai. We were greeted with some foamy soup.

I would never have guessed that this was actually caesar salad (RMB128). It came with bacon foam and it's probably the fussiest dish we ever came across.
My crab cake was fresh and sweet and I was grateful that there was no foam on my plate.
Wagyu strip with chick peas, red swiss chard and chimichurri (RMB388). It is a signature dish for the restaurant but my friend C thought it was average.
The taste was good for my steak and it was juicy, but it was a little too fatty for me.
At least C enjoyed her chocolate cake.
My s'more, graham cracker ice cream on a chocolate brownie, passionfruit marshmallow (RMB78) was not as spectacular as it sounded. Loved the moist and warm brownie though.
Our petits fours.
Pelham's

Waldorf Astoria, club lobby level, 2 Zhong Shan Dong Yi Rd.(nr. Guang Dong Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6322-9988

Sir Elly's Restaurant

2011-01-14T21:53:00.001+08:00

Set lunch at Sir Elly's. To start we had farm egg, smoked with maple dressing and turnips; cappuccino soup, foie gras, five spices; baby greens, long beans, crab, tomato confit; hamachi, vanilla and Meyer lemon dressing, mango chutney. Our favourite was the soup. We both skipped the egg as it was a little worrying to be eating raw eggs. We also wished the fish could be a little bigger as they were way too small to make an impression on my taste buds.

The egg seemed to have unusually thick shell?
There were four main courses to choose from: pigeon, beef cheeks, scallops, and mushroom risotto. I opted for the beef and loved it. Beef was slow-cooked till it's extremely tender; served with sesame, leeks, ginger chili oil, espelette coulis. I liked the mild chili sauce with the juicy beef but I didn't understand the stack of rather dry leeks at the back. It didn't feel related to the dish.
Mushroom risotto, morel, golden thread. I have been told golden thread mushrooms grow from insects? Confirmation anyone?
Desserts from left: "apple" vanilla brule, hawthorn compote, sea salt caramel, green apple sorbet; "Madeleine" warm, stuffed with honey; "strawberry" Indian strawberry lassi. We didn't think much of the desserts, which was a little disappointing.
Sir Elly's Restaurant

13/F, Peninsula Shanghai, 32 The Bund, Shanghai. Tel: 2327-6756

Hanagatami Japanese Restaurant

2011-01-14T21:43:00.005+08:00

Another day, another Japanese meal thanks to L, who is a Japanese food fan.

Chirashi set (RMB240). It is normally on the dinner menu but the waitress was happy enough to make it a lunch set. While the fish didn't look as fresh as the ones we had in Benkay it was not bad.

My sashimi set (RMB200).
Both set came with soba, salad, miso, and rice on the side.
Dessert was some kind of fruit which we didn't eat. Overall I thought the quality was above average but the price tags were there to match too.
Hanagatami Japanese Restaurant

2/F, The Portman Ritz Carlton, 1376 Nanjing Rd. West (nr. XiKang Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6279-8888 Ext5898

Benkay Japanese Restaurant

2011-01-14T21:33:00.005+08:00

Our salads which came with our set lunches.

My sashimi tempura una set (RMB160). Pricey for Shanghai standards but quality was good.
Chirasi gozen set (RMB145). Plenty of fresh fish although our request for not wanting shrimps had to be repeated twice at the end.
The special dessert plate which came with the ladies afternoon promotion. There was unlimited flow of tea or coffee as well.
-------------------------

We went back for another visit a few days later.
I was pretty disappointed with my sashimi gozen (RMB170). It is more expensive than the sashimi tempura una set and yet the quantity of fish I got was only slightly more.
It was pretty pathetic and I mentioned it to the waitress. She was pretty indifferent and said since all their fish comes from Japan you get less. I didn't see the logic there and secretly decided that I would avoid this place if possible.
Gone was the special dessert platter too. We were a little disappointed at our meal to say the least.
Benkay Japanese Restaurant

3/F, Hotel Nikko Shanghai, 488 Yan An Rd. West (nr.Zhen Nin Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 3211-9999

Maison Pourcel

2011-01-14T21:19:00.007+08:00

The restaurant got a lot of buzz since its Expo debut and I was exited to try it. I have to say the website put me off a little before I even got there. Somehow having pictures of the chefs and pseudo celebrities from Hong Kong plastered on the site did not make me very confident.

The restaurant was very well set up: a lounge on the lower floor and an elegant dining room on top. Terrace dining is available but we were seated inside as the weather was getting cool by then.

Our free appetizers. I did like the deep fried goat cheese cubes.

We all decided the appetizers were a little too rich foamy for our taste.

We tried beef and lamb cutlets for our mains and thought they were average. The quenelle on the side of the beef was so strong with truffle taste it made C gagged.
Our petits fours redeemed the so-far average meal a little.
And we all liked our icy watermelon juice.
Desserts were tasty, nothing spectacular though.

Dinner for 4 with a glass of wine each came to RMB800 a head. We felt the quality of food could be better for that price.
Maison Pourcel

6th and 8th floor, 35 Shanxi Rd. (nr. Changle Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6215-8777

Element Fresh

2011-01-14T21:17:00.002+08:00

My husband's tandoori chicken wrap (RMB68) was huge and I felt jealous right away. The chicken was juicy and tasted like proper tandoori. Lucky him!

My set came with starters and fruits. The melon soup was probably the nastiest soup I ever had: gooey and extremely salty. Why bother? And I think the light brown pieces on the side were tofu skin. Who eats this stuff?
Nile perch in sweet soy (RMB88). I had never tried Nile perch before and I was curious. As I suspected it was very muddy. The gooey soy sauce didn't rescue the fish, in fact I wasn't sure what was more gross - fish or sauce. In any case it was a very unsatisfying dish.
Element Fresh

4/F KWah House, 1028 Huai Hai Rd. (nr. Donghu Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 5403-8865

Corner Cafe, Disney

2011-01-14T21:12:00.003+08:00

After a morning of running around in Disney we were ready to sit down and eat whatever there was available. We were surprised it didn't take long for our big group to get a table at the cafe on Main Street. Even though Halloween food was the only option on the menu we gave it a go.

Cream of pumpkin soup which came with the kid's meal. It was the only normal looking dish and it was actually tasty.

