Shanghai food blog | Sugared & Spiced

2011/06/122015/10/07

[Shanghai] Lohasly / Nap Cafe

Lohasly / Nap Cafe

Add: Jiashan Market B208, 37 Alley 550 Shanxinan Lu / 陕西南路550弄37号嘉善坊B208室
Tel: 6426 0836
Hours: 10am-9pm
Website: www.nap-cafe.com
Price: 30~50RMB/coffee and tea
Visited: Jun 2011

This past weekend I discovered a hidden gem in Jiashan Market called Lohasly / Nap Cafe. It’s a store, it’s a cafe, it’s a studio. Take a look at the pictures and you’ll see why I’m in love with this cozy little spot.

First of all, Lohasly / Nap Cafe is a cafe. The menu is simple – there’s coffee, tea, and pies. We tried a pot of soothing Darjeeling (50 RMB), and the prompt refill of hot water kept us going the whole afternoon.

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2011/06/112015/09/24

[Shanghai] Maison Pourcel (2)

restaurant

Maison Pourcel

Add: 8/F, 35 Shanxi Nan Lu, near Changle Lu 陕西南路35号8楼, 近长乐路
Tel: 6215 8777
Hours: [La Table] 5:30-10:30pm [Studio Bar] 11:30am-11pm
Website: www.maisonpourcel.com
Price: [La Table] 700 RMB+/person [Studio Bar] 300 RMB/person
Visited: Jun 2011

Please note that this is an arranged tasting.

I had the pleasure of dining at Maison Pourcel again for a special olive oil-themed tasting menu. Since I already blogged about this restaurant, I will skip the intro and go straight to the food. For more information and pictures on the restaurant, please refer to my previous post.

Maison Pourcel has a special themed-menu each month, and for June, the focus is on olive oil. The whole menu is 8 courses long (1198RMB/person, see full menu here) and would take hours to finish, so the chef kindly picked out four of the dishes for us to sample.

Like last time, the meal started with a few plates of amuse bouche – fried foie gras with herb mustard cream, smoked salmon on a cake-like bread, and a savory pastry.

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2011/06/072015/09/24

[Shanghai] a Côté

restaurant

a Côté

Add: Ferguson Lane, 376 Wukang Lu, near Hunan Lu 武康路376号, 近湖南路
Tel: 3368 8757
Hours: 12-2:30pm, 6-11pm (closed Monday)
Price: 80~160 RMB/12-inch pizza
Visited: June 2011

a Côté, literally “next door”, is a small pizzeria by ~~Franck Pecol from the neighboring Franck Bistro and Le Petit Franck~~ (see update below). The short menu, scrawled in French on a piece of wooden plaque, consists of 10 Marseille-style pizzas and nothing else (though a green salad is available upon request). There’s no novelty here. It’s simple, and it’s good.

2014 update: Just got word that a Côté is no longer associated with Franck. I wonder who is in charge now?

For lunch, two of us shared the Royale (120 RMB), a gorgeous tomato sauce-based pie generously topped with mushrooms, ham, olives, and cheese. The crust is thin just the way I like it, and pulling one piece away from the pizza dish is not an elegant affair as the pie disintegrates. Juicy, greasy, messy, totally satisfying.

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2011/06/042015/09/28

[Shanghai] Souper Fresh

restaurant

Souper Fresh

Add: Hong Chun Building, No. 3213 Hongmei Road 虹梅路3213号红春大厦1楼M店
Tel: 3415 1677
Hours: 11am-9pm
Price: 58 RMB/person
Visited: Jun 2011

Fed up with paying 85RMB for a Cobb Salad at Element Fresh? Try Souper Fresh. For 58RMB, you get a buffet of greens, vegetables, dressings, and toppings like nuts, tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese, croutons, coleslaw, egg salad, potato salad, pasta salad, etc., etc., etc. Also included in the buffet are a selection of breads (corn muffins!), soups (my favorite being the carrot orange) and hot dishes (pizza pasta and the likes). Drinks and desserts are not included in the 58RMB, but are all reasonably priced and half-off when ordering with the buffet. Browse their full menu online.

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2011/06/042015/08/31

[Shanghai] Uo Kura 魚藏

restaurant

Uo Kura 魚藏 (Hong Mei store 虹梅店)

Add: No. 30, Lane 3717, Hongmei Lu, near Ya’an Xi Lu 虹梅路3717弄30号, 近延安西路
Tel: 6446 0252
Hours: 5:30pm-11pm
Price: 500 RMB
Visited: Jun 2011

I arrived at Uo Kura famished and flustered after a hectic Friday at work, and was counting on the food to brighten up my day. My expectations were high – Uo Kura is said to be on par with Sushi Oyama, so far my favorite Japanese restaurant in Shanghai. Hungry and eager, we made things simple by ordering two kaiseki sets (495 RMB) and complemented that with some a la carte dishes that looked particularly interesting.

