The last day that Qing was here, I was really sad to see her go. It was nice to have a good friend here and was fun for me since I really miss my friends from home. 

Since she was flying out of Pudong, we took her to Super Brand Mall and ate at Watami on the top floor. Watami is a casual (but nice) Japanese restaurant, thought I wouldn’t say authentic, but inspired! 

The prices are excellent, it’s not expensive and the portions are really nice. We decided to get the two person set that included all the food in the picture (except the dessert) and two drinks. Don’t let the two person set fool you, it’s a LOT of food.

The hubs, Qing and I were stuffed beyond belief and the service was pretty good! 

If you’re looking for a place to eat that isn’t too pricey but filling…. Watami is your place! 

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Watami 和民居食屋
8/F, Super Brand Mall, 168 Lujiazui Xi Lu (Line 2/Lujiazui)

Watami also has many other locations including Infinity Plaza.

This post is way over due since we went to Shari for restaurant week on September 9th. It was the hubs birthday and he absolutely loves sushi and Japanese food. So I surprised him with a reservation at Shari and read some incredible reviews online for this place.

Overall, it was disappointing. I can’t tell if it’s because we are a bit picky when it comes to Japanese food (my grandmother was born and raised in Japan) or if it’s because the things they gave us wasn’t quite the same as what the menu stated. Either way, it wasn’t horrible but wasn’t the greatest. The sushi rice was cold and tasted like grocery sushi, the beef was salty and tough. The other items were good but not a “wow” for us.

For that price point, it wasn’t worth it to us. Sad face. Maybe their regular menu is better? 

I had made a special request on my reservation to do something special for the hubs and they made this cute little number. I did appreciate it a lot. I have to say the dessert was the best part! Hubs was still happy though!!

Just the day before I had a horrible reaction to something I ate and broke out in hives all over my face. I went to the ER and they gave me some allergy pills with some calamine lotion. Then the day of the 9th, the hives became swollen and my face was HUGE. Not only were the hives on my neck and face but now all over my body. We went to the ER two more times, they gave me a shots and steroids and after a day I got back to my normal self. 

It was kind of crappy to have my skin feel so hot, have red itchy bumps everywhere but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from celebrating my hubby’s birthday! So I was a good sport and went out with him (even though he wanted me to rest) and although the food wasn’t great, we had a GREAT time. Haha, then we went to the ER. 

I took him to a proper sushi place the next day on his actual birthday and he was SO HAPPY. Ha. I should have just taken him to our usual spot. This will be a birthday to remember since I looked like the monster from The Goonies.

Oh man, I miss that movie!!!!! “hey you guyyyyyssssssssssss”! 

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Shari Sushi Bar
630 Yongjia Lu, (永嘉路630号) 

We were watching an episode of “How I met your mother” and they were all eating at a diner after a massive hangover. So naturally the hubs and I were in the mood for diner food. We can get a lot of foods here in Shanghai but there are a few things they haven’t done completely right. Those two things are: New York pizza (how I miss you) and diner style breakfast. 

Nothing beats Jersey diners, it’s seriously the best and sometimes… it’s exactly what you need. 

I went into massive research mode and saw that a lot of people recommended a place in Tianzifang (a little side street) called Kommune. 

Kommune seems like it’s always packed and if you are searching for a place that has AC, this isn’t the place. Though the AC is running, the doors are always opening and closing from all the people going in and out. Their menu is small and simple but their servings are HUGE. 

The decor was nice, they had a lot of wall art and framed photos. The seating is a bit crunched but not uncomfortable. We ordered the iced coffee and their standard breakfast meal. The meal overall was good but I really dislike canned mushrooms. If it were made of fresh mushrooms, I probably would have liked it better. I wonder if it was canned or fresh… if it was fresh, it was really not impressive.

Will we go there again? Eh, maybe? Not my favorite brunch spot in the city but definitely not a bad place if you happen to be in Tianzifang. 

Oh yes, we went to House of Flour again. I am such a sucker for delicious chocolate! We got the frozen hot chocolate again but decided to get something other than their famous “Death by chocolate” cake. 

We ordered the salted caramel mud pie. It was a dense, deliciously chocolate fudge like cake with a perfect caramel sauce that had hints of saltiness. My mouth is salivating from thinking about this cake! We shared it and I was actually tempted to get the death by chocolate cake but decided against it. Mostly because I was full and also I felt like I was being a little piggy that day.

If you only have time to go to HoF once… I strongly suggest their signature “death by chocolate” cake. It’s really my favorite one out of all the desserts that I tried there. And if you’re feeling really indulgent, take their truffles home… it’s truly the best truffles I’ve had in Shanghai!

Can you guys tell me what is a specialty (food wise) where you live? 

NYC is pizza and Shanghai is soup dumplings. Mmmm Yum.

Let me know so I can drool over my computer screen while I look at your comments.