Kimchi Ramen with beef short ribs and some Halloween touches. I thought two chicken's feet were excessive. I was quite worried and put off to be honest. The noodles and the rest of the fixings were OK. Very ordinary but I wasn't expecting much.
Fish fingers and fries for our little ones. They enjoyed pretty much everything except for the pappy broccoli. Go figure.
The pork chop and rice bake looked like a mess but it was actually delicious. We were not sure what the 2 pieces of lychee were supposed to be.
Some kind of pasta salad starter, which was part of a fish set.
Sole fillets in basil and some kind of orange sauce. The fish was frozen and had that stringy texture. Still it was probably the healthiest choice of all.
Corner Cafe

Main Street, Hong Kong Disneyland.

Under Bridge Spicy Crab

2011-01-14T21:07:00.003+08:00

We finally got to go to Hong Kong and we wasted no time to go to Under Bridge again. We got there close to 9pm and managed to get a table quickly. The place was still really busy!

To start we had stir-fried clams with chili and black bean sauce. I am never a fan or black bean sauce but it goes really well with clams.

And this is what we were craving all those years: chili and garlic mud crab.
We picked a medium to large crab (~HK$600). The meat was sweet and fresh and to die for.
Scallops and broccoli. Big meaty scallops, simple but worked well.
String beans with olives and pork. I always find this dish too heavy tasting and in this case it was extra salty.
The excellent fried rice helped wash down everything nicely. We left with happy tummies.
Under Bridge Spicy Crab

405 -419 Lockhart Rd., Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Tel: 2893-1289

bibimbap

2011-01-14T21:05:00.001+08:00

Our first bibimbap attempt. I think we have to be more generous with sesame oil next time. Not bad!

FCC

2011-01-14T21:03:00.003+08:00

As our quest for a good Vietnamese restaurant in Shanghai continues, we went to FCC for a quick fix. Although not the best (and pricey for what you get!) we find it's as good as it gets in Shanghai.

Beef banh hoi (rmb48). Beef was fried in lemon grass and it was delicious.

Vermicelli spring rolls (RMb45), stuffed with pork and coriander. Fresh and crunchy and they are sinfully good.
Beef satay (RMB48). Meat was a little overcooked and chewy.
Sour and spicy seafood pho (RMB55). Very disappointing. The soup was neither sour nor spicy. In fact it was very bland and the few bits of seafood were very ordinary.

Shrimp mousse skewer (RMB30). Tasted what it should taste like but we thought it's expensive!

We also ordered a beef pho (RMB48) and it was a let-down. The noodles were uncooked - twice in a week. Unforgivable!

FCC

889 Julu Rd. (nr Changsu Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6445-8082

Simply Thai

2011-01-14T18:40:00.001+08:00

A quick set lunch at Simply Thai. For extra RMB10 you get a cold syrupy drink. Nice and cool and it's hot.

My set had a spicy beef salad and when this dish arrived I did not think to look at it. It was so small (like a dipping sauce dish) I thought it was just decoration. When my salad didn't arrive I decided to poke around and there was the thin slither of beef hidden in the leaves! Size aside it was actually pretty tasty with a punchy dressing.
Egg soup. Ordinary. Not sure if they serve it in Thailand.
Beef with coriander and chili. Beef was tender and went well with coriander. I since tried to make this dish at home and it's pretty simple.
Dessert was sago with coconut pudding. I prefer mango sticky rice but these were not bad.
Simply Thai

5C Dongping Rd. (nr Hengshang Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 400-880-7729

O'Malley's

2010-10-24T17:48:00.006+08:00

Our first visit after O'Malley's renovation work. To our disappointment the place is no longer kids friendly: the playground is gone, the garden is gone, and even the kids' menu is gone. It was still nice to sit out in the sun and we decided to stay. Big mistake.

The seemingly impressive steak and kidney pie. The pastry was the only thing which was nice. The pie itself was pathetic with few pieces of stringy meat and frozen veg.

Without a kids menu we got a spaghetti Bolognese for the kids to share. While it didn't taste bad it was pretty dry.
The banger and mash was a total flop too. We had to send them back once as the mash was stone-cold. Don't think we will be going back in a hurry yet.

O'Malley's

42 Taojiang Rd. (nr Wulumuqi Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6474-4533

Coffee Tree

2010-10-24T17:44:00.002+08:00

It was quite pleasant to be sitting outside on a sunny day, except for the renovation noises next door. Nonetheless the place was packed out and we were glad we got there early.

My chicken taquitos (RMB35), served open. A little awkward to eat but it was delicious with fresh chunky chicken pieces.

Tuscan sun-dried tomato and chicken panini (RMB48). The taste was OK but it was a little small.
Polette (RMB38). Tasty meatballs and sauce, a little add with rice on the side. I could also do with more than 2 meatballs. Mind you when you look at the price tag you can't really complain.
Coffee Tree

Ferguson Lane, Wukang Rd. (nr Hunan Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6466-0361

Mr. Willis

2010-10-24T17:40:00.003+08:00

Our very first visit to the always busy Mr. Willis.
The extremely tasty scallop and lentils starter my husband ordered (RMB68). Scallops were big and juicy, and grilled to perfection. The accompanying lentils sauce had a faint curry flavour and it went very nicely with the dish.
Beef tartare (RMB82). Tasty but I prefer it more zingy with lots of capers, onions, and of course Worcester sauce.
Grilled veal chop (RMB155). My husband said it was one of the bests.
My rack of lamb (RMB148) was tasty but pretty fatty. By the time I trimmed everything off there wasn't much left.
My husband's pavlova (RMB52). He managed to polish it pretty quickly.
My sticky date pudding (RMB58). Sticky date is not as good as sticky toffee but it did the job to finish our wonderful meal.
A pretty damn good meal and a very wallet-friendly bill. No wonder this place is booming!

Mr. Willis

3/F, 195 Anfu Rd. (nr. Wulumuqi Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 5404-0200

Tang Palace

2010-10-24T17:37:00.003+08:00

Another try at Tang Palace after our last visit a while ago. Still we were not impressed at all. Don't think we will be back.

Tang Palace

103 DongZhu An Bang Rd.(nr. Jiangsu Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6251-3960

Issimo

2010-10-24T17:34:00.003+08:00

Yet another delicious meal at Issimo. We can't help but to go back repeatedly!

Home-made orecchiette with fresh tuna, capers, black olives and anchovies (RMB128). I wish I can make pasta like this at home. The anchovy sauce was a great compliment to the firm pasta. Loved it.

