Di Shui Dong 滴水洞饭店(2/F, 56 Maoming Nan Lu, 茂名南路56号2楼) serves, amongst others, a mean caramelised banana desert.  Resembling a flattened abstract croquembouche of sorts, this sweet battered banana delight is a must.  The spicy spare ribs, doused in an Asian take on gremolata, are also non-negotiable.

The cold picked cucumbers, radical mushroom mix and Shanghai pancakes at Pin Chuan (47 Taojiang Lu,桃江路47号) were a welcome antidote to the sizzling Sichuan beef, which tickled my lips and numbed my tongue like a menthol flavoured wiz fizz (in a good way).  Definitely worth a visit.

Sichuan Citizen (30 Donghu Lu, 东湖路30号, 近淮海中路) dishes up all sorts of Sichuan delights, including a traditional Chinese duck blood soup for the more adventurous.

Not to be missed

Centre of the world – your Shanghai experience would not be complete without a little trip to the Shanghai World Financial Centre, 上海环球金融中心.  Don’t bother paying 150 RMB to walk along the partially obscured glass observation deck at the top of the building.  Instead grab a seat at the 100 Century Avenue Bar, located on the 92nd floor of the Park Hyatt in the SWFC (上海环球金融中心, 世纪大道100号92楼), order a cold Tsingtao and some spicy nuts and take in the incredible 360 degree panorama of Shanghai.

Bar-becue – if you walking home after a big night (I strongly suggest you head to No. 88 (2/F, 291 Fumin Lu, 
near Donghu Lu 
富民路291号2楼 
近东湖路) for a hilarious whisky fuelled night of Moulin Rouge renditions, Michael Jackson impersonators and massive foam glow sticks) make sure you pull up a plastic chair and tuck into some barbecued skewers or grab a box of noodles (made with your choice of fillings while you wait) from one of the many late night food stalls that pop up on street corners around the city after dark. 

Noteworthy

The daily grind – if you are craving a homestyle coffee, Baker & Spice (1/F, 195 Anfu Lu,安福路195号1楼) does a nice creamy, albeit expensive, cappuccino and an even nicer cream cheese topped zucchini and carrot cake.  Expect to be chatted up by an expat or two as you lounge at the long wooden communal table.

A tissue – carry tissues with you at all times, the public toilets are plentiful and very clean but toilet paper seems to be the exception rather than the rule in Shanghai.

Dress code – it is not uncommon to see locals taking a Sunday stroll in their colourful quilted pyjamas.  Nor is it rare to spot a little Chinese bottom poking out from a slit in a child’s pants – children seem to have been given a carte blanche to do their business anywhere and at anytime, so be warned, if a child squats down on the street in front of you, they are usually not just smelling the flowers (and you certainly won’t be either). Dapper looking dogs and fashion-forward felines also feature quite prominently on the streets of Shanghai.

And last but not least, never trust a blogger.  Unfortunately, Shanghai is so fast moving that you can spend hours traipsing across the city to find speciality dumpling restaurants, tea houses and even museums that you have read about, only to discover they have been demolished to make way for a mall.  By all means write down a few goodies, but unravelling the layers of the city for yourself can often be more rewarding.

Next stop will be London, but until then you will find me happily eating my bāozi on the Lu.

xoxo

Paris Stilton

The first palatable pit-stop on the program is Shanghai.

Taking it to the streets

Shanghai has a thriving, and well-documented food scene, and boasts a plethora of restaurants showcasing the best of local and European cuisines.  But with limited time in this bustling city, we headed straight to the streets for a more authentic ‘Shanghainese’ experience.

Wulumuqi Lu (lu means street or road in Mandarin), a heaving haven of delectable delights in the pretty tree lined French Concession, soon became our one stop shop for everything fried, battered, barbecued and stuffed.

With local shopkeepers sharing the rent for the tiny street stalls, Wulumuqi Lu itself has become a Far Away Tree of ever-changing shopfronts.  Take a stroll down the street at 7am and a smiley toothless vendor will sell you a deep fried donut log or a glutinous flat rice ball masquerading as French toast for 1 yuan.  Walk past the same stall three hours later and an old bearded local will offer you a steaming soupy xiao leng bao to burn your palate on.  Pop by another yet two hours later and you could very well find yourself in a fully stocked tobacconist.  Every time you stumble upon a new ‘duck man’ making an appearance in the ‘crepe lady’s’ shopfront, it’s like discovering a present you hadn’t seen under the Christmas tree.

I bao to thee

The cheery lady at number 328 (乌鲁木齐路328号) dishes up a radical morning pancake like no other. Overflowing with with fried egg, chives, spring onions, and a gnarly gelatinous brown sauce; this truly is the crepe-de-la-crepe.  Across the road at number 315 (乌鲁木齐路315号), the hot, fried flattened chive dumpling makes up in taste for what the somewhat sullen server lacks in smiles, and the team at number 296 (乌鲁木齐路296号) serve a host of doughy dumplings filled with pork and other enigmatic fillings.

Unless you speak Mandarin, you will never fully know what you are actually consuming, and in a country where food and hygiene laws are next to none, I admit that I was at first slightly apprehensive about eating off the streets.

However all I seem to have contracted so far is a severe case of food in mouth disease.

xoxo

Paris Stilton