The set started with a pleasant 冷制香菇羹 chilled mushroom soup as cold appetizer.

Next came a pot of 鴨丸京蔥土瓶蒸 soup with duck meat ball and scallion, which was way too salty, but the tender duck meat balls themselves were quite delightful.

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2011/05/182015/10/10

[Shanghai] The Living Room at Park Hyatt

paris

The Living Room at Park Hyatt

Add: 87/F, Park Hyatt Shanghai, 100 Century Avenue 世纪大道100号, 上海柏悅酒店87楼
Tel: 6888 1234
Hours: [afternoon tea] 2-6pm
Price: [afternoon tea set] 218 RMB + 15% [tea/coffee] 60~65 RMB + 15%
Website: www.parkhyattshanghai.com
Visited: May 2011

Instead of going up to the 100th floor of Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) for a view of the Bund and be tortured by the clutter and clamor of rowdy tour groups, do yourself a favor and spend the time and money on an afternoon tea set at The Living Room at Park Hyatt. This bright and airy residential style lounge, located on the 87th floor of SWFC, offers a commanding view of the city that changes as the sun sets.

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2011/05/172015/09/24

[Shanghai] Ginza Bairin 银座梅林

restaurant

Ginza Bairin 银座梅林

Add: 4/F, IFC Mall, 8 Shiji Da Dao, near Lujiazui Huan Lu 国际金融中心商场,世纪达到8号4楼, 近陆家嘴环路
Tel: 5015 5087
Hours: 10am-11pm
Website: www.ginzabairin.com
Price: 100~200 RMB/person
Visited: May 2011

Since 1927, this tonkatsu specialty restaurant has been coating the choicest premium grade pork loin in homemade breadcrumbs and deep frying them in 100% premium cottonseed oil to a satisfying golden brown. The result is pork cutlets with light, crackling skin covering tender and succulent meat, and when drizzled with the signature Bairin Tonkatsu sauce then paired with a bowl of perfectly cooked Japanese rice, there simply is no better lunch in sight.

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2011/05/122015/09/23

[Shanghai] Dian Shi Zhai 點石齋小宴

restaurant

Dian Shi Zhai 點石齋小宴 Add: 320 YongJia Lu, near XiangYang Nan Lu 永嘉路320号, 近襄阳南路 Tel: 5465 0270 Hours: [lunch] 11:00am~2:00pm [dinner] 5:30pm~9:30pm Price: 100~130 RMB/person VIsited: May 2011 More elegant than Old Jesse, less posh than Yuan Yuan and Jade Garden, Dian Shi Zhai falls squarely in the mid-range Shanghainese restaurant category. Its understated storefront and simple…Continue Reading “[Shanghai] Dian Shi Zhai 點石齋小宴” →

2011/05/102015/08/31

[Shanghai] La Crêperie

restaurant

La Crêperie

Add: 1 Taojiang Lu, near Fenyang Lu 桃江路1, 近汾阳路
Tel: 5465 9055
Hours: 11am onward
Price: 60~105 RMB/savory crêpe, 35~60 RMB/dessert crêpe
Website: www.lacreperie.com.cn
Visited: May 2011

La Crêperie is a busy little crepe shop in the French Concession. Equipped with wooden benches, waiters/waitresses in stripey uniforms, and an open kitchen that fills the space with tantalizing aroma of freshly made crepes, this place is one of the most popular brunch spots in Shanghai. Reservations highly recommended.

Though I’ve visited La Creperie quite a few times before, I haven’t had a chance to try any of their seafood crepes until this time. La Marin (108 RMB), a recommended item on the menu, is a freshly-made buckwheat crepe topped with seared scallops, garlic, parsley, cream, mixed mushrooms, sliced bacon, and white wine. It’s a bit too salty, but otherwise absolutely scrumptious. Will order again for sure.

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2011/05/092015/10/09

[Shanghai] La Maison du Macaron

shanghai

La Maison du Macaron (venue closed)

Add: 966 Changle Road, near Wulumuqi Road 长乐路966号, 近乌鲁木齐路
Tel: 6209 4060
Hours: 10am-7:00pm (closed on Mondays)
Price: [macaron] 7 RMB [tart] 18 RMB [drinks] 15~20 RMB
Visited: May 2011

La Maison du Macaron is a small French patisserie on the Changle Rd/Wulumuqi Rd intersection, and is so far the only shop in town that specializes in macarons. The owner is a Shanghainese local who holds a diploma of pastry arts from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and her macarons – while not in the same rank as those exquisite creations at Pierre Hermé – are priced at only 7 RMB a piece and really not too shabby.

We tried salted caramel, passion fruit, and lemon (7 RMB each). All were quite good, but salted caramel seemed to be the winner. I’d be interested in going back to try pistachio, chocolate, or any new flavor that happens to be in store that day.

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