Cream of mushroom soup with truffle favour (RMB78). Very rich and creamy, it was the one of the nicest mushroom soup we tried.
Gnocchi with traditional Bolognese sauce (RMB108). Tasty chunky meat sauce. Couldn't ask for more.
Spaghetti tossed with fresh clams, cherry tomatoes and rocket (RMB118). Nice flavours and not too garlicky.
Thinly sliced grilled Australian veal sirlion with seasonal mushrooms ragu and rosemary potatoes (RMB228). My husband was pretty happy with it.
Grilled Italian pork sausages and New Zealand lamb chops with apple and onion compote (RMB198). My dish was probably the only boring one that night. Everything was just grilled and while the lamb was tender and juicy the sausage was very average. And the onion and apple compote did not leave an impression.
Hot chocolate amaretto, coffee meringue and coconut ice cream (RMB65). Loved everything especially the coffee meringue.
Cheese platter with truffle honey and walnuts (RMB158).
Issimo

2/F, Jia Shanghai, 931 Nanjing Rd. West, nr. Taixing Rd., Shanghai. Tel: 3302-4997

Sushi U

2010-10-24T17:33:00.002+08:00

Finding a lunch spot in Central can be tricky these days. The two places we had in mind had huge lineups on this particular day and we had to go with plan B. We stumbled upon Sushi U by chance and we were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food.

We got seated in one of many spacious tatami rooms. There were 7 or 8 lunch sets to choose from ranging from HK$150 to HK$250. My sashimi rice set had all the usual suspects. I was not particularly happy with the selections as I do not like cooked prawns, roes, nor octopus normally. Luckily everything was very fresh and I was happily polishing everything up at the end.

Teriyaki beef set. Lean and great cut of meat, V said it was delicious.
Interesting this is called the ladies' sushi set. Maybe the name is a reflection of the quantity, which we found to be plenty. If I remember correctly it is about the same price as my sushi set and I was secretly cursing myself for not ordering this set instead.
Red bean ice cream as dessert. Even the ice cream was delicious! We wonder what dinner is like at this place? Lunch was definitely good value although service was slow.
Sushi U

3/F, Century Square, 1-13 D'Aguilar St., Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 2537-9393

Zelo Bar and Restaurant

2010-10-24T17:27:00.005+08:00

We went to Zelo because we were too tired to walk anywhere else. We didn't have a lot of expectation and still we found our dishes pretty flat.

Wagyu burger and fries (HK$228). Who doesn't do Wagyu burger these days? Despite the wagyu beef burger was pretty standard but the fries were good.

Paella for two (HK$398). The portion was not big enough for two and we were not big eaters. There were clams, prawns and squid, all tasted pretty fresh. Could use more in quantity though.
Service was friendly but the place was infested with mosquito! I had 4 or 5 bites at the end and we had no idea where they came from?

Zelo Bar and Restaurant

Shop 007, LG1, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong. Tel: 2918-1028

Rice Paper

2010-10-24T17:26:00.002+08:00

A quick lunch at Rice Paper. To our surprises the lemongrass pork was delicious! Juicy and tender, it had all the right flavours and a nice presence of lemongrass.

My pho with Vietnamese pork sausages, on the other hand, was mediocre at best. The only up side was it was not heavy on MSG.
We had an order of soft-shell crab but it simply did not show up. We asked for it twice and subsequently cancelled it. By the time our bill came we saw the dish being carried out! Oh well. It was 3pm and the place was not busy at all so we had no idea why it took so long.

Rice Paper

Shop 3319, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, TST, Hong Kong. Tel: 3151-7801

Green Cottage

2010-10-24T17:24:00.001+08:00

I finally made it back to Green Cottage 14 months since my previous visit. We had to order everything naturally!

Our spring rolls were piping hot and crispy.

We had 4 orders of nem chua (naem in Thai). We are famous at the restaurant as we consume them by the ton!
Eggs in sweet soy stew: a nostalgia for our early years, especially for my sister as she was constantly eating them when she was young.
Beef pho. The broth was not as good as before but it was still yummy.
Beef and noodles in curry soup. I wish I knew the secret of this curry soup as it's simply the best.
Green Cottage

2/F, Gigna Tower, 482 Jaffe Rd., Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Tel: 2832-286

Dragon Air

2010-10-24T17:21:00.003+08:00

Shanghai to Hong Kong, lunch. For western there was the usual salad then fish or beef for main courses. On the other hand the Chinese menu looked so much nicer so here we go.

To start there was soup with chicken and ham and jellyfish salad on the side. The soup was quite salty (because of the ham) but the chicken was tender. The jellyfish salad was a bit too soggy and had too much vinegar dressing.

There were 2 main courses: braised pork ribs in sugar and vinegar sauce. Ribs were really tender and the sauce was yummy.
Scallops in XO sauce. The scallops were huge and the sauce not spicy at all - I wouldn't have known it was XO sauce if it wasn't for the menu. As usual the veggies were overcooked. I did enjoy all the meaty scallops and I couldn't believe how big the portion was.
Instead of the Chinese soupy dessert I went for ice cream. It came pretty close to the best airline meal, right after this one.

============================

Hong Kong to Shanghai. Business starter: smoked salmon salad.

Fist class starter: same dish, same ingredients but different presentation.
Business main: chicken and mash. The chicken legs were grilled and they were pretty moist and tender. The gravy was actually quite close to real gravy! Yum!
First class main: steak and roasted potates. For once the steak was not overcooked but since it's pre-cooked and kept warm it didn't have that fresh-off-the-grill aroma. Still it was pretty good for airplane food.
Dessert was Haagen Dazs again - it's probably the best dessert arrangement and I wish other airlines would do it too.

Da Marco

2010-10-24T17:17:00.004+08:00

Dinner at Da Marco. As usual the place was packed. I don't dislike busy restaurants but it's very uncomfortable when the tables are 2 inches away from each other. I know Da Marco is not shooting for upscale dining but still.

We ordered a number of starters to share. Antipasto platter.

Tuna salad.
Clams cooked in white wine sauce.
Soup with seafood.
For our main courses we had pizza.
Lasagna. We were so full we didn't touch the lasagna and decided to doggy-bag it. To our horror the bus lady cut and squashed the thing into a small round container. It was so dreadful looking we sent it back. To give them credit the waitress swiftly apologized and took it off our bill.
Food was good value and generally tasty but it's too crammed to enjoy our meal.

Da Marco

103 Dong Zhu An Bang Rd. (nr. Zhen Ning Rd)., Shanghai. Tel: 6210-4495

Lisboa Macau Restaurant

2010-10-24T17:10:00.003+08:00

I was hungry. I was desperate. And I still regretted eating this food. It was on the afternoon tea specials and my theory was that it can't be too bad if it's a signature dish the restaurant plugged. Well I couldn't be more wrong. The curry sauce was so salty I knew I would be in trouble. I usually have a pretty high tolerance of MSG but in this case even I was feeling very uncomfortable. I cursed and cursed for the rest of the afternoon. Never again!

