Month: March 2019

Crab dinner in Shanghai at Cheng Long Hang

Shanghai people love crabs. The local variety is called mitten crab or hairy crab (because of the hairy claws) and lives in lakes and estuaries. Funnily enough, these crabs are regarded as a pest in Western countries.

The best time to eat hairy crabs is between October and December: it is crab season because the roe inside female and male crabs reaches its peak: the sweet roe is what makes many dishes appealing (like eggs and crab or tofu and crab).

There are many restaurants specializing in crabs in and around Shanghai. I already described a restaurant just selling crab noodles. This review is about Cheng Long Hang (sometimes referred as Crab Palace), one of the most famous crab restaurants in Shanghai with various locations around town. I visited the location near the Bund that in the 2020 Michelin Guide to Shanghai got one star.

The visit

The Bund location is located on a quiet street near West Nanjing Road metro station. Since the early morning the kitchen visible from the street is busy with staff picking pulp from the crabs. This is actually one of the reasons I went: I noticed several dishes on the menu with pure crab meat, without the pain to work a crab by myself.

Behind the unassuming storefront lies a two-story dining room with a common area downstairs and many private rooms. I went on a weekend evening and there were two musicians performing, intermittently, with traditional instruments. I found the place, also for this reason, quite touristy. Not sure whether the other venues have the same atmosphere.

Some crabby details on the table.

I was welcomed with some freebies: almonds, a sort of grissini, and winter melon. Lemon-flavored hot water was also provided free of charge, which is always nice.

Not finished yet: a complimentary amuse bouche was offered in the form of a spicy crab soup (in a tiny bowl).

My first dish was sauteed crab meat (50 grams as indicated on the menu). Loved it. And 50 grams did not feel too little.

Then I got a dish that had made me curious: crab meat in a warmed orange. The two elements surprisingly fused quite well.

Then I was served a beautifully presented crab paste and avocado salad. The avocado was mixed with crunchy bread crumbs and surmounted by a piece of crab innards that tasted like wine. And indeed the crab paste was marinated in wine. I did not get this from the menu. I personally dislike wine so I did not enjoy this dish! Nevertheless it was an interesting dish.

Finally I had a yellow croaker soup with bamboo fungus. Not amazing, but this was a good soup.

At the end of my meal I was offered a cup of tea.

Staff did not speak English, but they were very friendly and made efforts to help me understand what I was eating… the menu was fully translated in English and Japanese.

The check

The crab dinner for one person cost me 414 RMB (or 61.5 USD). For around this price point they also had a nice set menu, but I wanted to try some specific dishes.

Not cheap, but crabs are not cheap. All in all, I will call it reasonable.

The food was quite good and they do have a number of interesting dishes. They have my recommendation, even during off-season like in this visit.

Where in Shanghai:
216 Jiujiang Lu, by Henan Zhong Lu
In Chinese: 九江路216号, 近河南中路
Nearest metro station: West Nanjing Road (line 2 and 10).

More about hairy crabs and where to find them from That’s Mag.

How the world’s largest Starbucks looks like: Reserve Roastery in Shanghai

Starbucks’ Reserve Roasteries are a new concept store of the Seattle’s coffee brand. At the time of this post (March 2019), there are Reserve Roasteries in New York, Seattle, Milan, Tokyo, Beijing, and Shanghai (one in Chicago is underway).

These cafes are unlike any other Starbucks’ outlet: they are gargantuan spaces filled with experiences and goodies that you do not normally find in your regular Starbucks.

Why the focus on China? China is actually the second largest market for Starbucks in the world and is poised to take over the US as the most important profit center for the company. In China they really cracked the consumer code positioning themselves as a premium brand (it is 20% more expensive than in the US) and finding a place in a tea-centered culture.

The visit

The visit described in this post refers to the Starbucks’ Reserve Roastery opened in Shanghai in December 2017.

It is located in a two-story round building connected to the upscale Taikoo Hui Mall (sorry for the photo… it was a rainy day and the girl really was taking forever to get her picture taken).

