Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Heng Shan Cafe
I think Heng Shang Cafe will become our new regular place: it's so close to us and the few things we tried there were pretty good. Nothing was out-standing (yet) but we liked the spotless-clean place and the swift service.
Marinated eggs in Chiu Chow soy sauce(RMB15). I was surprised to see so many of them! While the taste of the marinate was not bad the eggs were probably just dipped in it for 2 seconds and therefore not very flavourful at all.
Steamed prawn and bean shoots dumplings (~RMB15). Nice fillings with fresh ingredient - chunky prawns too. Better than I expected.
The Siu mai (~RMB15) were average. I think they might have been previously frozen.
Beef balls (RMB10) were much better than teh siu mai.
The seafood congee (RMB18) was OK. The congee base was nice and smooth but there were not a lot of fish or seafood in it.
Stir-fried lily bulbs, lotus roots and celery served in 'nest' (RMB33). My husband ate all of the content so they must have been good. He said the 'nest', normally made out of flour and fried, was not as good as some of the ones he tried before. It was pretty plain and tasteless.
Singapore noodles (RMB28). Again he almost ate all of it and he wanted second helping so it must have been really good. Probably the star of the meal!
Heng Shan Cafe (4 locations in town)
Marinated eggs in Chiu Chow soy sauce(RMB15). I was surprised to see so many of them! While the taste of the marinate was not bad the eggs were probably just dipped in it for 2 seconds and therefore not very flavourful at all.
Steamed prawn and bean shoots dumplings (~RMB15). Nice fillings with fresh ingredient - chunky prawns too. Better than I expected.
The Siu mai (~RMB15) were average. I think they might have been previously frozen.
Beef balls (RMB10) were much better than teh siu mai.
The seafood congee (RMB18) was OK. The congee base was nice and smooth but there were not a lot of fish or seafood in it.
Stir-fried lily bulbs, lotus roots and celery served in 'nest' (RMB33). My husband ate all of the content so they must have been good. He said the 'nest', normally made out of flour and fried, was not as good as some of the ones he tried before. It was pretty plain and tasteless.
Singapore noodles (RMB28). Again he almost ate all of it and he wanted second helping so it must have been really good. Probably the star of the meal!
Heng Shan Cafe (4 locations in town)
719 Yan An Road West (nr. Cao Jia Yan Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6226-0525
Sakae Sushi
I was hoping to go crazy on the RMB98 all-you-can-eat deal but to my disappointment they now want RMB168 for it. Hardly worth it - not for supermarket-quality stuff.
A couple of things from the sushi menu: egg sushi and spicy tuna rolls. The egg slices were way too thin and plastic like but the tuna rolls were nice.
Mini California rolls...good like supermarket variety good.
A couple of things from the sushi menu: egg sushi and spicy tuna rolls. The egg slices were way too thin and plastic like but the tuna rolls were nice.
Mini California rolls...good like supermarket variety good.
Some kind of grilled fish - similar to mackerel and very very meaty. I kept looking for bones in the middle then I realised it was ONE big thick fillet!
Terriyaki chicken ramen. I didn't think much of the soup base but it was OK.
Terriyaki chicken ramen. I didn't think much of the soup base but it was OK.
Lunch came to RMB85. Not bad.
Sakae Sushi
7/F Parkson, 918 Huai Hai Middle Rd. (nr. Shanxi Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6415-9726
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Zapata's
One should go to Zapata's when it's not too cold to sit in the garden; the inside is such a dive: think stale cigarette smell and holes on the vinyl couch. Yuck. The food is looking better than ever though.
Our chicken burritos(RMB100) tasted as good as it looked. We loved the mucho fillings!
My chicken flautas(RMB45). The fillings were nice and the salsa fresh and zingy. Good value for a starter!
El diablo wings(RMB40) - nothing diablo about them and they were pretty bland in fact. The only good thing about them was that they weren't dry.