Lisboa Macau Restaurant

B1, Times Square, 99 Huaihai Rd., Shanghai. Tel: 63910866

McMuffin

2010-10-24T17:09:00.001+08:00

My first McMuffin in Shanghai. Somehow breakfast here ends at 9:30a.m. and unlike in Hong Kong, McMuffin is all on the all-day menu. The verdict: plasticky egg, salty sausage and very greasy. Just like the McMuffin we know. Good for hangovers!

Table No. 1

2010-10-24T17:05:00.003+08:00

After our not so successful lunch I was ready to give it a second try because of the rave reviews I kept hearing. This time we decided on the set lunch.

A starter with tuna. It looked yummy enough and C and J seemed to enjoy theirs.

I think I had duck. To be honest I don't remember as it wasn't a memorable dish.
My fish for main. Sorry once again I forgot what type of fish it was but I remember it being rather fresh and flaky. I particularly liked the zingy sauce and the sweet mandarin slices.
Beef fillet and foie gras. Beef looked lean this time and C and J said it was nicely cooked.
I got so jealous of their side dish - the fries were absolutely out of this world.
Ice cream trio was one of the desserts.
Tapioca. It was interesting enough but far from outstanding. Should have had ice cream. We did enjoy our lunch and it's good food considered the price they are charging. We will go back for set lunches again but probably not for a la carte.
Table No. 1

The Waterhouse at South Bund, 1-3 Mao Jia Yuan Rd. (nr. Zhong Shan Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6080-2999

Da Marco

2010-10-24T16:57:00.003+08:00

Dinner at Da Marco. The menu changed slightly since the last time we were there but all the favourites are still there.

Beef carpaccio with shaved Parmesan.

Caesar salad. Very bacon-y (and nice!).
Antipasto platter.
Oven grilled seabass. P said it was way too salty.
Pasta with clams in white wine sauce. Clams were fresh and sweet and it wasn't too garlicky.
Prosciutto pizza. It was just prosciutto and tomato sauce but I guess sometimes simple is good.
Once again food in Da Marco is generally tasty and good for the value but don't expect gourmet. Dinner for three with a bottle of wine came to just over RMB600. Bargain!

Da Marco

103 Dong Zhu An Bang Rd. (nr. Zhen Ning Rd)., Shanghai. Tel: 6210-4495

Sir Elly's Restaurant

2010-10-24T16:55:00.003+08:00

A fine day and a fine lunch at Sir Elly's. A 3-course set menu (RMB280) was offered for lunch.

Drinks were extra. We opted for iced tea and it had to be the strongest tea I ever tasted in my life. It totally blew me away and I was having caffeine rushes all afternoon.
Our appetizer sampler. Clockwise from top left corner: summer tomato salad, orange and ginger confit; hamachi with vanilla and lemon dressing, mango chutney; asparagus panna cotta, Szechwan whipped cream, salmon roe, chive tip; almond gazpacho, confit peach, endives, coco nibs. We throughly enjoyed all the dishes. There were lots of ooohs and ahhhs while we were eating as the tastes were quite refined and delicate but very crisp.
There were 5 choices for main course which covered scallops to pigeon, beef, salmon and risotto. P decided for the salmon, confit, shiso, roe, and jade vegetable. We were not sure what jade vegetable is but he gobbled everything up pretty quickly.
My wood grilled Wagyu short ribs, corn, romaine, espelette coulis was delicious. The only problem (which was a big one actually) was the beef and it was too fat for my liking.
Dessert was a tasting sampler in 3 parts: apricot creme brulee, Madeleine stuffed with honey, and strawberry lassi. Our favourite was the creme brulee.
Sir Elly's Restaurant

13/F, Peninsula Shanghai, 32 The Bund, Shanghai. Tel: 2327-6756

Chi Restaurant

2010-10-24T15:49:00.005+08:00

We finally got to try the one and only Chinese restaurant in the village near us. We didn't expect much and we were more interested to see who is actually cooking behind the kitchen. It is a small village after all and we didn't expect an ethnic restaurant.

To start we tried the aromatic duck (₤10.8). It's actually our favourite pseudo-Chinese dish. Instead of getting just the skin with Peking duck you actually get shredded duck meat with this dish. The pancake and the fixings are the same and to be honest it makes more sense (to get meat rather than skin). This version however was a little dry.

Lemon chicken (₤13.20). Nice zingy sauce and tender chicken. My family would say I'm a disgrace to be eating lemon chicken but heck to it.
Singapore noodle. All the main courses come with either rice or Singapore noodles. The color was not right but all the tastes were there. Not bad at all.
The rice was pretty good too.
Fillet beef with spring onion and bamboo shoots(₤15.20). We should have taken the server's suggestion of black pepper beef instead of this one. The cut of beef was actually very tender and juicy but we didn't like the fact that it's swimming in sauce. We think they were trying to do gravy and it was just too pseudo for our taste.
Steamed bass (₤17.90). We wanted steamed fish and settled for bass as they didn't have any other sea fish. The bass was actually a very nice fish to be steamed. Its firm texture stood up really well to the sweet soy and ginger sauce. And it's a bonus that it was boneless.
All in all it was a pleasant dining experience and we especially liked the high-quality ingredients and produce used.

Chi

Fore Street, Kenton, nr Exeter, Devon, UK. Tel 01626 890 213

another BBQ

2010-10-24T15:17:00.002+08:00

This time it was a BBQ just for my husband and I. To start we had panzanella - our housekeeper calls it soggy bread salad. We actually liked the toasted and slightly chewy ciabatta.

Champagne to go with our BBQ mud crabs.
I thought the crab could be bigger but my husband said I was greedy.
Crumble for dinner. I suppose we didn't need a bigger crab.

Michael Caines at ABode Exeter

2010-10-24T15:10:00.005+08:00

We originally wanted to visit Gidleigh Park - Michael Caines' Michelin restaurant in Devon. Unfortunately we had to cancel and we decided to try his other establishment in Exeter instead. We were so glad we went.

We emptied the bread basket trio in no time and asked for a refill as we loved all of them. We also really enjoyed the free potato and bacon starter.
My husband's wild salmon (₤22) was delicately cooked and had all the right flavours.
We even polished up all the side vegetables (₤3.95).
My guinea fowl (₤23.75) was easily the best dish I EVER had in England! I never knew guinea fowl could be so tasty it's difficult to go back to chicken.
Too bad we didn't have time to stay for dessert but we will be back very soon.

