[Shanghai] Mr. Pancake House

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[Shanghai] Mr. Pancake House

Mr. Pancake House

Add: 877 Wuding Lu, near Jiaozhou Lu / 武定路877号, 近胶州路
Tel: 6255 1648
Hours: 7:30am-10:30pm
Price: 30~50 RMB/person
Visited: Nov 2010

This small pancake specialty shop in Jing’an area is so popular that they don’t even take reservations (not on weekends, at least). The food and the decor are just ok, but the the price is unbeatable – for less than 50 RMB, you get pancakes, sausages/bacon/ham, eggs, home fries, plus coffee or tea.  Better yet, they serve breakfast until 3:00pm!

On this particular Sunday early afternoon, we waited about 20 minutes before we got seats for four. A word on the outdoor seats – if you choose to sit outside, expect to breathe in excessive car fumes as you chow down the pancakes because you will be sitting next to a busy road.

Most of the breakfast sets are similar – 2 small pancakes, 2 eggs any style, home fries, and sausages/ham/bacon – my favorite being the German sausages. If you’d rather not do sets, the banana walnut pancakes (28 RMB) would be a safe choice, though they are pretty much just plain pancakes topped with banana slices, a dollop of cream, and a few walnut bits.

German Sausage Breakfast (48 RMB).

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[Shanghai] Dakota

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[Shanghai] Dakota

Dakota

Add: 30 Donghu Lu, near Xinle Lu / 东湖路30号, 近新乐路
Tel:  5403 8906
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 11:00am-midnight [Sun] 11am-6pm
Price: [Brunch] 100 RMB/person, [Dinner] 200 RMB/person
Visited: Nov 2010

2014 update: venue closed.

An American bistro located on Donghu Lu close to Sushi Oyama and El Willy. Lunch and dinner seem a bit overpriced, but come here for a comfortable brunch featuring classic items such eggs Benedict, Belgian waffles, omelettes, Croque Madame, seafood chowder, and the likes. It’s simple, and it’s good. The wood-paneled and black leather chair interior is not my usual favorite vibe for brunch, but to occasionally diverge from the typical ‘sunny patio brunch’ path is not so horrible either.

Other than the items mentioned above, you’ll also see shrimp and grits, brisket hash, frittata, egg salad tartine, apple crepes, etc. If you come with a big group, there are some big plates to share as well: “roast leg of lamb served with bone marrow butter, salad, and duck fat frites”, and the “bone-in ribeye served with frisée salad, duck fat roasted potatoes, and béarnaise”.

We started with the Seafood Chowder in Sourdough Bread Bowl (50 RMB), which was thick and creamy with chunks of salmon and other seafood. The sourdough bread bowl was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. A good start.

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[Shanghai] Antique Garden

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[Shanghai] Antique Garden

Antique Garden

Add: 44 Sinan Lu, near Xiangshan Lu / 思南路44号甲, 近香山路
Tel: 5382 1055
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 11am~11:30pm [Sat-Sun] 11~12:30am
Price: [tea & coffee] 38-45 RMB [cakes] ~38 RMB [sandwiches] 79 RMB
Visited: Nov 2010

Very close to the perennially packed Hof on Sinan Lu, Antique Garden is a two-story cafe that doesn’t only sell coffee and cakes, but also antique furniture (real or fake, I really can’t tell you). The interior is dimly lit and decorated with random vintage pieces here and there. Though the teas and cakes are not extraordinary, Antique Garden is still an alright spot for tea dates and gatherings.

Carefully slip, please.

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[Shanghai] Anna Maya

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[Shanghai] Anna Maya

Anna Maya

Add: 3 Taojiang Lu, near Hengshan Lu / 桃江路3号, 近衡山路
Tel: 6433 4602
Hours: 10am-10pm
Price: 110~150 RMB/set
Visited: Nov 2010 (visit 2)

Anna Maya has caught my eye several times before with its vibrantly yellow wall, but it wasn’t until this past week that I decided to give it a try. This vegan cafe is all about natural, whole, and unprocessed food – macrobiotic philosophy, if you know what that means (I didn’t). Let’s see what it entails.

