Notes From Shanghainese's 2013 Trip to China
Jul 27th, 2013, 11:56 AM
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Notes From Shanghainese's 2013 Trip to China
Again, this is not a trip report, it is my notes from my trip to Shanghai in May and June, which will give tips, impressions and thoughts. I will top my past notes for cross reference.
TRANSPORTATION -- I have written about it in my past notes, it doesn't really change except additions. In rush hours, I suggest you take the Metro even if it is crowded. The intervals are only 3-5 minutes and gets you to your destination much faster than a taxi stuck in traffic. Transfers to different lines are easy as you follow the instructions, make sure you are clear on the directions so you don't end up at the opposite side of the city.
Taxis are plentiful and cheap, I still prefer the pale colored ones i.e. white, cream, ivory, silver, gold, pink, pale blue, green or turquoise, these are owned by the well-known companies such as Jingjiang, Dazhong and Qiangshen. The interiors are clean and the drivers are experienced locals with good manners. The other colored cars have newer drivers, some who have their own agenda, we were twice refused service because the fare probably was under30 rmb.
FOOD -- I have listed enough restaurants in my past notes which you can enjoy different ones for 5 days. Here are a few other ones we really enjoyed this time and easy to get to.
Xing Mei Ju Lamb Hot Pot: 16 Yunan Road, phone 63553920
It's on the popular Yunan Road food street and it's a very plain place. Take Metro Line 8 to the Dashijie station or you can walk from the People's Park. You rinse the paper thin lamb in the bubbling hot water of the pot, and dip it into a sauce you mix yourself (or ask the servers), the meat melts in your mouth. Instead of rice, your order delicious pancakes.
Ding Tai Fung: 3rd Floor of the super mall across from the Orient Pearl Tower, phone 50478883 I suggest reservations
Metro Line 2 to Lujiazui station, the Fodors GTG was held here with a fabulous view of the river and the Bund across it. It is a branch of a popular Taiwan international chain. They had all kinds of small plates, we ate several types of dumplings (steamed, baked and fried), hot and sour soup, noodles and a pork dish. Food was excellent altho I noticed a service charge was added to the bill, and the server insisted we fill out a survey, strange practice.
Charme/Gang Li: 268 Xizhang Middle Road, Raffles City, 6th Floor
Metro Lines 1, 2 or 8 to People's Square, take exit 24 escalator to the 1st floor of the shopping area, change to elevator reservations strongly suggested, I'll find the phone # later
This is a very popular HongKong chain totally filled at 6 pm on a weekday. Its menu is somewhat east/west fusion introducing the locals to thick soft toast drizzled with honey and topped with vanilla ice cream balls. The US born kids in our party were delighted although the adults found enough tasty chinese food to satisfy our palates. Some of the dishes are the signature crispy jumbo chicken wings stuffed with minced prawn meat, (yummy), seafood tofu claypot, mustard beef, pan fried pork chops, eggplant with meat sauce, etc, the portions were big.
Yen Yun Lou Duck House: 31 Sinan Road, Science Academy Building, 5th Floor 53835378 reservations recommended
It is on a lovely tree-lined street in the former french concession, best to take a taxi.
Being Beijing duck fans, we were so disappointed the Shanghai branch of the very famous Beijing Quanjude Duck House was closed. After some research, we came across this House and it is on par with the closed branch.
We order 2 ducks as it was my DH's birthday and he wanted one all to himself (!), 1 of the carcass went home with us to be made into soup with napa cabbage, todu, mushrooms and bean threads. Other dishes included crispy spring rolls, gluten balls stuffed with minced fish, minced chicken and shrimp, unshelled jumbo prawns, yellow croaker in wine sauce, "lion head" pork meatballs, shredded crab with tofu, and a bakery-bought strawberry shortcake.
Wong Xiang Lou/Bokyo (weird English name for a chinese restaurant): 5th Floor of the SML Center at Dapuqiao
In the former French concession across the street from the Dianzifang Art Alley, Metro Line 13 to Dapuqiao and go upstairs.
Authentic Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces food with great flavor, I didn't jot down the dishes, some unusual dishes consumed and enjoyed were stirred fried young water bamboo and water escargots cooked in soy sauce.