Michael Caines at ABode Exeter

Cathedral Yard, Exeter EX1 1HD. Tel: 01392 223-638

The Ness

2010-10-24T15:08:00.004+08:00

An award-winning Georgian pub/hotel at a beautiful location overlooking Teignmouth and the estuary. We drove past the cliff once before and decided to come back for lunch.

Roasted monkfish tail wrapped in prosciutto, smoked tomatoes, watercress pesto and pea puree (₤12.50). It was as delicious as it sounded on the menu, freshly cooked with nice ingredients.
Golden glory battered fish and handmade chips (₤10.75). My husband instantly got jealous of my fish and chips and he should be! It was very fresh with crispy and piping hot batter, and even the mushy peas were excellent.
Sticky pudding with ice cream. It was so good I thought it was worth it even thought I got a massive heartburn for about 2 hours afterwards. We will be back for sure!
The Ness

Ness Drive, Shaldon, TQ14 0HP. Tel: 01626 873 480

The Hope and Anchor

2010-10-24T15:07:00.004+08:00

After a very windy morning at Hope Cove we decided we would eat before our long journey home. We heard good reviews about the place but we were pretty disappointed at the end and here's why.

The first dish which arrived was the breaded chicken breast (₤4.50) from the children's menu. The batter was very hard and tasteless and the veggies were cooked to death.

Melted cheddar nachos (₤4.95). It was actually not bad but then no cooking was required.
Local crab jacket potato (₤7.95). A said it was nice but we wonder if she was being nice?
Scampi and chips (₤6.95) from the basket meals section. It was also one of the better dishes for the day.
Cheddar and beans jacket potato (₤4.95). Very ordinary.
My half roast chicken and chips (₤5.95). The chips were good but the chicken was way too salty.
Steak and tribute ale pie (₤8.95). Again it came with the cooked-to-death veggies and it's very expensive for just a small slice microwaved pie.
The place is a hotel and I would be very upset if I were a hotel guest and had to dine at this place. It has so much potential and yet the management can't be bothered to make it nice. Why?

The Hope and Anchor

Hope Cove, Kingsbridge, Devon TQ7 3HQ. Tel: 01548 561 294

River Exe mussels

2010-10-24T14:18:00.002+08:00

Fresh mussels from River Exe Shellfish Farm from down the road. We cooked them in white wine, shallots and tarragon. Love them.

Our housekeeper's creation: grilled lamb fillet with pumpkin and bean salad and toasted pinenuts. It's one of her best!
River Exe Shellfish Farm

Oak Farm, Kenton, Exeter, Devon, EX6 8EZ. Tel: 01626 890 133

BBQ

2010-10-24T13:35:00.003+08:00

Homemade bread to go with our sausages and pulled pork.

Some steaks just in case we din't have enough food.
Organic Gloucester Old Spot Pork sausages from Hindon Organic Farm in Exmoor. Good quality sausages indeed and very porky. It makes you wonder what indeed is in regular non-porky tasting sausages?
I don't normally say cor but look at this pork shoulder joint! Cor! We had it slow-cooked for pulled pork. The pulling was pretty tedious but the meat and the pull pork sauce we made were a hit. Mind you it's probably best to leave pork pulling to restaurants as my fingers hurt for a couple of days after.

Hindon Orgaic Farm

Minehead, Exmoor, Somerset, UK. TA24 8SH Tel: 01643 705 244

roast beef and more

2010-10-24T13:06:00.002+08:00

Look at that joint of beef! It's so much nicer and cheaper than what you could get in SH.

Yorkshire puddings on the side.
Last but not least summer pudding. We love cooking in the UK.

Anchor Inn

2010-09-25T22:20:00.004+08:00

After our pretty satisfying dinner at the Anchor we went back for some more, this time for lunch. And now that I could drink again I had to try the Devon brewed Otter bitter. It was pretty rough but acceptable in small quantity.

From the specials board we picked poached haddock with some kind of sauce. The reason why I forgot what it was is because it was not very good at all. The fish was pretty dry and obviously frozen previously. We joked perhaps the specials were stuff that was going off in the freezer!
Lamb stew with veggies. A very winter-y dish, again it may have been freezer clearance!
At least the deep fried scampi was tasty.
The scallops wrapped in bacon was also pretty decent.
Grilled whiting. It was a little dry once again.
The treacle tart was about the only thing which stood to the previous standard. Perhaps the chef only worked in evenings.
The Anchor Inn

Cockwood, nr Starcross, Devon, UK. Tel: 01626 891-203

Bella Italia

2010-09-25T22:14:00.004+08:00

After a morning of shopping in Exeter and we got very hungry and desperate and we weren't too choosy in where we got food. We decided to give Bella Italia a try as it was not too far from the car park and as a chain restaurant we hoped we would at least get some box-standard stuff. (You know you shouldn't have high expectation when they serve you Sanpellegrino in cans.)

The menu was pretty standard after all: salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, meat and some fish. We decided to have the day's special pasta. It was very simple and edible. Nothing spectacular.
My meatball pizza was also a special of the day. To my surprise it was very spicy and I liked it!
Our Little One loved her spaghetti and meat sauce from the children's menu. She loved the coloring booklet and stickers too.
It was a very forgettable dining experience as the food did not have character...it tends to be the symptom of modern chain restaurants these days. It still beats sandwiches from supermarkets I guess (but only very narrowly I have to say).

Bella Italia

92 Queen Street, Exeter, Devon, UK. Tel: 01392 211778

Pho Real

2010-09-25T22:09:00.002+08:00

A new pho place in town and we wasted no time to test it out. Lunch time was so busy the small joint was packed. We waited 20 mins and got given a table for 2 and there were 3 of us.

We all went for the lunch set, which came with iced tea and a starter tasting platter. The spring rolls were not bad but I didn't think much of the prawn cake.
I ordered some extra prawn rolls just to try out. They were a little plain and could use a little more prawns and less lettuce.
From the set menu you could pick between soupy pho or dry vermercili. I was told the lemongrass pork vermercilli was very tasty.
My pho was not bad and the soup base was not full of MSG. I wouldn't say it's the best in town though. Would I wait 20 minutes and sit in cramped place to eat this food again? Perhaps not.
Pho Real

166 Fumin Rd. (nr. Changle Rd)., Shanghai. Tel: 5403-8110

Tsui Wah Restaurant

2010-09-25T22:08:00.002+08:00

Tsui Wah's menu in Shanghai is quite different than the one in Hong Kong. While I usually go for the same comfort dishes I do venture out and order the local specialities. Here is the signature fish ball dish in Sichaun pepper sauce. They were good!