The experience began with a little bit of queue. It was a gloomy Saturday afternoon. I only waited 5 minutes (close to my boiling point for this kind of adventure).

Inside it was pretty packed.

One of the most characteristics structures inside was the 40-ton bronze cask where the beans deposit after roasting. However it was not immediately clear how the process worked. The roastery, in my opinion, was more to impress than to educate.

Of course, the focus on the ground floor was the coffee that was available in exotic varieties not normally seen in other Starbucks cafes.

Coffee beans were also for sale.

A lot of branded merchandising was for sale as well.

They also had pizza by the slice and cakes made in collaboration with Princi’s bakery in Milan. A part of the ground floor was dedicated to the baked products. A slice of pizza was 68 RMB (or 10 USD). I tasted one of the desserts and I can say that the idea that this brings Italian food to the mix is laughable. More Olive Garden Italian food.

One the upper floor there was a space dedicated to Teavana, Starbucks’ tea brand that is quite popular in its Chinese shops.

I had a dessert: a sort of profiterole filled with cream. Absolutely unremarkable.

The overall idea behind the Reserve Roastery is summarized by a Starbucks’ executive in an interview with Forbes:

The Roastery is an opportunity to showcase the finest and rarest coffees from around the world. We show the customer the green beans, and share the experience of what happens when a bean is roasted, and serve the freshest coffee, which can be brewed in various flavors. We’re taking innovation to new levels, from the finest bakeries from Milan to stretch cocktails and aperitivos.


The Italian food concept has been recently extended in another new Starbucks store in Shanghai called Starbucks’ Reserve Bakery Cafe, where they also serve brunch and aperitivos (light refreshments and cocktails before dinner part of the Italian tradition).

The check

The dessert was 58 RMB or 8.65 USD. In case you did not get it, everything was jacked up in this place, beginning with the prices. A dessert would cost from 8 to 10 USD and a slice of pizza is above 10 USD. Not to mention the coffee. I am not a coffee drinker so I did not check, but according to online reports, in these Roasteries the price of a cup of coffee is easily double the normal Starbucks’ price.

The Reserve Roastery is not a cafe: it is a self-celebration of a brand. A place for selfies. It does not make any economic sense, but people flock, so they must be right. For me there won’t be other visits.

Where in Shanghai:
HKRI Taikoo Hui, 789 Nanjing Xi Lu, by Fengyang Lu
In Chinese: 南京西路789号, HKRI 太古汇, 近凤阳路
Website: https://roastery.starbucks.com.cn/en/

Shake Shack lands in Shanghai

Famed American burger chain Shake Shack made it to Shanghai opening in Xintiandi just before Spring Festival 2019. This is what we found visiting the joint on a weekend in March 2019. We already experienced Shake Shack in Hong Kong where we enjoyed their smoke burger.

The visit

Shake Shack replaced Pizza Marzano in one of the reconstituted traditional shikumen in the heart of the car-free area of Xintiandi. In my opinion it is a big gain for the area.

It was around 2pm and the relatively small shop was packed. Luckily not much queue and in around 20 minute I got my burger. I was even able to seize a chair.

The delicious smoke burger did not disappoint, but I think the bacon was crispier in Hong Kong. What I like about these burgers is the moderate use of condiments and the spicy backtaste.

They also sell branded merchandising. Not sure it is a good idea to associate your food brand with a pet bowl (pictured above), but it was for sale.

The check

The burger cost 58 RMB, that’s almost 10% more expensive than Hong Kong’s price where it was 62 HKD that at the current exchange rate would be 53 RMB.

They also have the the classic hot dogs, shakes, fries, and concretes (frozen custards, for those who do not fear sugar). The local signature shake is called Strawberry Yu(zu) Garden and is a vanilla frozen custard (can we call it ice cream?) blended with strawberry and, of course, yuzu juice. Will try it next time.

Update

Came back on a Sunday evening, no queue and I tried the exclusive Shake. Yuzu and strawberry are fused well together. I would gladly avoid the whipped cream (and the green tea powder does not add much to the mix).