Our chicken burritos(RMB100) tasted as good as it looked. We loved the mucho fillings!
My chicken flautas(RMB45). The fillings were nice and the salsa fresh and zingy. Good value for a starter!
El diablo wings(RMB40) - nothing diablo about them and they were pretty bland in fact. The only good thing about them was that they weren't dry.
Ginger
A late afternoon lunch at Ginger on the day we moved: it was a very nice sanctuary compared to the total chaos of our move.
My mint and orange tea (RMB45 I believe) was very warming and rejuvenating. It totally calmed my mood and my stomach down.
My Japanese bento (RMB125). From top left clockwise: homemade tofu, terriyaki chicken and some kind of potato fish cake, tempura fish, aubergine, vegetable sushi, and lastly brown rice with carrots and chestnuts. Everything was good especially the chestnuts rice but it's still a bit pricey for what you get.
Service was friendly and it was a pleasant experience...I just wish it could be cheaper.
My mint and orange tea (RMB45 I believe) was very warming and rejuvenating. It totally calmed my mood and my stomach down.
My husband's spaghetti Bolognese (RMB70). He said it was OK.
My Japanese bento (RMB125). From top left clockwise: homemade tofu, terriyaki chicken and some kind of potato fish cake, tempura fish, aubergine, vegetable sushi, and lastly brown rice with carrots and chestnuts. Everything was good especially the chestnuts rice but it's still a bit pricey for what you get.
Service was friendly and it was a pleasant experience...I just wish it could be cheaper.
Ginger
299 Fuxing Rd. West (nr. Hua Shan Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6433-9437
Frankie's Italian Bar and Grill
My first lunch visit to Frankie's. For RMB100 we got to pick between 2 starters and 3 main courses.
My clams in white wine sauce was beautifully cooked. The broth was delicious and not overly garlic-ky at all.
Chestnut semifreddo. We liked the hint of sweetness the chestnuts gave out.
All in all it wasn't bad at all, especially for RMB100.
My clams in white wine sauce was beautifully cooked. The broth was delicious and not overly garlic-ky at all.
Pasta with porcini mushrooms and aubergine. Too bad the pasta was soggy and as a result the dish was very pappy.
Chestnut semifreddo. We liked the hint of sweetness the chestnuts gave out.
All in all it wasn't bad at all, especially for RMB100.
Frankie's Italian Bar and Grill
592 Feng Yang Rd. (nr. Dai Tian Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 5228-7961
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Crossroad Cafe
Again I was out to try new stuff on the menu as this place is a hit and miss normally.
Malaysian platter(RMB45). It was a little disappointing as I was expecting real fish cakes and not the fish ball type. Then there was some kind of deep fried pork roll, which was quite greasy and it was stuffed with what I believed to be potato and water chestnuts. And while the satay was not bad the samosas were only average.
Crossroad cafe
8/F, Parkson, 918 Huai Hai Rd. (near Shanxi Rd.) Shanghai. Tel: 6415-2923
Malaysian platter(RMB45). It was a little disappointing as I was expecting real fish cakes and not the fish ball type. Then there was some kind of deep fried pork roll, which was quite greasy and it was stuffed with what I believed to be potato and water chestnuts. And while the satay was not bad the samosas were only average.
Hainen chicken rice (RMB35). Not the best in town but not bad. The dips were very garlic-ky though.
Crossroad cafe
8/F, Parkson, 918 Huai Hai Rd. (near Shanxi Rd.) Shanghai. Tel: 6415-2923
Xin Ji Shi
Ever since the pork in sugar and vinegar sauce turned bad in Xin Ji Shi we hardly go there any more. On this visit we were determined to explore the menu a little more.
Stir fried sprouts. Tasted like grass.
We decided to try the deep fried salt and chili pork and it paid off! The pork was lean and succulent. We liked the thin batter and to our surprise it wasn't too oily.
Fried Mandarin fish with butter and wine. It was crispy but as usual the fish was a little too thin.