Tsui Wah Restaurant

291 Fumin Rd. (nr. Changle Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6170-1282

Issimo

2010-09-25T22:05:00.003+08:00

Sunday brunch at Issimo. We like the fact that on Sundays you get a 4-course lunch (rmb198) automatically whereas weekdays you can pick between 2 or 3 courses.

Smoked trout starter with tangerine.

Beef and mushroom in filo pastry. It was actually not as nice as it looked/sounded.
My husband's choices from the pasta dishes on the set menu.

I chose gnocci and capellini. They were both excellent.

My husband's tenderloin looked so wonderful I wished I had ordered it instead.
I opted for a plaice dish but it was sold out. I agreed to switch to salmon instead assuming it would be cooked the same way but it came out in a pesto crust. It was nice but a little disappointing as I could have made it at home!
At least the dessert trio made up for my slight disappointment over my salmon. I could have easily eaten another one.
Issimo

2/F, Jia Shanghai, 931 Nanjing Rd. West, nr. Taixing Rd., Shanghai. Tel: 3302-4997

Strip Prime Steakhouse

2010-09-25T22:01:00.006+08:00

I heard so many good things about this place I was getting quite excited about our lunch.

Immediately I was disappointed when I walked in: there wasn't a non-smoking section on the lounge floor, and there were people chain smoking cigars. Eck. We decided to stay anyway and order from the set lunch menu. For 2 course it's rmb95 and 3 is rmb120.

E decided to have main and dessert instead and for some unknown reason BOTH dishes arrived the same time as our starters? Here we have the ahi tuna tartar poke style, iced shoyu broth, sun dried pineapple toast. E said it was nice but she had to wolf it down quickly so that her dessert would not melt. What a screw up.

/>Chocolate fudge brownie sandwich with vanilla ice cream.
Waldorf chop salad with blue cheese dressing. My husband said it was alright - meaning it was nothing special.
My fisherman's stew with white fish stock was basically like a watered down chowder. This fisherman sucked! He could have caught more fish.
Gazpacho. The feedback was also "alright". I suppose it's hard to mess up this dish.
Minced chicken in lettuce cups. It was dubbed the Asian tacos. C thought it wasn't bad but tacos would have been better.
Cajun jerked chicken quesadillas. It looked ok but it was dreadful to have to listen to the nonstop jerk sauce jokes my husband was trying to pull.
Wok roasted clams Macao with Portuguese chorizo, garlic herb pesto and grilled toast. It was actually very nice but I have to say this dish is not very difficult to make. And it is a little light to be a main course? I was pretty hungry after.
We didn't stay for dessert because of the cigar smoke. In any case we were not that impressed with the food we thought we would give it a pass. Perhaps we ought to try dinner and steaks?

The Strip Prime Steakhouse

6-7/F, Hong Kong Plaza, 282 HuaiHai Rd. (nr. Huangpi Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6091-9893

Bella Napoli

2010-07-18T00:05:00.002+08:00

Lunch at Bella Napoli's second branch, which is closer in our neighbourhood.

Prosciutto and cheese on toast. Sinfully tasty. Loved the slightly chewy toasted ciabatta.
C's green salad looked ok...salads don't really do it for me.
My other friend C's cream of pumpkin soup. She said it was delicious.
C enjoyed her carbonara.
And the other C also raved about her steak.
My pasta dish with asparagus and pancetta was pretty tasty, but the sauce could be richer.
All in all it was a pretty enjoyable lunch. Good value and selections for the set lunches. A good place to be if you want casual Italian!

Bella Napoli

Lane 946 Changle Rd., (nr. Wulumuqi Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6248-8985

M1NT

2010-07-17T23:58:00.003+08:00

A dinner visit to M1NT. Although my last lunch there was not very impressive but I thought I'd give it another try. We thought we would go with the tasting menu in order to try more dishes.

For RMB420 a person we got 3 or 4 choices for each course to choose for our 3-course set. To start we had deep fried squid. For us, who are spoiled with fresh seafood and kick-ass salt and pepper batter from Hong Kong, this dish was a little lame. The squid was nicely battered and deep fried but the seasoning seemed to just lack depth. The Thai chili dip was kind of lazy too.

When we saw our other starter we were taken back a little. We thought we would get steamed shrimp gyoza (which is what the menu said) but instead we got Cantonese har gou. Although a little anti-climatic, the har gous had big prawns inside and the pastry was reasonably thin. The chili flakes on top though were overpoweringly spicy (and I can take spicy!) we ended up scraping them off.
Moving on to our mains: roasted salmon with wasabi remoulade, salsa verde, oven dried cherry tomatoes. It was probably my favourite dish for the evening. Loved the cherry tomatoes especially, and the salsa went very well with the fish.
Our other main: pork ribs, black pepper marinade. The ribs were tender but the marinade, which tasted of five-spice powder, was too strong.
Our side dish asparagus with wafu dressing. Loved the dressing (but then wafu is pretty easy to make) but the asparagus was probably not in season.
Our other side dish tomatoes with ginger and spring onion dressing was much better than the asparagus. I'd eat tomato everyday if it comes with dressing like this one.
We enjoyed our dessert tasting platter and my favourites were the chocolate cake and mango mousse.
I suppose food is not the main focus for M1NT and for the no-so-expensive set and what they delivered it's a pass. We have no complaint on the food but it's nothing to rave about certainly.

M1NT

24/F, 318 Fuzhou Rd. (nr. Shangdong Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6391-2811

Table No. 1

2010-07-17T23:56:00.004+08:00

Our first lunch visit to the hyped Table No. 1 turned out to be a little disappointing. The menu was not very big and my husband had to pick fries (RMB30) as his starter (many other customers did the same thing too). They were cooked very nicely and the garlic and herbs on top were a very nice touch even though I don't like too much garlic normally.

My crab appetizer(RMB58) had chopped local crab meat, avocado, and a chilled scoop of something which had a sorbet consistency. It was interesting in terms of the contrasting temperature but that's about it. The crab was fresh but it wasn't very sweet tasting.
My husband's steak looked really promising but it was also the biggest disappointment. The cut of meat was so stringy and fatty most of it was inedible. The three little piece we managed to trim out and tasted were actually very tender and tasty.
My fish bouillabaisse (RMB118) was actually very rich and packed full with seafood flavour. It is however a little odd to have the item under main courses. Luckily I was somewhat on diet and I didn't mind.
My husband at least enjoyed his rice pudding (RMB55).
My caramel parfait (RMB55) was nice at the time but not very memorable.
To give the restaurant credit the manager took the beef dish off our bill having heard our complaint.