Where in Shanghai:
Unit 02-03, Building 11-13, Xintiandi, 181 Taicang Lu, near Madang Lu
In Chinese: 新天地北里, 太仓路181弄11-13号, 近马当路
Nearest metro stations: Xintiandi or South Huangpi Road (the latter is closer).
Website: https://www.shakeshack.com/location/shanghai-xintiandi/

Chicken dinner at Al’s Place in Shanghai (closed)

Al’s Diners have been a fixture in Shanghai (there are two but feels like there are more). Al’s Place opened in January 2018 and brought Al’s menu to the fourth floor of K11 Art Mall (a place with also other interesting restaurants like Professor Lee).

The visit

I went to Al’s Place during a busy Saturday evening but I did not have any problem finding a seat.

The menu is full of classic American fare from blueberry pancakes to burgers and also includes some interesting fusion experiments such as teriyaki glazed beef skewers or miso pork belly sliders. But in the end my attention was caught by the roast chicken that they only offer for dinner.

Before sinking my teeth into the chicken I had their tomato soup that came in a huge bowl. Only slightly spicy, it was very good.

The chicken, in this case half, came with a sauce and was indeed very good. I just wish it was “meatier”.

They also had an ice cream counter (yet smaller than the one in Xinle road). Their ice cream may warrant a separate review one day.

The check

In total I spent 133 RMB (around 20 USD). Water was included. I cannot complain, it was reasonable value for money considering the upscale location. Also I found the environment more comfortable than Al’s Diner, at least the one in Xinle road.

I recommend Al’s Place (and Diners) to satisfy craves for American food (sometimes with a twist) in Shanghai.

This venue is now closed, but the other Al’s Diners are still in business as usual.

Where in Shanghai:
300 Huaihai Middle Road (k11 Art Mall), 4/F, Unit 403B
黄浦区淮海中路300号K11艺术购物中心4楼403B商铺

A 60 USD tuna steak at Obihiro Hagaten, Hong Kong

From continental China I usually reach Hong Kong by lunch time… kind of a tradition. Looking for a place where to eat upon my arrival I ended up at Obihiro Hagaten in Elements Mall that is connected to the Kowloon stop of the Airport Express. It was the summer of 2018.

The visit

Obihiro Hagaten is yet another Japanese restaurant, supposedly hailing from Hokkaido. Their specialty should be robatayaki, but actually they have a little bit of everything Japanese.

At lunch time, I found it relatively packed. I sat at the counter and I examined the extensive menu. In the end I went for one of their lunch sets plus a special dish: a o-toro tuna steak cooked in two ways.

First I was served a couple of negligible appetizers (okra natto?).

The lunch set was not bad (but also not cheap). It had some tempura, sashimi (tuna, a scallop, a small prawn), and some excellent Japanese pork. The set also included the mandatory bowls of rice, miso soup, chawanmushi (egg custard) and some pickles. Apart from the pork, it was all very ordinary.

The fatty tuna platter included twelve slices of the prized o-toro. Half was left raw and half lightly cooked. It was a substantial dish to the point to be difficult to finish (the fatty tuna was really fatty and quickly instilled a sense of satiety).

The check

Total check was 734.8 HKD (or 93.5 USD). The steak was the big ticket item costing alone almost 60 USD. The set lunch was also quite pricey.
Too much for essentially another cookie cutter Japanese restaurant.

While not a disappointment, I find difficult to find value for money in a restaurant like this. Having said so, they had an extensive menu and it would be relatively easy to splurge even more.

Where in Hong Kong:
Shop 2103-04, 2/F, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui.

If you eat at Panino Giusto, take their toast

Panino Giusto (literally “right sandwich”) is a chain of restaurants specializing in Italian grilled sandwiches (“panini”). It was started in 1979 in Milan and now has stores in half dozen countries. I tried them first in Tokyo years ago. Now I eat from them time to time when I travel to Hong Kong (they have a store in the IFC mall that is also the terminus of the Airport Express train, so it is an easy stop; this review is based on my experience with this branch).