TRANSPORTATION -- I have written about it in my past notes, it doesn't really change except additions. In rush hours, I suggest you take the Metro even if it is crowded. The intervals are only 3-5 minutes and gets you to your destination much faster than a taxi stuck in traffic. Transfers to different lines are easy as you follow the instructions, make sure you are clear on the directions so you don't end up at the opposite side of the city.
Taxis are plentiful and cheap, I still prefer the pale colored ones i.e. white, cream, ivory, silver, gold, pink, pale blue, green or turquoise, these are owned by the well-known companies such as Jingjiang, Dazhong and Qiangshen. The interiors are clean and the drivers are experienced locals with good manners. The other colored cars have newer drivers, some who have their own agenda, we were twice refused service because the fare probably was under30 rmb.
FOOD -- I have listed enough restaurants in my past notes which you can enjoy different ones for 5 days. Here are a few other ones we really enjoyed this time and easy to get to.
Xing Mei Ju Lamb Hot Pot: 16 Yunan Road, phone 63553920
It's on the popular Yunan Road food street and it's a very plain place. Take Metro Line 8 to the Dashijie station or you can walk from the People's Park. You rinse the paper thin lamb in the bubbling hot water of the pot, and dip it into a sauce you mix yourself (or ask the servers), the meat melts in your mouth. Instead of rice, your order delicious pancakes.
Ding Tai Fung: 3rd Floor of the super mall across from the Orient Pearl Tower, phone 50478883 I suggest reservations
Metro Line 2 to Lujiazui station, the Fodors GTG was held here with a fabulous view of the river and the Bund across it. It is a branch of a popular Taiwan international chain. They had all kinds of small plates, we ate several types of dumplings (steamed, baked and fried), hot and sour soup, noodles and a pork dish. Food was excellent altho I noticed a service charge was added to the bill, and the server insisted we fill out a survey, strange practice.
Charme/Gang Li: 268 Xizhang Middle Road, Raffles City, 6th Floor
Metro Lines 1, 2 or 8 to People's Square, take exit 24 escalator to the 1st floor of the shopping area, change to elevator reservations strongly suggested, I'll find the phone # later
This is a very popular HongKong chain totally filled at 6 pm on a weekday. Its menu is somewhat east/west fusion introducing the locals to thick soft toast drizzled with honey and topped with vanilla ice cream balls. The US born kids in our party were delighted although the adults found enough tasty chinese food to satisfy our palates. Some of the dishes are the signature crispy jumbo chicken wings stuffed with minced prawn meat, (yummy), seafood tofu claypot, mustard beef, pan fried pork chops, eggplant with meat sauce, etc, the portions were big.
Yen Yun Lou Duck House: 31 Sinan Road, Science Academy Building, 5th Floor 53835378 reservations recommended
It is on a lovely tree-lined street in the former french concession, best to take a taxi.
Being Beijing duck fans, we were so disappointed the Shanghai branch of the very famous Beijing Quanjude Duck House was closed. After some research, we came across this House and it is on par with the closed branch.
We order 2 ducks as it was my DH's birthday and he wanted one all to himself (!), 1 of the carcass went home with us to be made into soup with napa cabbage, todu, mushrooms and bean threads. Other dishes included crispy spring rolls, gluten balls stuffed with minced fish, minced chicken and shrimp, unshelled jumbo prawns, yellow croaker in wine sauce, "lion head" pork meatballs, shredded crab with tofu, and a bakery-bought strawberry shortcake.
Wong Xiang Lou/Bokyo (weird English name for a chinese restaurant): 5th Floor of the SML Center at Dapuqiao
In the former French concession across the street from the Dianzifang Art Alley, Metro Line 13 to Dapuqiao and go upstairs.
Authentic Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces food with great flavor, I didn't jot down the dishes, some unusual dishes consumed and enjoyed were stirred fried young water bamboo and water escargots cooked in soy sauce.
Jul 27th, 2013, 05:12 PM
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...... Charme's phone # is 63405058 and Wong Xiang Lou's is 68861717. I didn't want to scare anyone about Wong Xiang Lou's food, they have plenty less exotic dishes.
SHOPPING -- Except for knickknacks at the Old Town Yu Gardens Market, the prices for everything has gone up a notch or a few, bargain hard when you can and walk away if you don't think it's worth it.