Table No. 1

The Waterhouse, 1-3 Mao Jia Yuan Rd. (next to Cool Docks), Shanghai. Tel: 6332-0282

Botham burgers

2010-07-17T23:53:00.002+08:00

Our take on the Jamie Oliver recipe. We put cheese in the middle of the patties. Yum!

Pho 26

2010-07-17T23:45:00.003+08:00

I am continuously searching for good pho in Shanghai and this time my friend C suggested Pho 26. It is supposedly a famous chain from Vietnam with 3 restaurants in Hong Kong, although I have not heard of it until now.

The signature pho with assorted beef bits was a disappointment. The broth was very salty and unfortunately it was the only flavour.

Vermicelli with spring rolls. The spring rolls were a bit to the dry side.
Same problem with the chicken with lemongrass. And it's more noticeable when chicken is dry.
All in all a pretty underwhelming experience. I probably won't be back in a hurry.

P.S. I checked the comments and pictures on its HK branch and the feedbacks are not bad at all!

Pho 26

2/F, 178 WuJiang Rd. (nr. MaoMing Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 5228-6597

Carluccio's Cafe

2010-07-17T23:42:00.004+08:00

A short late lunch break from our shopping trip in Bristol. We were so hungry we gobbled up the soft warm bread in no time. Bread (₤3.50) and the olives (₤2.60).

Chicken saltimbocca, wrapped in proscuitto and roasted was the special (₤10.95). My husband said it was ok and nothing spectacular. He might have been sulking as he picked 2 glasses of wine from the wine list and they were somehow unavailable?
My lasagna (₤8.35) was tasty but a little bit too runny for my taste. It was a much welcomed treat as I was about to digest myself. All in all not bad for a chain restaurant. And to our great surprise we got given a bottle of wine to take home to compensate the wine disappointment. Call that customer service!
Carluccio's Cafe

Quakers Friars, Bristol, UK. Tel: 0117 933-8538

The Anchor Inn

2010-07-17T23:27:00.006+08:00

We drove pass this cute looking old pub many times and finally got a chance to go for dinner. The place seemed very popular on a Friday night and we soon found out why. My husband's chargrilled scallops (₤8.50) were big and juicy and cooked to perfection.

There are close to 20 different sauces on the mussel page. You can even have mussels as a main and it comes with fries. I picked French style (₤8.95) as a starter and they are basically cooked in a white wine and tarragon sauce. Great creamy sauce and the mussels were fresh.
We decided to try the day's special: brill in butter and lemon sauce (₤15.95). Very simple but delicious.
Too bad my lobster and prawn thermedor (₤24.95) was not as nice as I thought it would be. The cheese sauce was nice but the lobster pieces were too little in size and in quantity. There were also frozen micro-prawns in the mixture and they tasted like the frozen sort.
We (especially my husband) loved the oversize chips.
There are different treacle tarts to choose from and we picked amaretto (₤4.25). It was sinfully perfect with the clotted cream.
And the best dish had to be the sticky toffee pudding (₤4.25). Moist, rich and sticky my diet plans were long out of the windows. We shall be back!
The Anchor Inn

Cockwood, nr Starcross, Devon, UK. Tel: 01626 891-203

Downstairs

2010-07-17T23:24:00.003+08:00

Another David Laris creation in town: immediately we thought it could be a little iffy as we had not been impressed with his recent projects. Still the place had to be tested out.

Our bread was probably the best-tasting starter in comparison to the mediocre Caesar salad and the tasteless pile of sprouts and lettuce I had.
My deep-fried snapper with green curry sauce was really punchy. I wish I could make curry sauce like this at home. The fish, however, was a bit to the dry and hard side. I suppose it's difficult to get fresh snapper fillets here in Shanghai.
Teriyaki salmon. The sides were so lame I could knock up something better at home. And teriyaki salmon is pretty easy to make to begin with. Lame.
Mac and cheese. I was told that it was excellent apparently.
We didn't feel like spending more money on desserts.

Downstairs

G/F, URBN Hotel, 183 Jiao Zhou Rd. (nr. Beijing Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 5172-1300

Issimo

2010-07-17T23:11:00.001+08:00

Would I ever get bored of Issimo? Not for a while yet.

We decided to eat light and had some simple starters.
The vegetarian pizza was so yummy. Perhaps we really don't need meat?
Mind you my gnocchi with meat sauce would not have been the same without the meat.
We had desserts too but I totally forgot to take pictures. I tend to get too excited when I see sweet things.

Issimo

2/F, Jia Shanghai, 931 Nanjing West Rd. (nr. Tai Xing Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 3302-4997

Cristal Restaurant and Bar

2010-07-17T23:05:00.003+08:00

My birthday lunch! Goes to show you how far behind I am with my food blog. The set lunch had 3 or 4 choices each for starters and mains, and we thought they were all pretty good, especially the salad with duck breast.

My chicken tagine had a really lovely sauce but the meat was a bit gristly.
The feedback on the steak tenderloin was positive.
The risotto looked good too.
I didn't have time to get to dessert. I seem to remember my last visit for lunch also took 2 hours. I like how they are not rushing us at all but ow many people have 2 hours plus for a weekday lunch?

Cristal Restaurant and Bar

4/F, 175 Tai Xing Rd. (nr. Wu Jiang Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6136-1388

Sir Elly's

2010-07-17T22:45:00.002+08:00

Our first visit to Sir Elly's and it did not disappoint. Service was top-notch (it's about time, Shanghai!) and the food was wonderful to match. I was indulging so much (OK I was drunk) I forgot to take pictures of our starters! Doh!

We both ordered from the tasting menu and we enjoyed every single dish.

The only flaw would be the sunken souffle. It was a shame but it tasted good nonetheless.
Sir Elly's

13/F, The Peninsula Shanghai, #32 The Bund (nr. BeiJing Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 2327-6756

Issimo

2010-07-17T22:28:00.003+08:00

Dinner at our favourite restaurant. The prawn risotto was delicious and while I loved the seafood broth it could be too fishy for non-seafood lovers.