The visit

You order, are given a number and then wait. The place at IFC is usually packed on weekends and lunch hour, so prepare to wait. The seating area face the harbour, so it is quite nice.

Here’s a snapshot of the Washington panino: Parma ham, goat cheese, tomato and black olive pate (the pate flavor is quite distinct). This is a typical example of their style: two grilled buns filled with high-quality ingredients. They have many options.

However, personally, I prefer their toasts! They only have a few available, in the picture you can see a “farcito” including Prague ham, Edam cheese and some pickled vegetables. Delicious.

The check

Check for this visit was 248 HKD (or 31.6 USD). The toast or the sandwich alone cost 108 HKD (around 14 USD). Expensive by any stretch of the imagination, but a nice culinary luxury to have time to time.

Where in Hong Kong:
See their website for locations. At time of posting, they have a shop at IFC (third floor, just downstairs from Shake Shack) and one at Lee Garden mall in Causewaybay.

Check their Japanese website for locations in Japan.

Brunch at M on the Bund

In March 2019 I finally tried M on the Bund, one of the first Western restaurants on the Shanghai’s Bund. Established in 1999 by Australian restaurateur Michelle Garnaut, the restaurant specializes in dishes with a mixture of Middle Eastern and European style.

The visit

The restaurant is located on the 7th floor of Bund 5, a location hosting many high-end restaurants (see my review of Atto Primo). They share the floor with their bar/lounge called Glam. The dining area is spacious, yet intimate. I had a reservation through Chope.

They have a wonderful terrace with view on the Bund, but on the day of my visit it was raining, so I could not enjoy it.

For brunch, they have a limited menu with the option to choose two courses (one appetizer and one main) or three (also a dessert). I went for two courses.

Included in the price also a drink. I had orange juice.

My appetizer was a carpaccio. The beef was thinly cut. The mayo was not needed.

My main dish was their weekend platter with a minute steak, a lamb chop, mashed potatoes, sausages, a fried egg. I really enjoyed this dish as I do not have often English breakfast goodies in China.

The tea came with a couple of complimentary sweets.

Before leaving I took a pic of their souvenir corner: they sell their glassware, tea cups, and other utensils.

The check

The two course brunch option after service charge cost me 327 RMB (48.5 USD). Nothing to complain about it given the location and the excellent service in English.

Also after factoring the fact that the brunch menu does not showcase the full extent of M on the Bund’s cuisine, I was not impressed by the offering. I could not really see on the menu any dish that would lure me back. Given the nice location, it is a place to keep in mind for afternoon tea.

Where in Shanghai:
20 Guangdong Lu, 7th Floor, No 5 on The Bund
In Chinese: 上海市黄浦区广东路20号, 外滩五号7楼, 近中山东一路
Website (also for reservation): http://m-restaurantgroup.com

Hangzhou delicacies at Shanghai Michelin-starred Le Patio & La Famille

Continuing my Shanghai Michelin Guide Scramble, I visited Le Patio & La Famille (one star) near the Bund. Why the French name, I have no idea. It is actually a restaurant serving Hangzhou specialties. There are two locations in Shanghai. Only the one near the Bund got the star award.

The visit

I first passed by on a Saturday evening but it was, understandably, full. So I arranged a table for lunch time on the next Monday with the receptionists. They did not speak English, so good luck trying to book on the phone if you do not speak Chinese.

Despite the small storefront, the restaurant conceals two intimate dining rooms with a retro decor (also VIP rooms are available). Luckily I was given a menu in English and this facilitated my order. I was the first customer arriving very early, but by noon the place became packed.

As a complimentary side dish I was offered a plate of chilled longan fruit which I believe grow in Hangzhou.

I ordered from the appetizer list some spicy roast beef. What I got was beef, but not really spicy, more a type of curated meat served cold. I was not thrilled by this dish.

Then I got eggplants in vinegar sauce with sea urchin. Even without the sea urchin, the eggplants were delicious.

