Jesse Restaurant 老吉士

It was my first visit to Jesse in my 6 years in years!  I guess the long lines of people waiting in front kept me away all these years and I was grateful that my friend P was super organised to have booked it 2 weeks ahead of time for us to try it.

A somewhat friendly waiter who looked like he was in charge recommended most of the dishes for us and we were quite happy with them.  To start we got a number of cold dishes and this salted chicken was simple enough yet delicious with nice fresh farm chicken.

Shredded tofu skin in chili marinate.  It totally blew us away!  The chili oil marinate was so addicting.  The taste reminded us of Suchuan hotpot, slightly spicy and numbing at the same time, it was perfect with the al dente tofu skin.

Jesse's signature dish stuffed dates with grounded glutenous rice.  Slightly sweet we thought it was odd that it was served with the rest of the starters.  We didn't care about the order though as they were so good we could eat them all night long.   Chewy and textile they reminded of sticky toffee pudding in consistency.  It

Opium fish head got its name because it's supposed to be so good you will keep going back for more. Under the deep-fried spring onions was the huge fish head.

It's not really just the head but the front half of of a very big sole.  The whole thing was deep fried in super hot fat and the result was tender,  juicy, and out of this world meaty fish we could not stop eating.  

Stinky tofu.  I guess it's a must for Shanghaiese food.  It was a different version than the usual deep-fried squares you see on the street, and it didn't smell at all.  I got all my courage and tried a little piece and I have to say it was the weirdest thing I ever tried.  It didn't smell stinky but it TASTED stinky and rotten.  Does it even make any sense?  I didn't like the texture either.

Fried river prawns with crab roe.  Crab roe was fresh and not even a hint of fishiness.  Prawns tasted firm and fresh as well.  My friend told me she had had better roe at another hairy crab restaurant in town though.

Last but not least grandma pork stew.  I am not a big fan of this dish as the pork is way too fatty for me.  I loved this version though because the sauce was out of this world!  Sweet and vinegar-gy it was even more addictive than the fish.  I even ate some fatty pork as it was so tender it melted in my mouth.  I am usually an egg crazy person too so I totally enjoyed the egg.

Dinner came to just over RMB700.  For someone who doesn't normally enjoy Shanghaiese food it was an eye-opener for me.  I am looking forward to going back sometime.

Jesse Restaurant 老吉士
41 Tian Ping Rd. (nr. Huai Hai Rd.), Shanghai.  Tel: 6282-9260

Takumi Robata & Sakebar 炉匠

The set up at Takumi is quite impressive with the big pit in the middle of the restaurant with fish and etc grilling continuously.  We were immediately taken back with the noise level however: ALL chefs and wait staff would scream their welcome and goodbye in Japanese whenever a customer walked in or out.  And when I mentioned scream it's top of the lungs scream, to a point where we could not carry on a conversation. 

The food was actually not bad.  From the set-lunch menu we had grilled mackerel (~RMB100) and beef sukiyaki (~RMB130).  Both were tasty and of reasonable size, and they made good and efficient lunches.  I just wish they would stop the screaming!

Takumi Robata & Sakebar 炉匠
4/F, IFC Mall, 8 Century Ave., Pudong, Shanghai.  Tel: 5011-1677

泰湖星港泰美食餐廳

It was just after 12:30 and the basement of Jiu Guang was packed solid with lunch crowded. While some of the eateries had lines of hungry patrons waiting for tables I managed to find a table at this Singaporean, Cantonese, Thai restaurant.  I should have known better but I was desperate.

For a place which could not make up its mind about what food to serve and so to include three completely different regional cuisines on the menu, I thought I would stick with Cantonese noodles as it's at least simple with smaller margin or error.  My seaweed soup with four balls (RMB20) was lame.  In the MSG packed soup base floated one small bite of seaweed and four small previously-frozen-supermarket-variety balls.  At RMB5 a ball it's taking a Mickey a bit.

On the menu this was listed as beef brisket noodles with turnip (RMB38) so I was expecting the famous HK hawker brisket stew with turnip in a dark sauce.  The dish I got was nothing like it.  And when I asked for some chili sauce to dress up my otherwise very boring bowl of noodles the waitress told me the only sauce available was a yellow chili sauce in vinegar base.  It was all very wrong!  And it's ridiculously expensive compared to what you can get in Hong Kong.