___________
Kommune 
No. 7, Lane 210 Taikang Lu (Tianzifang) 

House of Flour
Chocolate cafe/Boutique: 30 Sinan Lu
To pick up truffles: Shanghai Center next to Element Fresh

Yesterday, I wrote about the beginning of the birthday day. My goodness, we ate all the time and the guys STILL wanted to eat! We all went home to get a quick shower and change for the evening. The eight of us got foot massage from Oasis Club Massage, it was a nice pamper session for all of us. I highly recommend Oasis if you’re into strong massages and the people there are super kind. 

After our delectable massages (which were around $15 for 70 mins), we went right next door (but oddly the same street number) to Wara Wara. This restaurant is one of our favorites because it’s all you can eat and drink. They have a wide variety of Japanese food: sushi, grilled meats, crab legs, okonomiyaki and so forth. It’s an amazing deal and we ate for about two hours! The guys got beer and sake and the girls had tea. Not too shabby, if you ask me!

Alice (Rennie’s girlfriend) had asked me to get a birthday cake for Rennie. Since she’s all the way in Hong Kong, it was difficult for her to do that so I happily did some research. Alice told me that Rennie likes cakes that are crispy, crunchy and along the lines of a Napoleon cake. 

I desperately looked online for Napoleon cakes and the like. I couldn’t believe how difficult it was to find one that was decent quality. I felt a bit defeated and frustrated because most cakes are moist and fluffy here in Shanghai. (Which are also delicious) I asked my local friend, Alina, for help. She did some research in Chinese (thank goodness for her!) and she read hundreds of reviews about Miss One Cake. They are raved as the best Napoleon cake in Shanghai, so we had to order it!

It’s a 2 pound cake (for 8 people) for 280 kuai. At first the hubs and I thought it would be too big but it was perfect and JUST enough for all 8 of us. The pastry layers are crispy, the cream was slightly sweet and the whole execution of the cake was beyond perfection. I strongly suggest having it delivered (it’s FREE!) very close to the time of your party. The pastry can get soggy if kept around for a long while… So make sure you keep that in mind. 

They included birthday candles, plates, forks and a knife. It’s a party in a box! The cake itself was stunning, especially with the candles and I have to say that everyone was impressed. I will definitely be ordering from Miss One again. I really want to try out their other cakes… maybe for the hubby’s birthday in September? 

Rennie told us he wanted to go to the Waldorf Astoria‘s Long Bar after dinner for their live jazz. The hubs made reservations and we made it just in time! They only wait for 10 minutes and then they give your seats away. The lobby of the Waldorf Astoria is beautiful and elegant. I’ve been to the Long Bar during the day but it was my first time listening to their jazz with our Hong Kong friends. 

The boys had their cigars and whiskey and the girls had their cocktails. Ok… I had whiskey, haha. The jazz was nice in the background and a lot more chill compared to The Peace Hotel’s crazy (awesome) jazz. If you’re looking for a great place to chill and listening to some nice music, give the Waldorf a try. 

We all went back home after our full day of adventure. Rennie was so happy and we all had a great time. It was fun hosting, the hubs was saying how it’s a lot easier for us to eat out and try new things with a group. I think we’re all going to Taiwan together at the end of this month/September for the hub’s birthday! Yay!  

I made the decorations for Rennie’s dinner out of tissue paper, scrapbook paper and used glue and string to hold everything together. I used tape to hold it up on the wall and since I couldn’t find helium anywhere in Shanghai, I just blew them up myself and tied them to the bottom of the garlands that I made.

Pretty cute right? Alice told me that Rennie’s favorite color is blue. Lucky for me, I had all these things at home already! 

What do you think? Did we do a good job hosting?

I have a friend visiting us in mid September and I’m excited to make another schedule of delicious food and sights. The hubs and I are still on a high from our friends visiting, we love our friends and miss them. So it’s really nice when they come to visit!

———————–

Oasis Club Massage
30 Donghu Lu, by Huaihai Zhong Lu 

Wara Wara (笑笑) Japanese
30 Donghu Lu, by Huaihai Zhong Lu 

Miss One Cake
www.missonecake.com

Waldorf Astoria Long Bar/Jazz 
2号 Zhongshan East 1st Road 

I’m feeling better today, I just took my last dose of antibiotics and I’m so glad that is DONE. My face and neck have cleared up but left scar marks, I wonder if those will go away on their own. I knew I shouldn’t have scratched them. But anyway, I’m back to myself today and all it took was a good night’s rest. And now… onto some delicious eats!

The first night that our friends were here we ate at Shook!. Wendy emailed us prior to coming and asked if we would like to eat there. I immediately replied that it’s one of my favorites. This was the first time we ate there at dinner, we usually go for brunch. Dinner was nice, we got the set for two and got to choose from a list of dishes and dessert. We tried everything since Wendy and Mike ordered the opposite of what we did. We were stuffed!

We had the rack of lamb and it was moist and tender. Before Shanghai, I didn’t like lamb at all. I can’t tell if my taste buds have changed or if it’s not gamey here. Either way, yum! It’s located near the bund and I suggested (no matter what time you’re there) to walk along the bund. Take pictures, take in the beauty of Shanghai.