Then the big ticket-item came in: called gold pork on the menu, this pork belly pyramid is a classic Hangzhou dish (actually I had it in Hangzhou once at the famed Hyatt restaurant). Also known as dongpo pork, this website provides a description of the cooking process (and the legend behind its invention):

Slow cooking for several hours allows the pork belly to absorb the wine and soy sauce breaking down the fatty meat to produce a “melt in your mouth” texture, also reducing the greasiness of the fat and leaving a deep vibrant chocolate brown coating. The meat is so tender one can simply nudge it with a pair of chop sticks and it falls apart.

The pork came with buns and the waitress showed me how to open one to slide in the pork and bamboo shoots taken from the base of the pyramid.

I finished the pork (it was oily but not terribly greasy) and just some bamboo shoots were left.

From the dessert list I ordered a longan fruit pudding. Very nice.

The check

This sizable lunch cost me 381 RMB (prices displayed on the menu were net, no additional tax or service charge was added). For a restaurant of this caliber and the quantity of food, it was a good value.

Even if the staff did not speak English they went above and beyond to make me feel comfortable and help me with my order.

The food was generally very good and I saw passing around many more delicious dishes that may warrant a second visit in the future.

Where in Shanghai:
216 Middle Sichuan Road
In Chinese: 四川中路216号
Nearest metro: East Nanjing Road Station, line 2 and 10.
I thought I would publish the first English review of this restaurant, but the FT beat me by 2 days.

The 580 RMB vegan menu at Fu He Hui in Shanghai

The Shanghai Michelin Guide Scramble continued and I visited with two friends one of the two vegetarians restaurants listed in the 2019 edition of the Guide with one star: Fu he Hui (I already had visited the other).

Fu He Hui is part of the Fu Group that runs three other restaurants in the same Changning District: Fu 1015, Fu 1039 and Fu 1088 (the number coming from the address).

Since 2015, it has been featured in the list of the best 50 restaurants in Asia.

The visit

The restaurant is located in three-storey town house on Yuyuan road in a street dotted by trees (and coffee shops) in the typical fashion of the former French Concession. The ground floor hosts the reception and cashier, while each floor above has both private dining rooms and a common area.

I made my reservation through Chope where only bookings for 2 or more people where accepted. Given the large location, I think you can find a table even without a reservation most of the times (but do not quote me on this).

Above pictured an example of seating in the common dining area on the second floor.

We were greeted by an English-speaking waitress that explained us the basics: the restaurant only offers set menus (she did not specify this, but I believe the same set menu must be ordered for all guests sitting at the same table). She also removed from the room a shopping bag that I had because she spotted inside something that could contain meat (no meat allowed in the dining room apparently).

We chose the introductory menu for 580 RMB (net). They had two chef recommended menus for 780 and 880 RMB (with the possibility to add a tea pairing for an additional 288 RMB; the tea pairing was not available for the 580 RMB menu). In the past they also had a 300 RMB (or so) menu that is no longer offered.

We also ordered a pot of tea that was non cheap.

The initial amouse bouche selection included some salty crisps shaped as maple leaves (hidden among real leaves that we were recommended not to eat), some crackers with egg plant puree, and a beetroot roll with a chickpea filling. The latter appetizer was really good and could have been a stand-alone dish.

The first dish of the menu was avocado mixed with mango and tomatoes in a nori (seaweed) waffle cone. The taste of truffle oil used to amalgamate the ingredients was very clear.

We all enjoyed the next dish: lotus fungus with some baby corn and clack medlar with a mushroom based broth that came in its own bottle. The mushroom flavor of the broth was unmistakable.

Next, we got two bites of eggplant filled with crunchy lotus root, sprinkled with sesame in teriyaki sauce, and some gorgon fruit (an aquatic plant actually).

The fourth dish was a combination of white and purple yam paste (yin and yang?) surmounted by termite mushrooms (I guess a type of termitomyces) in a housemade soy sauce. I did not know the yam could be so good.