A tuna pasta starter. Unfortunately it's not very memorable.
My husband's main. He enjoyed it but I can't really tell you what it was. It was a while ago.
I do remember my spatchcock chicken was excellent though.
Desserts did not disappoint. we polished our profiteroles and cheese cake in no time.

Issimo

2/F, Jia Shanghai, 931 Nanjing West Rd. (nr. Tai Xing Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 3302-4997

House of Fraser

2010-07-17T22:25:00.005+08:00

That's what I call a Yorkshire pudding!! The bottom got a bit tough but it was all good.

Cafe Zest

House of Fraser, 35 High Street, Exeter, Devon, U.K.. Tel: 0844 800-3727

Myung Dong Dao Mian

2010-07-17T21:49:00.003+08:00

My all-time favourite Korean spicy beef broth. I can eat this everyday!

The lovely beef and veggie which came with the hotpot.
Of course there was a serious supply of kimchi.
Dumplings with meat and veggies. We prefer the plain ones than the kimchi ones.
Hand-cut noodles. They were just as good even without my favourite spicy beef broth.
Good value, consistency food. We will be back again and again. I just wish it is closer to town.

Myung Dong Dao Mian

2/F, Building 5-7, Lane 1051 HongQuan Rd.(nr.JinHui Rd. South), Shanghai. Tel: 3432-3258

Laris

2010-07-17T21:47:00.002+08:00

Another wonderful brunch at Laris. Benedict with slow-cooked eggs.

My favourite mud crab was as sweet as usual.
My husband liked his main.
My duck was nicely cooked, but the sauces were uninspiring, especial the plum sauce. Yawn.
The stack of pancakes more than made up for the slight disappointment for sure!

Laris

6/F , Three On the Bund, Guang Dong Rd, Bund, Shanghai. Tel: 6321-9922

Element Fresh

2010-07-06T22:09:00.003+08:00

Smoked salmon with bagels and cream cheese. It's exactly what it is, with regular salmon and regular supermarket variety cream cheese, nothing more.

Tilapia in tomato spicy broth and rice noodles. I think this item has since been taken off the menu and it is just as well. It did not have any taste whatsoever. I have to say it must be challenging to make a dish so bland.
Grilled chicken with teriyaki sauce on side. The chicken was pretty tough and my 18-month old, who normally loves chicken, did not seem interested.
All in all the meal was disappointing and overpriced.

Element Fresh

4/F KWah House, 1028 Huai Hai Rd. (nr. Donghu Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 5403-8865

Secret Recipe

2010-07-06T22:08:00.004+08:00

The only secret about this place is that everything was tasteless. The fish ball noodles were very bland and so was the laksa. Very disappointing. Should have gone to the food court.

Secret Recipe

1/F Gubei Carrfour Shopping Centre, Shanghai.

Issimo

2010-07-06T20:45:00.008+08:00

Another yummy dinner at Issimo. As our greedy selves we were having pizza and pasta to start.

Portions were pretty big even as starters but we were happy chowing everything down quickly. My seafood linguini had a very nice tomato finish which gave it the right balance.
My dad was the only sensible one and ordered a salad to start. The parmesan was actually very tasty.The rest of the meal was on par with the usual Issimo standard. We were all very happy and satisfied.

As full as we were we had to cram in some desserts. We will be back again and again.

Issimo

2/F, Jia Shanghai, 931 Nanjing West Rd. (nr. Tai Xing Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 3302-4997

Bi Feng Tang

2010-07-06T20:04:00.005+08:00

A quick lunch at a Bi Feng Tang restaurant. Despite the countless numbers of branches across I had never felt like going as they all looked pretty naff. As I was very desperate that day I had no choice but to walk in. Big mistake. My beef noodle is everything but Cantonese. And it didn't taste good: noodles were soggy and the beef was too much of a mystery cut I left it all behind.

I saw this noodle dish 2 tables down and thought I'd give it a try. It was probably the greasiest fried noodles I had in my entire Chinese-food-eating career (and I had had a LOT of greasy stuff). Hidden in the greasy noodles were slivers of the cheapest salty ham you can find in this world. Everything about it was nasty!
I think these may be cuttlefish balls. I honestly don't remember now and lets say they did not redeem the meal.
Now that have looked at it's website the restaurants are all franchised. It explains a lot why the place is very much pseudo Cantonese. There is not going to be a next time even if I am desperate.

Bi Feng Tang

1108, Brilliance West Mall, 88 XianXia West Rd. (nr. JianHe Rd.), Shanghai.

Mr. and Mrs. Bund

2010-07-06T16:52:00.007+08:00

Girls' night out at Mr. and Mrs. Bund.

The menu was very confusing and we left it to the manager to do the ordering. Portions are all for sharing anyway.
It was so long ago and most of the dishes were OK but not outstanding and therefore I have forgotten what some of them were. I seem to remember the duck breast with polenta was one of the better ones, then again it's quite an ordinary way of cooking suck breast.
Foie gras. I didn't try any as it was a bit awkward with the bread. I am not a foie gras fan anyway.
Asparagus with cream sauce. A bit lame.

Sea Bass with truffle and I am guessing polenta once again?
King prawn with lemon grass and citrus sauce. I do remember it being quite refreshing and zingy. Too poncy in presentation and hardly enough prawn for what they are charging!
The steak was not bad.
The restaurant's version of mashed potatoes.
Lobster tail in hot and spicy sauce. It wasn't but it certainly wasn't a wow.
I have been trying to convince my husband to go there so I can give it another try but he says the food is too fussy for his taste. I don't blame him.

Mr. and Mrs. Bund

6/F, Bund 18, 18 Zhong Shan Yi Rd. (nr. NanJing Rd.), Shanghai. Tel :6323-9898

Hanmadang

2010-07-06T16:49:00.003+08:00

We made it back to Hanmadang for another delicious BBQ. The kimchi spread was excellent as usual.

And so was the beef.
Bibimbap.
Spicy tofu soup - mouth watering spicy.
Another look at our bibimbap. I need to go back very soon.
Hanmadang

3/F, Highton Hotel, 1000 East Hong Song Rd., Shanghai. Tel: 6145-9691

Simply Thai

2010-04-27T22:40:00.003+08:00

A quick lunch at Simply Thai with my favourite Thai BBQ chicken. Loved the spicy dip and how moist the chicken was.

Beef noodles which came in a lunch set (RMB48 with a drink). I don't remember it being outstanding at all and I won't be ordering it again certainly. Should have gone for the tom yam chicken noodles instead.
Simply Thai

5C Dong Ping Rd. (nr. Heng Shan Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6445-9551