What is your favorite place or meal to eat?

My favorite has to be simple NYC pizza. Thin crust and gooey cheese. That is all I want to eat when I go back home!

Hey everyone! I’m guest blogging over at Married Up With Wine, so please swing by and say hello! Mandy is a good friend, we met through Weddingbee where we both blogged about our wedding. She is also an Expat and is currently living in Spain with her husband and two adorable dogs. We have shared many IMs, video chats and emails about how our lives differ from when we lived in America. She has amazing reviews of restaurants, her travels, her life in Spain and who doesn’t love a girl who loves wine?

I previously blogged about Nanjing West Road’s pedestrian Street. Oh, honey! I was mistaken, the proper name is Wujiang Road Leisure Street. As I blogged before, it is located off the Line 2 subway stop Nanjing West Road, exit 3. Once you get out of exit 3, you are in the middle of the pedestrian street!

Remember that ramen place I ate at with my in-laws there? My husband and I decided to check it out again this past weekend and he loved it!

Once you get out of the subway, you’ll see Ramen Play. Their service is so-so but their deals are amazing. The food was tasty, I had a hot and sour ramen soup, hubs had black sesame fried rice. We shared two appetizers (cheese and pork fritters and lobster salad) and got drinks. It was only 138 RMB for the both of us and we were plenty full. If you’re looking for cheap eats and happen to love Japanese food (ramen, fried rice, omurice and so forth) then Ramen Play might be for you!

This was the set menu they had for 1, 2, and 4 people. It’s definitely a better deal than getting it separately but there are a lot of things on the regular menu that isn’t on the set. So have a look and see what you fancies your taste buds.

After you’ve finished, walk around! There are tons of other food places like the desserts I mentioned in my previous post, Happy Lemon, Krispy Kreme, Korean food and there’s a decent amount of shopping. Make sure you check out some shopping at Hot Wind (they are kind of like a Forever 21, cool accessories, clothes and shoes) and the mall that is attached to it. They have quite a few Korean shops, which surprised me and made me feel instantly at home. I miss being able to communicate easily, seeing Korean words made me feel a lot better!

We’re going to go back this week and give this Korean place a try. It looks like typical Korean snack food, I hope it’s good! I really miss authentic Korean food and I know we should venture out to Honqiao (which isn’t too far from where we live by cab) but I’ve been too lazy to go there. I’m also looking for a bookstore that sells Korean books (children and adult) to keep up with my Korean and to give books to my nieces since they are half Korean! 

Isn’t the window absolutely adorable? It made me smile and it was wonderfully sunny that day. I think I found my new hangout area!

What are your favorite hangout places? I usually like places with tea, a small snack and free wifi.

I did some research to take my in-laws to as many different Shanghainese restaurants as possible.

I stumbled upon xiao shao xing restaurant after searching online for authentic Shanghai food. This place was known for their boiled chicken and house sauce. The chicken is tender and super flavorful. We ordered other dishes that were specialities in the restaurant but in all honesty the chicken was the best.

Instead of eating at the restaurant upstairs, go to the ground level stalls. The chicken is far cheaper and you can get a soup noodle to share. It’s set up like a cafeteria so you can get your food and find a seat or get take away. After we ate upstairs we ordered two chickens to take home so the hubs could have some after work. It’s SO WORTH IT. (And take away was cheap!)

It’s very easy to get to by subway at the Dashijie stop.

Xiao Shao xing Restaurant 小绍兴
118 South Yunnan Road, Huangpu District

Kin and Alina were kind enough to take my in laws and myself out to Sichuan food. My FIL’s favorite food (other than Cantonese food) is Sichuan. K&A took us here a few times before and the hubs and I really loved the food. It was scary at first since I’m not a huge spicy fan but don’t let the bright red foods scare you. Each dish (that was spicy) was a different kind of spicy: some spicy hot, numbing, tangy… and so on. It was delicious and I wish I could name everything we ate for you but I don’t know Chinese so I guess I’ll tell you starting from the top row L-R.

Row 1: Noodles in a peanut sauce with cucumbers, Veggie in peanut sauce
Row 2: Fish in spicy oil, thinly sliced beef, skewers (tripe and mushrooms… I think other things too, I forgot!)
Row 3: Potatoes, lotus roots + veggies with frog legs,  I think quail eggs? (They were delicious!)
Row 4: Fuzzy melon stuffed with something delicious, tofu with pork belly

If you’re a fan of spicy food, I strongly suggest you go here. It’s located in Infinity Mall (Which is across the street from Time Square Mall). It’s served family style so gather your friends and go together so you can try more dishes. The price is quite affordable and it’s a nice place. Then you can go shopping afterwards if you want… which, I didn’t because I was too full to walk around. 

Larsho Restaurant 
Infinity Mall: 138 Huai Hai Middle Road, 4th Floor 

[揽香川菜馆(无限度店)]淮海中路138号无限度广场4楼(近普安路) Ph: 63756771