The owner of the cafe, a cute little Japanese woman, greeted me as I entered the door. Upon my request to see the menu, she made detailed recommendations and explanations on the dishes, which all sounded surprisingly delicious even though there is absolutely no meat or dairy involved. The menu is of course hand-written and updated regularly with seasonal changes.

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[Shanghai] Toriyasu 鳥やす

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[Shanghai] Toriyasu 鳥やす

Toriyasu 鳥やす

Add: 890 Changning Lu, near Huichuan Lu / 長寧路890號，近匯川路*
Tel: 5241 1677
Hours: [lunch] 11am-3pm [dinner] 6pm-2am
Price: 100 RMB/person
Visit: Oct 2010

Generally recognized as the best Japanese yakitori restaurant in Shanghai. Once you manage to find and enter the door to this discrete izakaya, you’ll see the menu on paper slips all around the walls, a crowd of chefs behind the grill, and waitresses rushing here and there to deliver yakitori and dishes like ramen, cold soba noodles, onigiri, ochazuke, etc., etc., etc. Noisy, squashed tables, and always packed. Reservations highly recommended.

*Second location in Gubei: 1/F, Peace Plaza, 20 Shuicheng Lu, near Hongqiao Lu / 水城路20号1楼 和平广场， 近虹桥路 (6295 8286)

Here’s a list of things we went through (plus sake and ice-cold beer, of course): chicken skin (6 RMB/skewer) and king oyster mushroom wrapped with pork (12 RMB/skewer).

Grilled mackerel (25 RMB) and salad (25 RMB).

Chicken heart (6 RMB/skewer).

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[Shanghai] Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen

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[Shanghai] Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen

Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen Add: 2F South Bund 22, 22 Zhongshan Dong Er Lu / 上海市中山東二路22號2樓近新永安路 Tel: 6318 0057 Hours: [lunch] Tue-Fri 12-2:30pm, Sat-Sun 12-4pm [dinner] 6-11pm Price: [brunch] 238 RMB + 15%/person, drinks extra [dinner] 500 RMB/person Website: www.napawinebarandkitchen.com Visited: Oct 2010 Venue has now moved to Bund 22. This review refers to the original Jiangyin Lu location. Napa Wine Bar…Continue Reading “[Shanghai] Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen” →

[Shanghai] Downstairs

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[Shanghai] Downstairs

Downstairs Add: 1/F, Urbn Hotel, 183 Jiaozhou Lu, near Beijing Xi Lu / 膠州路183號, 近北京西路 Tel: 5172 1300 Website: www.urbnhotels.com Price: [drinks] ~50 RMB [desserts] ~50 RMB Visited: Oct 2010 Venue now reopened as beergrdn, check website for details. Downstairs by David Laris, a stylish dining/lounge area on the first floor of Urbn Hotel, is a good place to rest…Continue Reading “[Shanghai] Downstairs” →

[Shanghai] Bistro Burger

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[Shanghai] Bistro Burger

Bistro Burger

Add: 1/F, Mansion, 291 Fumin Lu, near Changle Lu / 富民路291號1樓， 近長樂路
Tel: 6170 1315
Hours: 12-10pm
Price: [burger] 55-78 RMB [smoothie] 35-40 RMB [sides] 25-48 RMB
Visited: Oct 2010

Even the healthiest palates would, once in a while, crave some artery-clogging, fat-oozing American food. This is when Bistro Burger – Eduardo Vargas’ gourmet burger joint – pops to mind. To be fair, Bistro Burger also serves some healthy options, e.g. the Hawaiian Tuna Burger and vegetable pasta, but I personally go for the real deal: burger variations made from 100% certified Angus Beef, finger-licking good fries/waffle fries/twister fries, plus the thick and creamy smoothies. Why would anyone order pasta at a burger joint, anyway?