Our all-time favourite beef in chili oil. We just love the way it's made here.
Dinner for 2 came to RMB410.
Stir fried sprouts. Tasted like grass.
Ma Po Tofu. Very nicely cooked and flavorful. It was not too oily and had a nice consistency - loved it.
We decided to try the deep fried salt and chili pork and it paid off! The pork was lean and succulent. We liked the thin batter and to our surprise it wasn't too oily.
Fried Mandarin fish with butter and wine. It was crispy but as usual the fish was a little too thin.
Our all-time favourite beef in chili oil. We just love the way it's made here.
Dinner for 2 came to RMB410. Corner of Huang Pi Rd. and Tai Cang Rd., Shanghai. Tel: 6336-4746
Otto Gourmet Cafe
We decided to give Otto's set lunch menu a try. For RMB68 you can pick between soup or an appetizer buffet plus a main course - a pretty good deal we thought. For another RMB20 extra you get dessert for the day.
We started with some pretty nice bread - I love that green basil dip especially.
C picked chicken as her main. She liked it but to me that's too little food!
Other choices were pizza, prawns or pasta and I picked pasta. It was OK but not very memorable to be honest.
We skipped dessert because we didn't really like mango coconut mousse. It was overall a nice experience and good value for money. Will go back again.
We started with some pretty nice bread - I love that green basil dip especially.
I got a bit of everything from the appetizer spread: salad nicoise, pesto pasta salad, pate on melba toast, cous cous, buffalo cheese and tomato. They were all pretty tasty.
C picked chicken as her main. She liked it but to me that's too little food!
Other choices were pizza, prawns or pasta and I picked pasta. It was OK but not very memorable to be honest.
We skipped dessert because we didn't really like mango coconut mousse. It was overall a nice experience and good value for money. Will go back again.
85 Fumin Rd. (nr Julu Rd.), Shanghai. Tel:6248-9186
Finding Nemo
I finally said goodbye to my Finding Nemo sweets my friend K bought me in 2005!!
As cute as they look they somehow turned rock hard. :-(
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Jamaica Blue
This was our first lunch visit to Jamaica Blue, and we had a lot of hope because breakfasts and coffees are pretty good there.
We got to pick between sandwiches and pasta dishes and we decided to give the pasta a try. My husband's chicken bolognese was a recommendation from the waiter. It was OK - pasta was way too soft.
I went for the sausage pasta, and it looked (and tasted) remarkably similar as the chicken bolognese sauce. Again I got overcooked pasta.
Apple cake.
Lunch and 2 apple carrot juice (watered down big time!) came to RMB170. Very pricey for what you get!
We got to pick between sandwiches and pasta dishes and we decided to give the pasta a try. My husband's chicken bolognese was a recommendation from the waiter. It was OK - pasta was way too soft.
I went for the sausage pasta, and it looked (and tasted) remarkably similar as the chicken bolognese sauce. Again I got overcooked pasta.
Apple cake.
Lunch and 2 apple carrot juice (watered down big time!) came to RMB170. Very pricey for what you get!Jamica Blue
2/F Corporate Ave 1, Hubin Rd. (nr Huang Pi Rd.), Shanghai.
Bellagio
We liked the food in Bellagio so much we went back for some more.
To satisfy my egg craving I got some marinated eggs. The eggs were OK but the brown sauce on top was weird..it was like a BBQ pork sauce.
Black pepper beef on hot plate. Loved it! More beef would be nice.
Singapore noodles - it was average - not enough kick and almost too sweet.
BBQ pork. We asked for extra lean but it was still pretty fatty. The taste was not bad but by the time we cut all the fat out we didn't get too much left.
Deep fried pomfret. I was a little put off when I saw the whole fish - fillets would be nice. The fish was a bit disappointing anyway as it wasn't the freshest: it was slightly fishy.
Braised beef noodles. Loved the soup base and everything.
Fried 'olive vegetable'. We think it's some kind of beans - very good nonetheless.
