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Restaurant and Shopping Recs in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo

Restaurant and Shopping Recs in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo

Old Feb 26th, 2015, 01:31 PM
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Restaurant and Shopping Recs in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo

I'm tagging along on Mr. Crosscheck's work trip (arts-related) to the above cities in mid-March. We also have one night on our own the final day at the ryokan Gora Kadan in Hakone. Will probably have just one free day and night in each place, so I'm looking for a well-edited list of restaurants (local cuisine), top places to shop (not malls) and also colorful markets.

Mr. C has visited all of the cities on the list except Shanghai. I've only been to Tokyo. In HK we're going to an event at the 3 Michelin star Lung King Heen, so a divier place is fine for our free night. In Tokyo, we're thinking of going to Jiro's if we can get in, but are open to all ideas. Other suggestions and tips much appreciated.
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Old Feb 26th, 2015, 08:34 PM
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Everything I have to say about Seoul - including restaurants, markets, and shopping options -- is in my trip report, crosscheck.
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Old Feb 27th, 2015, 01:57 AM
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I strongly recommend that you contact Yukari Sakamoto forma private tour of Tsujiki fish market and a depachika. It was one of our favorite travel experiences ever. If you aren't able to so that, her book, Food, Sake, Tokyo has great suggestions for restaurants and food shopping. I think this would work really well with your travel style.
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Old Feb 27th, 2015, 08:34 PM
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Now that I have a bit more time to respond....

I can only speak to Seoul.

My favorite of the restaurants I tried there = Baru. If you go, reserve in advance and make sure you know how to find the entrance. Seriously. ;-)
http://www.baru.or.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=eng_02

For shopping, especially for a range of good quality crafts, Insadong. Do bargain.

My favorite market in Seoul = Dongdaemun Yangnueong (medicine/herbs market).

Hope that helps!
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Old Feb 28th, 2015, 12:14 PM
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Glad to see you are going to Lung King Heen in Hong Kong - that would have been my recommendation!

Shopping in Shanghai: If you like shoes, look at Suzhou Cobblers. They have a website: www.suzhou-cobblers.com
I am sure I read about them here on Fodors. I bought a pair of silk flats there.
Also in Shanghai, the Shanghai No. 1 Food Store on the Nanjing Pedestrian road is fun to look around.

Shanghai restaurant: another I learned about here: Jia Jia Tang Bao at 90 Huanghe Road. The best soup dumplings I have ever had. We have been several times on two different visits. We have had the pork dumplings, crab dumplings and the mixed pork and crab. All excellent. It is a tiny place and not fancy. Across the road is Yang's Fry Dumplings. Also very tasty.

Have a good time!
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Old Mar 7th, 2015, 01:21 PM
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Thanks, everyone for the recs. After my usual DIY M.O., it's somewhat of a relief not to have to plan. Have made some progress:

HONG KONG - Turns out our event is not at Lung King Heen, so we got our own reservation. Looking for a cool jewelry shop rec near the Intercontinental, if possible.

SHANGHAI - Florida, thanks for the soup dumpling intel. (Mr. C. is a vegan but he is not a fanatic and said he would eat sushi and crab dumplings on this trip.) We are considering a water village day trip. Is this worth it?

SEOUL - Booked the JSA 1/2 day tour. kja, Thanks for the Baru rec - checking into that.

TOKYO - FromDC, if we've already been to the fish market and numerous depachika, would you still recommend your guide? (We went on our own - now I'm wondering what we missed1) I don't think we have a morning off, so the fish market is unlikely. Still agonizing about whether Jiro's is worth it. Friends say it was life highlight, but I don't think I could eat 20 pieces of sushi in 20 minutes...sounds like the Amazing Race.

Gora Kadan - Just emailed Tablet Hotels, who we used to book Gora Kadan. They gave us train info but I guess we can't book until we arrive in Japan. Or do we need to book in advance at all - can we just show up?

I just got a bunch of little guidebooks and am also printing out the NYT's 36 Hours In..., so I might chime in with more Qs.
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Old Mar 7th, 2015, 01:36 PM
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I really enjoyed my meal at Baru. I believe there's an elevator you can take that you reach by going through the TempleStay office across the street from Jogye-sa. Reservations are recommended.
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Old Mar 8th, 2015, 12:21 AM
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For more info on the other options for top flight restaurants in Tokyo, I'd suggest posting/ reading the Chowhound Japan board. Not much good for regular dining, in my opinion, but great coverage and knowledge there on the high end stuff.

Jiro's is famous because of the film, yes, but there are a LOT of top level restaurants that would not be a 20 minute, wham bam thank you mam experience.
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Old Mar 8th, 2015, 12:42 PM
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Warm greetings again crossckeck from San Francisco Bay Area and congratulations on your impending journey (that sounds similar to some of my Asia business trips, regarding cities and duration).

Hong Kong's Lung King Heen restaurant is special; one of the more memorable business dining experiences of recent years. Your time in HK permitting, try for a brief visit of The Upper House hotel and her public venues. My profile page review just touches on that quiet retreat; have the sense you would appreciate that property.

