Shanghai | Sugared & Spiced

2011/05/102015/08/31

[Shanghai] La Crêperie

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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2011/04/272015/08/31

[Shanghai] Fulton Place

restaurant

Fulton Place

Add: 1/F, 570 Yongjia Lu, near Yueyang Lu 永嘉路570号, 近岳阳路
Tel: 3461 1775
Hours: [Tue-Sat] 6-10:30pm (closed on Mon and Sun)
Website: www.fultonplace.cn
Price: 350~450 RMB/person
Visited: Apr 2011

Chef Marc Johnson at Fulton Place has been accumulating good reviews since the restaurant opened in July 2010. Time to give it a try.

Fulton Place is not so big, but the room does not feel crowded thanks to the high ceilings, calculated lighting, and comfortable space in between tables.

We arrived at 7pm to an almost empty restaurant, but the space was quickly filled at around 8pm when the crowd started trickling in.

The wall paper is rather interesting. You see the lizard and the bird, but can you spot the man having dinner with a sheep, or the woman holding a baguette while dancing on a chunk of cheese?

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2011/04/242015/10/07

[Shanghai] Lapis Sky Garden

shanghai

Lapis Sky Garden

Add: 7/F, 10 Baoqing Lu, near Fuxing Zhong Lu 宝庆路10号7楼, 近复兴中路
Tel: 6474 7979
Hours: 7:30am-1:30am
Website: www.lapisskygarden.com
Price: [drinks] 35~60 RMB, [Food] 150 RMB/person
Visited: Apr 2011

The Lapis Group is quickly building a small collection of trendy hot spots in Shanghai – Lapis Lazuli, Lapis Thai, Lapis Casa, and most recently, Lapis Sky Garden. Sitting on top of the Lapis Casa boutique hotel, Lapis Sky Garden is an airy cafe/restaurant/lounge with an outdoor rooftop garden and panoramic views of the French Concession. The food (Mediterranean cuisine to be exact) as been garnering negative reviews, so we skipped that and just went for some afternoon drinks.

There are three sunrooms at Lapis Sky Garden, each adorned with comfortable cushions, an abundance of sunlight, and great views of the French Concession. These popular spots get snatched up quickly so be sure to make a reservation in advance.

There is also an outdoor “rooftop garden” with a trickling water wall.

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2011/04/212015/10/07

[Shanghai] Zen Cafe

shanghai

ZEN Cafe

Add: 2/F 7-1, Dongping Lu, near Hengshan Lu / 东平路7-1号2楼, 近衡山路
Tel: 6437 7390
Hours: [Sun-Tue] 10am-10pm [Fri-Sat] 10am-11pm
Webiste: www.zenlifestore.com
Price: [drinks] 20~40 RMB
Visited: Apr 2011

ZEN Cafe is the cozy attic coffee shop on top of ZEN Lifestore on Dongping Lu. It’s a small place and fills up quickly on weekend afternoons (no, they don’t take reservations), but empty spots are likely to be found during the evenings.

The first floor is ZEN Lifestore, which features a unique array of home embellishments and furnishings. It takes in both traditional Chinese culture and European aesthetics, combining best of the two worlds into tea cups, antique lamps, paintings, porcelain dolls, and the likes.

A small courtyard right outside the store.

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2011/04/192015/08/31

[Shanghai] Jade Garden 蘇浙匯

restaurant

Jade Garden 蘇浙匯

Add*: Building A, No. 2558 Yan’an West Road (near Shuicheng Lu) 延安西路2558号A楼 (近水城路)
Tel: 6278 9558
Hours: 11am-10pm
Price: 100-200 RMB/person
Visited: Apr 2011

Jade Garden is most famous for its well-prepared 上海本幫菜 (Shanghainese cuisine), but few people know about the excellent dim sum served at its Gubei branch*. The decor is posh, the food is satisfying, and the round tables are perfect for group conversations – it’s an ideal weekend gathering place for a lively big family brunch. Reservations are highly recommended.

*Multiple locations available, check SmartShanghai or Dianping for details. I’ve only been to the Gubei branch so I can’t say much about the quality at other branches.

We started off with 沙姜霸王雞 Simmer Grilled Chicken with Ginger (48 RMB/half a chicken) – tender and succulent, a must order.

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2011/04/172015/10/10

[Shanghai] Plum Gallery [2]

other

Plum Gallery (venue closed)

Add: No. 1025 Nanjing Xi Lu, Lane 37 (near Maoming Bei Lu) 南京西路1025号37弄 (近茂名北路)
Tel: 5213 6565
Website: blog.sina.com.cn/plumshanghai
Visited: Apr 2011

It’s been a while since I last visited Plum, and this small gallery has moved down the same lane in Jing’an Villa and transformed itself to an arts and crafts workshop space. If you are in the area, drop by and take a look at the quirky knickknacks.

Here is a schedule of workshops, which should also be available on their blog.

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2011/02/202015/08/31

[Shanghai] Restaurant Week 2011

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Ladies and gentlemen, Shanghai Restaurant Week is here again. Among the new entrants in this edition, I’m especially excited about Pelham’s at the Waldorf Astoria, Isola bar + grill, and Jing’An at the PuLi. Some repeat participants that I’ll be going to again include Sir Elly’s from The Peninsula, Palladio from Portman Ritz-Carlton, and perhaps T8…Continue Reading “[Shanghai] Restaurant Week 2011” →

2011/02/202015/08/31

[Shanghai] The Waterhouse

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The Waterhouse at South Bund

Add: 1-3 Maojiayuan Lu, near Zhongshan Nan Lu 毛家园路1-3号，近中山南路
Tel: 6080 2988
Website: waterhouseshanghai.com
Visited: Feb 2011

The Waterhouse at South Bund is a 19-room boutique hotel where Table No. 1, one of my recent favorite lunch spots in Shanghai, is located. The design is spare and chic in the unusual way of broken tiles, exposed bricks, rough edges, and plenty of rust. Complete with eclectic furnishings and random phrases written haphazardly on the floors and the windows, The Waterhouse design is undoubtedly one of the most unique in town.

To see a more recent visit and stay at The Waterhouse, click here.

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2011/01/292015/08/31

[Shanghai] Spark Soup Curry

restaurant

Spark Soup Curry

Add: E7 2F Peace Plaza, Shuicheng Lu 18 / 水城路18号和平广场2楼 E7
Tel: 6295 6523
Hours: 11:00am-01:00am
Price: 70RMB/person
Visited: Jan 2011

Soup curry specialty restaurant opened by a Sapporo (Hokkaido, Japan) native, who won ten million yen in a national competition which helped him open his first non-Japan branch in Shanghai. It was a full house when I went on a Saturday, filled with mostly Japanese patrons.

The menu is self-explanatory. Pick the curry, choose the spiciness level, the amount of rice, and any additional toppings you’d like. I picked level 3 for spiciness and it was barely (if at all) spicy. There’s also a jug of chili oil on the table for those needing a heavier dose.

Typical Japanese curry is fairly thick as it uses a roux base that includes fried flour, but soup curry is thin and accented with heavy spices. We tried the chicken vegetable soup curry (68 RMB), which had a little bit of everything in it – lotus root, pumpkin, broccoli, onions, bell peppers, etc., plus a chicken leg. The chicken itself was rather bland, but the soup – stewed for 8 hours with 32 different spices – was excellent. It was thin, light, but very flavorful, perfect with a bowl of rice.

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