If I knew how to type the business card out, I totally would. But since I only know about 4 of the characters, I won’t even try. But if you want to try traditional Shanghainese noodles for cheap (at lunch) give this place a try. It’s in a hole in the wall place that isn’t the prettiest of places but our friend took us here and it was amazing.

Their specialty is Shanghai Noodles. They have a few different kinds and our favorite was definitely the fish soup with noodles. I am usually not a huge fish soup fan since it normally tastes… well, kind of fishy! But this was a nice broth, rich in flavor with an almost milk soup. The other noodles we tried were also delicious but I have to say that the fish soup was my favorite. Sadly, I am a bit of an allergy to milky fish soups. I remember a few years ago, I had the most delicious milky fish soup (Cantonese style) and then my throat closed up and I couldn’t breathe. I ended up in the emergency room but then after an hour or so it went away. Um.. I completely forgot about that when we ate it last night and my throat closed up a bit but after a few minutes it went away. Ok, scary… and sad.

This Shanghainese place has delicious fried pork chops. It’s really crispy and the meat is tender. Pork is my favorite meat, I may be a little biased since I’m always eating it. (Especially tonkatsu! YUM) They also have Worstechire sauce on the table if you prefer to dip it in that.

Unfortunately since this is a very local place in Hongqiao… They don’t have a menu in English. But I promise that it is SO WORTH IT. If you happen to have internet access, I’m sure you could come to my blog and point to the pictures. Or at least have a translation app that can say that you want this and that. Picture might be easier.

Lunch is a lot cheaper than dinner. Dinner is about 40RMB per bowl, which isn’t expensive but lunch is the same portion but way cheaper. I hope you give this place a try, make sure you print or show your taxi driver the picture of the business card since the address and cross streets are on it! And it’s quite easy to find since it’s right across from a Coco Tea vendor in bright orange. I suggest you get your teas and go to the restaurant!

Chatmate is a chain that I’ve seen in nearly ever mall in Shanghai. For being a tea house, their teas are a bit on the expensive side. But then again – maybe it’s awesome tea and I just don’t know. They also serve a wide variety of foods and it was pretty fun to go through all of the menu with them. 

I had my FIL and MIL order food, since they probably know best. I have to say everything was delicious and the price was quite good. I love that they give you a 15 minute hour glass… would that be called a quarter hour glass? hehe Anyway, because they guarantee that you get your food within 15 minutes! We got it in 15, we finished in 15 and were surprised how quickly we ate it. 

My in-laws are in town and they want to eat mostly Shanghainese. So we’ve been going to a few different places: nicer, expensive places and also the extremely cheap, hole in the wall places. They are from Hong Kong so their taste buds are hard to please for any kind of Chinese food. That’s also why it’s so fun to go eat with them because we keep trying new places.

Today, I am a bit busy writing music (omg. dead line in a month before I meet the producer!) so we ate something quick. We went to a chain restaurant called Jade Cuisine near Zhongshan Park (中山公园) in Cloud Nine Mall.

I have to say, the price was really good (since it’s a chain) and the food was excellent! They had a lunch special menu and the soup dumplings were delicious. The skin on the xiaolongbao was thin, you could see the soup inside and had the perfect amount of elasticity. I feel funny raving about a chain restaurant but it was great and the price was cheap!

If you’re in a mall, chances are you’ll see a Jade Cuisine. If you’re looking for some cheap eats that are also yummy to your tummy…. Give this place a try!

And wish me luck, I have about 40 more songs to write before I meet with the producer who may buy my songs! AHHHH!!!!