Dinner came to around RMB 250. Will go back again.
To satisfy my egg craving I got some marinated eggs. The eggs were OK but the brown sauce on top was weird..it was like a BBQ pork sauce.
Black pepper beef on hot plate. Loved it! More beef would be nice.
Singapore noodles - it was average - not enough kick and almost too sweet.
BBQ pork. We asked for extra lean but it was still pretty fatty. The taste was not bad but by the time we cut all the fat out we didn't get too much left.
Deep fried pomfret. I was a little put off when I saw the whole fish - fillets would be nice. The fish was a bit disappointing anyway as it wasn't the freshest: it was slightly fishy.
Braised beef noodles. Loved the soup base and everything.
Fried 'olive vegetable'. We think it's some kind of beans - very good nonetheless.
Dinner came to around RMB 250. Will go back again.68 Tai Cang Rd. (nr. Hu Bin Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6386-5701
Moon River Diner
Another pig-out session at Moon River.
The legendary milkshakes: Oreo on the left and strawberry on right. Both were delicious!!
The legendary milkshakes: Oreo on the left and strawberry on right. Both were delicious!!
Chili cheese fries - another one of our favourites. We love the chunks of meat you get in the chili.
My husband's burger. Appropriately greasy, it was much better than the one I had in Arugula. At least the meat was lean.
My soup which came with my main. It reminded me of school cafeteria soup and it was very very salty.
Underneath this pile of cheese was a hot dog - chili cheese dog to be exact. While the chili cheese was nice the dog was a total disappointment. It didn't even come close to its description on the menu, i.e. a ballpark Frankfurter in a toasted bun. Instead what we had was a very soggy wiener, like it had been left in the bottom of the steamer for about 3 months. Perhaps I'd stick with burgers next time.
Moon River Diner
68 Yu Yao Rd. (nr Xi Kang Rd.) Shanghai. Tel: 5213-5106
Moon River Diner
68 Yu Yao Rd. (nr Xi Kang Rd.) Shanghai. Tel: 5213-5106
Arugula
A block down from where we live, we somehow never considered making a trip down to Arugula. Turns out we haven't missed much really.
The restaurant is set in a cute lane house with a small and cozy dining room on the ground floor and a comfy lounge on the second floor. Too bad the food didn't really match up to the setting. First of all we didn't really think much about the hotel-room-service inspired menu: it's got a bit of everything with all the popular items. Yarn.
My husband's chicken quesadilla. It didn't look bad actually and he said it was OK.
My husband's pasta dish. He said it was OK - nothing special.
My burger with bacon (see what I meant by room service menu??). Topped with bacon and processed cheese it had a nice flavour but the cut of meat was too fatty and gritty.
The restaurant is set in a cute lane house with a small and cozy dining room on the ground floor and a comfy lounge on the second floor. Too bad the food didn't really match up to the setting. First of all we didn't really think much about the hotel-room-service inspired menu: it's got a bit of everything with all the popular items. Yarn.
My husband's chicken quesadilla. It didn't look bad actually and he said it was OK.
My German cold cut platter. I'm not quite sure why it was German..maybe the little sausage at the top? The selection was nothing special, and I was actually scared of the dark red one - I think they were some kind of black pudding. I tasted a small bite and the texture was very weird and worrying.
My husband's pasta dish. He said it was OK - nothing special.
My burger with bacon (see what I meant by room service menu??). Topped with bacon and processed cheese it had a nice flavour but the cut of meat was too fatty and gritty.
The service was pretty good but we think they'll have to work on the food for sure if they want people to go back. On our visit (Friday 8pm) there were only 3 tables including us. To be honest no one is going to make a special trip to the place for its average food and it's clearly not doing very well with just the neighbourhood traffic. Good luck!
Dinner for 2 with 2 drinks came to about RMB350.
Arugula
Lane 49, House 2, FuXing Rd West (nr Wulumuqi Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6433-8577
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