泰湖星港泰美食餐廳
B1F, Jiu Guang Department Store, 1618 Nanjing Rd. West, Shanghai.  Tel: 6288-3952

The Cook

The Cook is like a buffet restaurant where you get a number of food stations serving food from different regions, but here you are given a charge card and you only pay for what you order.  From the pasta/pizza, sushi, burger and grill, Cantonese stations we decided to try the Malaysian dishes since it' part of the Shangrila group.  Fist thing first laksa.  Not only did it come with the right vibrant color and flavours, it was also packed full of good quality toppings.  A nice change since most laksas here are either too mild or too fishy.

Nasi goreng.  Another pretty dish and again it hit all the right spots in terms of flavours.  We especially liked the juicy satays.

The Cook
G/F, Kerry Hotel, 1388 Hua Mu Rd. (nr. Fang Dang Rd.), Pudong, Shanghai.   Tel: 6169-8888

Ikea Pudong Shanghai

Meatballs at Ikea Shanghai.  I ate all 20 of them and I sure suffered from it.  I was so thirsty after.  They tasted just like the ones I had in the UK Ikea though, even down to the dryness.  There were no fries to choose from in Shanghai and the mash was not very good at all.

Ikea Pudong Shanghai
550 LinYu Rd. (nr. HuNan Rd.), Pudong, Shanghai.  Tel: 2030-4532

Itacho Sushi and Jika Udon

I decided to give this popular Hong Kong sushi chain a try since it's right across fro where we live.  I wished I hadn't.  I got both the udon and the sashimi sets from the lunch menu.  Lunch came to around RMB100, which was not a lot for this area but considering the food-court quality it's expensive.  The udon was not tasty at all and I fell to tell if the udon was handmade at all as it was just like the usual soft slightly soggy type.  The broth was nothing to shut about and the beef was quite fatty.

The sashimi set was rather blah as well.  I would compare it with supermarket grade sashimi, it was like eating pieces of chilled whatever as you could not taste the fish.  Won't be going back again.  Are the ones in Hong Kong as bad as this one I wonder?

Itacho Sushi, Jika Udon
LG1-18, IFC Mall, 8 Century Ave., Pudong, Shanghai.  Tel: 2024-8050

Aniseed 大茴香

I had seen Aniseed around but never got a chance to try it until we moved to Pudong. There are at least two branches in Pudong and strangely the one in Kerry Parkside seemed to have very average food, unlike the one in SWFC, which served me the best bowl of pho in Shanghai!

Aniseed house special pho (RMB42).  Very average soup base and fixings.  I felt underwhelmed afterwards.

Goose liver paste with Vietnamese meat loaf roll (RMB22).  Very plain, I guess you can call it refreshing, but I will give it a pass next time.

Aniseed
L1115, Kerry Parkside, 1378 HuaMu Rd. (nr. FangDang Rd.), Pudong, Shanghai.  Tel: 6190-8006

AoBa Taiwanese Restaurant 青叶台湾料理

I am wondering whether this is the same AoBa in Taipei but I can't seem to verify it online.  Since my friend told me portions are small we ordered a number of dishes to share.

Deep-fried pork fillet.  It's almost like a char-siu with batter.  We liked how lean the mean was and yet it was tender. 

A fried tofu dish my friend recommended.  Tofu was firm and flavourful.

Beef brisket and tendon stew.  A classic Taiwanese dish, we liked both the sauce and the tender meat.

Tofu skin roll with shredded vegetables.  My friend loved it but I am not too keen on tofu skin and steamed soggy veg.

Egg "pancake".  It's pancake in a very loose sense because of it's shape.  It didn't have any flour (perhaps just a little to bind) and it's mostly egg with chopped pickled vegetables inside.  A little greasy but the flavours were good.

The very famous Taiwanese dish marinated pork with rice.  The sweet soy marinate was delicious but I prefer my pork leaner and smaller in size.

Steamed pork patty with salted egg.  It reminded me of what my grandma would make, but she uses a lot more ingredients such as chopped mushroom, which is far more superior than this version.

Lunch for two came to around RMB200.  It's not a bad choice if I am in the building again.

AoBa Taiwanese Restaurant
2/F, SWFC, 100 Century Ave., Pudong, Shanghai.  Tel: 6877-8966

Flair at Ritz Carlton Pudong

We did not plan to eat at Flair but sine there was a minimum charge on a table we reluctantly ordered from the very-expensive menu.

Sushi platter.  Very average, especially at the price of something around RMB300.

Our duck red curry had the best curry sauce but all we got was a few thin slices of duck skin.  If I remember correctly the curry was close to RMB150.