I saw a higher increase particularly in shoes and clothes. I have never been to the South Bund Fabric Market, a 3-floor building with dozens of fabric stores and tailors on each floor. I went to a tailor on the top floor highly praised on Trip Advisor with a blouse for her to copy. She was unfriendly and unhelpful, and I didn't feel her work was that good and I didn't get any bargain since she won't negotiate. I observed the majority of the customers were expat spouses of all nationalities, my taxi driver told me since they don't bother to bargain, they have spoilt the tailors.
SIGHTSEEING -- We have almost been to all the sights/sites, this time we visited the Jewish Refugees Museum with highly educational and moving exhibits.
During World War II, few countries were willing to let Jewish refugees cross their borders, China was an exception and 18,000 of them were accepted and settled in a designated area in Shanghai, interacting with the local chinese for years. The former Synagogue was restored by the local district government in 2007, and on its 3 floors houses many historical exhibits including video programs of the Auschwitz death camps in Germany.
Around the courtyard there are several one-story exhibit halls, it is rewarding to see former refugees including former US Secretary of the Treasury Michael Blumenthal come back to their former homes and visit with their Shanghai neighbors. I felt proud what the local community did to shelter the Jewish refugees under Japanese occupation.
SHOPPING -- Except for knickknacks at the Old Town Yu Gardens Market, the prices for everything has gone up a notch or a few, bargain hard when you can and walk away if you don't think it's worth it.
I saw a higher increase particularly in shoes and clothes. I have never been to the South Bund Fabric Market, a 3-floor building with dozens of fabric stores and tailors on each floor. I went to a tailor on the top floor highly praised on Trip Advisor with a blouse for her to copy. She was unfriendly and unhelpful, and I didn't feel her work was that good and I didn't get any bargain since she won't negotiate. I observed the majority of the customers were expat spouses of all nationalities, my taxi driver told me since they don't bother to bargain, they have spoilt the tailors.
SIGHTSEEING -- We have almost been to all the sights/sites, this time we visited the Jewish Refugees Museum with highly educational and moving exhibits.
During World War II, few countries were willing to let Jewish refugees cross their borders, China was an exception and 18,000 of them were accepted and settled in a designated area in Shanghai, interacting with the local chinese for years. The former Synagogue was restored by the local district government in 2007, and on its 3 floors houses many historical exhibits including video programs of the Auschwitz death camps in Germany.
Around the courtyard there are several one-story exhibit halls, it is rewarding to see former refugees including former US Secretary of the Treasury Michael Blumenthal come back to their former homes and visit with their Shanghai neighbors. I felt proud what the local community did to shelter the Jewish refugees under Japanese occupation.
Jul 28th, 2013, 01:17 PM
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...... For the Jewish Refugees Museum, take Metro Line 4 to Daliang Road and walk a few blocks.
Thank you for your encouragement, Bob. You know Coke Smith and family are moving to Bangkok next month, right?
Icuy: You are very sweet! I think it's because I lived there for almost two months both last year and this year, I was able to observe and experience more.
Thank you for your encouragement, Bob. You know Coke Smith and family are moving to Bangkok next month, right?
Icuy: You are very sweet! I think it's because I lived there for almost two months both last year and this year, I was able to observe and experience more.
Aug 2nd, 2013, 12:20 PM
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Thank you for topping! After reading your posts, I've decided that one of my goals for the trip is to find a lovely duvet cover to bring back. Not sure if I can find one that I like for a king bed or whether I'll need to find fabric and have it made. Any recommendations for places to look in Shanghai either way?
Aug 3rd, 2013, 07:00 PM
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AtlTravelr: Glad you like the notes and you fell in love with Shanghai, it was called the Paris of the Orient for a reason.
miamatusow: What fabric are you looking for the duvet cover?
miamatusow: What fabric are you looking for the duvet cover?
Aug 6th, 2013, 02:24 PM
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miamatusow: Nice idea, let's visit the subject again when you give it some thought, roaming a city is fine but I won't want you to go on a goose chase for it. Bear in mind, the Chinese use the metric system.
blueeagle: You are welcome. May I ask are you based in China?
blueeagle: You are welcome. May I ask are you based in China?