You have received good suggestions regarding various restaurants and activities. Will add some of my business travel favourites, including Nadaman at the Shangri-La, Tokyo; La Yeon at The Shilla, Seoul; and Shang-Xi at the Four Seasons, Shanghai. (Regarding the Four Seasons group, attended a most informative presentation last month in Bangkok: the FS Seoul is presently scheduled for a September, '15 opening; and, a rather magnificent looking (on paper) FS Bangkok hotel/residences is scheduled for 2018 opening, located along the banks of the Chao Phraya. Always exciting times in the high-end lodging trade.)

Regarding shopping at your stated destinations, will leave that to others, as most of my Asia business stops are rather rushed. Also, years ago discovered my never fail, go-to gifts: Jim Thompson lipstick and cosmetic cases. Those little items have never failed to keep me in the good graces with the various women in my life, from family and friends to business colleagues and clients. Best of (potential) JT fortune to you.

Finally, should your future travels ever take you to our fine home of Singapore (via a certain Singaporean airline, perhaps), honoured to offer lodging, dining suggestions.

Savour your planning, crosscheck; should be a great trip. Returning to Asia later this week, so warm Sunday wishes to you and all from SF Bay Area,

macintosh (robert)


... Singapore Girl, You're a Great Way to Fly ...
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Old Mar 11th, 2015, 10:32 PM
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Thanks, Robert. Greatly appreciate your suggestions and hope to get to Singapore at some point. Enjoy SF! BTW, I have a very cool JT mini cross shoulder bag that I bought in Bangkok seven years ago and still get compliments.

kja, Insadong now on the list.

Kavey, After a lot of research on chowhound and other sites, we ended up booking lunch at...Jiro Roppongi, the son's restaurant. It turns out you can order a la carte there so you don't have to eat as quickly. And it is considerably cheaper than the original Jiro. This means we'll hit a 3 Michelin star restaurant in HK and a 2 star in Tokyo. The rest of our meals will be at dumpling houses!

Florida1, Jia jia, here we come.

FromDC, We have just 2 days/3 nights in Tokyo, so we might have to do your tour another time
Hoping for cherry blossoms on our day off.
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Old Mar 12th, 2015, 12:13 AM
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Crosscheck, that sounds like a great idea!
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Old Mar 12th, 2015, 12:19 AM
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Btw when you ask for shopping recommendations, what kind of shopping are you after? Is it for anythings specific or just browsing?

In Tokyo, you have kappabashi dori, a street (and some side streets) known as the kitchen shopping district, well worth a browse for anyone into cooking.

I loved browsing the outer market at Tsukiji, there was a very inexpensive crockery store, where I bought a couple of pretty chopstick rests and a lovely mug. I got some gingko beans and other food items there too.

In Asakusa, on the approach to Sensoji temple, there are two little rows of permanent stalls, selling to tourists but I found lots of hats I liked in a hat specialist there and also picked up some of those little charms that are intended to hang from mobile phones or purses. Love those!

Oh and elsewhere, I bought ema (the wooden prayer plaques) from most of the temples we visited, as a souvenir to bring home.
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Old Mar 12th, 2015, 12:22 AM
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Re: Insadong -- when I was there, there was a tourist information kiosk at the north end of Insadong where one could get a map of the area. The staff there spoke English very well, and were prepared to help people with specific shopping interests (whether by type, e.g., ceramics, or by quality, e.g., master craftsmen).
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Old Mar 12th, 2015, 03:16 AM
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CC, have a wonderful trip, but FYI, Yukai's tour is only 2 or 3 hours in the morning (your choice of how much time).
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Old Mar 12th, 2015, 07:51 PM
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Eat some dumplings for me at Jia Jia, crosscheck! I'm jealous.

I haven't done a water town trip, so can't comment there. We did go to Quibao, which is on a subway stop in Shanghai and is on some canals. Not a water town exactly, but it was the most crowded place I've ever seen! It was a fun little outing. I'd like to do a water town next time.
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Old Mar 13th, 2015, 07:45 AM
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Quibao is the closest and smallest to Shanghai, you can browse it with 1/2 day, Zhujiajiao is medium size, very lovely, the largest is Zhouzhuang, picturesque and takes a full day to visit.
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Old Mar 14th, 2015, 12:40 PM
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If you're looking for further information it's Qibao. Not Quibao.
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Old Mar 15th, 2015, 08:28 AM
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Thanks, everyone. Will report back.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 04:04 AM
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We're now at the spectacular Gora Kadan in Hakone recovering from our 12-course kaiseki dinner, waiting for our in-room shiatsu/acupuncture treatment.

It's been an incredible trip with lots of peak experiences, although most of our time was packed with events related to Mr. C's work. There were highlights at each stop: Our HK harbor view was killer. Our cherry blossom timing in Tokyo was beyond perfect. The DMZ tour turned out to be well worth it, including for craft shopping at the military store. Biggest surprise was Shanghai, which turned out to be a super cool destination full of fascinating markets, museums and photo ops, not just the futuristic skyscraperland we expected.

In Tokyo we adored our lunch at Jiro's son's place...and may never be able to go back to regular sushi. But hands down our favorite restaurant was the fun/rowdy/theatrical Inakaya West in Tokyo for robata (I think even harder to get into than Jiro's).

Biggest disappointment was Lung King Heen. Mr. C (who usually prefers funky selections) loved it, but the rest of our group was underwhelmed because the atmosphere was too Four Seasons staid and pretentious. More details when I return.
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