Chili crab (~RMB280).  The sauce was really nice and at least it was a reasonable portion.  With two glasses of pinot grigio at RMB100 a pop our bill came to just over RMB1000.  Ouch!  I'll admit the view was quite spectacular with Pearl Tower right in your face but it honestly isn't that far off compared to my bedroom's balcony.  Maybe I should serve drinks at our flat!

Flair
58/F,  The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, 8 Century Ave., Pudong, Shanghai.  Tel: 2020-1888

Benjia (Bornga) Korean Restaurant

Benjia is a big Korean chain with branches all over Korea. The Shanghai restaurants especially the one in Puxi have always been very popular amongst local Shanghaiese and Korean.

Bibimbap (RMB35). 

Fried minced beef patty (RMB50).

Spicy tofu soup (RMB35).

Hand-cut noodles (RMB35).

Seafood pancake (RMB50).  Everything tasted reasonably good and authentic.  And the yummy marinated beef patty was a first for us.  It is a good option for Pudong but I suspect in Puxi Korean town where competition is plenty it might not be so special. 

Benjia (Bornga) Korean Restaurant
2/F, 971 Dong Feng Rd. (nr. Pudian Rd.), Pudong, Shanghai. Tel: 5081-9377

Amokka Cafe

I did not expect much from Amokka when my friend suggested meeting for lunch there but I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty my spaghetti and meatballs (RMB68) was.  The meatballs had the right consistency and seasoning, with the tangy tomato sauce I polished my dish in no time.

My friend liked her mushroom risotto with asparagus (RMB55) as well.  Prices seemed reasonable for that area although portions could have been a bit bigger. 

Amokka Cafe
201 Anfu Rd. (nr. Wulumuqi Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 5404-0998

Paulaner Brauhaus

We were in desperate need of a beer after a day of unpacking and we decided to brave the crowded and smokey Paulaner.  The one litre wheat beer at RMB148 is robbery but like I said we were desperate.

Mixed combo plate with sausages, ham, and pork fillet (RMB238) and potato salad (RMB20).  The combo plate is supposed to serve two but I managed to finish all of it pretty much.  The three different sausages were nice but the ham and pork were to the tough side.  I ordered the potato salad in the hopes that it would be similar to the Bavarian version but it was nothing like it.  A disappointment.

Paulaner Brauhaus
Riverside Promenade, Binjiang Dadao, Pudong, Shanghai.  Tel: 6888-3935

BA London to Shanghai

My main meal on our BA flight from London back to Shanghai. Flying was a treat in first class even I was with my 2 girls on my own. Why can't we do this more often?

I had salmon tartare to start.  It was under-seasoned and I could do without the messy coriander.

The side salad was actually decent.  I think it was the first time I ate a salad on the plane.

Beef tenderloin with chips.  I wonder if everything was cooked on board?  Chips were crispy and beef was cooked to my liking.  It was as good as a restaurant dish.

The molten chocolate cake was a little bit spongy but I wasn't complaining.  I always like icecream on board, I guess it's like a treat.  They had extra portions to give to my kids too so everybody was happy. 

I forgot to take pictures of the child's meal but my girls had a choice of either fish fingers or chicken fingers with chips.  They were very happy.  We skipped breakfast for this flight.  Who needs to eat when you can snuggle in bed with a fluffy duvet and sleep?

BA Lounge

There is actually a small restaurant tucked away in the BA first class lounge in Heathrow terminal 5.  Service was a bit slow but food was yummy and well made.  I wish we had more time to hang out and to try out the desserts.

Antipasto plate.

Roasted chicken with risotto.

BA Lounge
London Heathrow Terminal 5

my Bavarian meal

My friend's wedding brought me to the very cute and beautiful town of Ulm for a night's stay.  I left London just before noon and managed to get to Ulm by early afternoon, just in time for a stroll and some quick sight-seeings on that glorious summer day.

Ulmer Münster, situated right in the middle of the town, apparently has the tallest church spire in the world.

An old clock tower by River Danube.

A corner in town near the river.

It was such a fine day.  I wish my husband was there!

I stopped by a biergarten by the river to have a drink and some food.  With my limited German I managed to find the page with sausages but I had to rely on the waitress for a recommendation.  The dish, Rostbratwürschterl (€5.80),  turned out to be great!  And I really have to get the recipe for the Kartoffelsalat, which seems to be a regional staple.  It was tangy with vinegar and went really went with the grilled spicy sausages.  I can have this everyday!