Then we got another type of fungus: morels on a melon squash made with Jiang Bing melon (a Chinese variety).

The sixth dish was a fairly conventional carrot puree (I could not identify the flavor of the potato and bamboo shoots indicated in the menu) made more interesting by the addition of balsamic vinegar pearls. The pearls were really powerful and mixed in the puree conferred an interesting counterbalance.

The second last dish was called a “spring pancake”: on a nori base with a line of soy paste there was cocumber, crisp tofu skin and a bai ling mushroom. We were instructed to roll the seaweed and eat it with our hands.

The last dish was a green bean dessert with green tea and mint oil. It was served chilled and I could not expect that green peas could be such a tasty base for a dessert. It came with a mini mooncake filled with bean paste.

Some extra sweet treat: walnut cakes (right), panna cotta in transparent edible paper (homage to White Rabbit candies), and sweet chocolate balls.

The check

The set menu was 580 RMB per person, but after adding the tea pot (and the wet towels! I cannot believe that they charged the wet towels) the individual cost per person rose to 681 RMB, basically 100 USD.

The 580 RMB menu is very similar to the previous 380 RMB menu offered before the Michelin Guide’s mention (and for a while after), so it looks that they decided to raise their price point over the past year.

The comparison with the other Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant in Shanghai, Wujie, seems mandatory: I found the same level of quality and creativity in the Wujie’s introductory tasting menu, at a more affordable price, in a more casual environment with staff non speaking English (but super friendly). Wujie also used some cheese, Fu He Hui seems to be strictly vegan.

I and my friends truly enjoyed the experience. Apart from being overcharged for the tea, the service, the creativity and quality of the food was excellent. Even more interesting dishes can be found in the higher price set menus that I might try one day.

Where in Shanghai:
1037 Yuyuan Lu
In Chinese: 愚园路1037号
Nearest metro station: Jiangsu Road Station (line 2), exit 6 or 4 (if you are adventurous, the 20 bus from the Bund stops nearby as well).

La Formaggeria, an oasis of Italian food in Shanghai

I like cheese. That in Shanghai there is an Italian-run shop selling imported cheese and other Italian goodies is a real treat.

La Formaggeria is the retail shop of Bazzale Group, a family owned company originally from Vicenza that, according to their website, has been operating in the milk world since at least 1784‭, ‬representing the oldest Italian company in the sector‭, ‬in continuous activity since at least eight generations. Bazzale is a large company (by Italian standards) selling its products in over 54 countries, with production facilities in Italy‭, ‬Czech Republic‭, ‬Brazil and China, and employing over 600 people.

The visit

It is a small shop but full of beautiful food. The center-stage is the cheese and cold cuts counter.

They offer tasting of their cheeses. Gran Moravia is their own brand of long-aged hard cheese. Also Verena is a brand of theirs and it is a hard-pressed cheese with a sweet flavor.

They also have other more classic types of hard cheese (Grana Padano and the famed Parmiggiano Reggiano), Roman Pecorino (from sheep milk, mildly spicy), Provolone (also a bit spicy), Asiago, Montasio, pasta filata (stretched-curd), mozzarella, smoked scamorza…

They also have some cold cuts (I tried their speck, made in China, it was ok) and a selection of Italian sweets and wines.

For 20 RMB (3 USD) they can prepare an Italian toast, with cheese and smoked ham (prosciutto cotto). Unfortunately the bread is a bit too sweet for my taste, but otherwise another treat.

The check

For 295 RMB (44 USD) above is pictured my shopping in March 2019. Most cheese was around 50 RMB for a large portion. The provolone was 200 grams. Also had a pack of “Torinesi”, a type of grissini that is a fixture in the bread basket of restaurants in Italy.

Considering that most products are imported, the prices are excellent, much better than the prices of cheese sold in high-end supermarkets, with the advantage of a lot of variety. If you like cheese, this is heaven.

Where in Shanghai:
1250 Huaihai Zhong Road Xujiahui District,
In Chinese: 淮海中路1250号
Website: https://www.brazzaleshanghai.com/