Shanghai July 28

The food adventures never end in this city...

The other night we went to a "typical Shanghainese" restaurant called Bao Luo - small and unassuming at the entrace, but you walk back into a cavernous room with bright lights and loads of people smoking (many people eat while they are smoking). This place was particularly messy - the waitrons had greasy dingy clothes - but the food was delicious - we had broccoli simmered in broth with whole garlic cloves, salty eggwhite (a little like feta cheese) and ginger, a plate of steamed kale with crab meat, tofu and egg (looked a little revolting, but tasted great), and swiss steak - Mr. Grumpypants and I weren't sure if it was meat, but then realized it was closer to a salisbury steak than a grilled sirloin. Very strange texture. We were not brave enough to order the "mater convulvulous with tofu" (eh?). The tea they served with the meal had the taste of chamomile and corriander seed - quite yummy.

One of the exquisite meals we ate this week was in an elegant place called Yin. The style of the restaurant was old Shanghai with wood floors, chinese style furniture - with natural wood finish and screens separating the tables. The food was also elegant - the cold starters included: soy bean and lotus salad, melt in your mouth duck, beef with spicy orange sauce. The mains were chicken in Shouxiang wine sauce -thin wine broth with loads of spice, pork ribs in a savory black bean sauce and duck with orange sauce.

We attended a concert on Wednesday - Mr. Grumpypants was recording, but I got to go to the pre-concert reception - wine was served (the first I've had since we got here-though not Chinese wine - some Aussie Shiraz.) The snacks were fab - pumpkin flan with a coconut milk tapioca served in a Chinese spoon, bite size morsels of spring roles, eggplant and pork satay, and perfect little dragonfruit tarts! The service and presentation in Shanghai is unbelievable. The concert was 3 hours long - whoa - good thing the musicians were all so amazing! Then at midnight we were ushered off to a shopping mall where a sit down dinner service was to take place. Traditional Shanghai food - the starters: pig's ear (done like a terrine and sliced)the flavour was delicious but the mixed texture of soft pork and chewy cartilage was strange (it was absolutely stunning to look at - a little psychadelic), small fish (size of sardines) deep fried with a sweet sticky coating - delicous, lotus seed and dates, chopped kale, and jellyfish (very rubbery crunchy - ooh - I don't think I liked that!)

The mains seemed endless, almond encrusted prawns-yum, scallops with huge slices of pickled ginger, dried scallops stuffed into green mellon, combination plate of roasted duck, chicken and pork, bok choy greens simmered with bamboo shoots, roast chicken, etc...most people had given up eating by the 5th plate - they finished with a warm coconut milk tapioca - not tooo sweet, but delicious.

Ok - so one more and I'll stop this blog: Last night we went to an amazing Japanese restaurant called Shintori. First we had a cocktail at People bar(with a puzzle door to get into the place). These are sibling establishments - the designs are similar with concrete surroundings, industrial steel tables and very dark. The restuarant is enormous - black tables and chairs, wooden ventetian blinds between tables creating a modern style tatami room. There must have been 30 chefs in the open kitchen on the main floor - we were on the second floor - and the food was sent upstairs in a glass elevator (modern dumb waiter). The food matched the surroundings - we had plates of sashmi served on granite slabs, or rough fired ceramics, the foil dish was served on a super heated volcanic rock, and the beef sashimi was perfect, served on a bamboo platform atop a crushed ice mound! The sake was chilled and delicious. I'd go again tonight, but I must try something new!