Here’s The Mexican (65 RMB): chorizo and beef burger, jalapeno-cheese, chipotle aioli & avocado slices on sesame bun. This burger is full of flavors and just spicy enough to tingle the tongue. The bun is nicely toasted, fully bringing out the sesame fragrance. The chorizo and beef patty was a bit too dry, but otherwise very satisfying.

The Tuscan (65 RMB): 8 oz. certified Angus beef burger, mozzarella cheese, roasted garlic aioli, fresh arugula and a sun-dried tomato-eggplant relish on a rosemary-olive bun. The sizable beef patty was grilled medium rare with charred exterior and a rosy pink center, a winner over the Mexican burger for its juicy and tender texture.  The rosemary-olive bun was also nicely toasted and very aromatic.

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[Shanghai] Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐

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[Shanghai] Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐

Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐

Add*: 3F Super Brand Mall, 168 Lujiazui Lu / 陸家嘴路168號正大廣場3樓
Tel: 5047 8882
Website: www.dintaifung.com.tw
Price: 100~150 RMB/person
Visited: Oct 2010

For many people, Din Tai Fung needs no introduction. This Taiwanese chain, with its remarkable consistency in quality and well-trained service, has been rated one of the top 10 gourmet restaurants in the world by NY Times and now operates in 9 different countries. Their soup dumplings (xiao long bao) are simply the best and easily make Shanghai’s famous local 南翔小籠 (Nan Xiang dumplings) look ridiculous in comparison. This place is always packed so be sure to make reservations.

*Multiple locations available in Shanghai, check website for details.

Some of my favorite starters include 辣牛筋 spicy ox-tendon (35 RMB),  辣味小黃瓜 sliced cucumber with chili and garlic (23 RMB), 什錦豆干絲 shredded bean curd with seaweed and bean sprouts (19 RMB), and 香干馬蘭頭 chopped wild vegetable and bean curd (22 RMB).

Din Tai Fung soup dumplings are made with great care – they have exactly 18 folds on the skin, which is translucently thin but never breaks at the squeeze of the chopsticks. After dipping the dumpling in vinegar, put the whole thing in your mouth, give it some pressure with your palate, feel the delicate skin burst and let the soup fill your mouth. The soup doesn’t burn, and it makes the meat and skin taste exponentially better.

My favorites are 蟹粉小籠 (steamed pork and hairy crab roe dumpling, 86 RMB/10 pcs) and 特色小籠 (steamed pork dumpling, 58 RMB/10 pcs), and if you order both, eat the steamed pork dumpling first because these are lighter in terms of flavor. There are some other variations on the menu, such as 黑松露小籠 (steamed pork and truffle dumpling) and 魚翅小籠 (steamed pork and shark fin dumpling), which I’ve never tried.

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[Shanghai] Yang’s Fried Dumplings 小楊生煎

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[Shanghai] Yang’s Fried Dumplings 小楊生煎

Yang’s Fried Dumplings 小楊生煎

Add*: 97 Huang He Lu / 黃河路97號
Tel: 5375 1793
Hours: 6:30am~8:30pm
Website: www.xysjg.com
Price: 4 RMB/5 dumplings
Visited: Oct 2010

Even though it’s most definitely not a personal favorite, I feel obliged to blog about Yang’s because this place is reputed as having the best fried dumplings (sheng jian bao) in Shanghai.

*50+ locations available in Shanghai, check website for detail.

So this is what you do. 1. Go to the window pay for however many dumplings you want to buy (4 RMB/5 dumplings). 2. With your ticket, go line up for the window where you pick up the dumplings. 3. Head over the the window right next to it to pick up the sauce. For first timers, this might be a hectic experience especially if you don’t speak Chinese.

So what are sheng jian bao anyway? A specialty of Shanghai. Puffy pork dumplings, shallow-fried in round black pans for a crispy bottom, thick skin sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped green onions, contains hot soup that burns.

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