[Shanghai] Issimo

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[Shanghai] Issimo

Issimo

Add: 2/F, 931 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Taixing Lu / 南京西路931號2樓, 近泰興路
Tel: 3302 4997
Website: www.jiashanghai.com/web/RoomsAndRestaurants/detail/Restaurant/eng/
Price: [lunch] 148~178 RMB/person + 15% [dinner] 300~400 RMB/person

2014 update: venue closed.

Apparently Issimo isn’t what it used to be, but there are several reasons why you should still lunch there. First, the food – it might not be terribly inventive, but it’s satisfying (and bears the name of celebrity chef Salvatore Cuomo). Second, the location – 2nd floor of the stylish JIA boutique hotel, which conveniently sits on Nanjing West Rd/Wu Jiang Lu. Third, the value – for 148 RMB (as opposed to the 400+ RMB/person dinner bill),  you get a 3-course meal inclusive of an appetizer, a pizza/pasta, a dessert, a drink (fresh juice, soft drink, or wine), and Illy coffee. 178 RMB for an additional main course. Not so bad, eh?

The design at Issimo is modern and sleek but still comfortable and cozy.

For drinks, choose from fresh juices (orange or grapefruit), house red/white wine, and soft drinks.

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[Shanghai] Boxing Cat Brewery

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[Shanghai] Boxing Cat Brewery

Boxing Cat Brewery

Add: 82 Fuxing Xi Lu, near Yongfu Lu / 復興西路82號, 近永福路
Tel: 6431 2091
Hours: [Mon-Thu] 5pm-2am [Fri] 3pm-2am [Sat-Sun] 11am-3am
Website: www.boxingcatbrewery.com
Price: [brunch] 50~100 RMB/person, [dinner] 150~250 RMB/person
Visited: Oct 2010

While living in the South (of the USA), I developed an affection for buttermilk biscuits and everything deep-fried: fried chicken, fried mac ‘n’ cheese, fried oreos, fried cheesecakes, fried burgers, and the list goes on and on. While Boxing Cat Brewery can’t compete with Southern state fairs in terms of deep-fried food variety, this restaurant does offer some decent Southern comfort dishes worth your stomach space.

Grilled Steak Salad (65 RMB) with mixed greens, blue cheese, grilled mushrooms, fried shallots, roasted baby tomatoes and buttermilk roast tomato dressing. Boxing Cat serves American (read: huge) portions. The salad is overall ok, though the steak is a bit too tough to chew.

BCB’s Burger Masterpiece (80 RMB) with grilled mushrooms, sauteed onions, roasted tomatoes, guacamole, cheddar and garlic aioli. Not bad, but I much preferred the burgers over at Bistro Burger, which are juicier, more flavorful, and better looking. The thick cut fries, on the other hand, are excellent and come automatically with the burgers.

Reuben the Almighty (80 RMB), lean brisket, sliced and stacked up high on rye bread with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, homemade Russian dressing & whole grain mustard. Too salty for me.

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[Shanghai] Qimin Organic Hot Pot 齊民有機中國火鍋

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[Shanghai] Qimin Organic Hot Pot 齊民有機中國火鍋

Qimin Organic Hot Pot 齊民有機中國火鍋

Add: 407 Shaanxi Bei Lu / 陜西北路407號
Tel: 6258 8777
Hours: [lunch] 12pm-2pm [dinner] 6pm-12am
Website: www.qi-min.com
Price: [weekday lunch] 68~88 RMB/set [weekend lunch] 148~198 RMB/set [dinner] 250 RMB/person
Visited: Oct 2010

‘Tis cold in Shanghai! To combat the sudden drop in temperature, we went for a hot pot lunch at Qimin to get warmed up. The idea of hot pot naturally conjures images of steamy restaurants and messy table tops, with people hovering over one communal pot filled with meats and veggies and unidentifiable blahs swimming in a foamy, murky broth.  Qimin is quite the opposite. The combination of fresh and organic ingredients, individual pots, elegant interior, and attentive service means that hot pot can be an upscale dining experience as well.

A la carte menu is available, but we went for the 68 RMB lunch set which gives you: two small appetizers, a broth of your choice, a basket of vegetables and/or meats, and a choice between rice and noodles. Two dipping sauces were included with the set. The Qimin house sauce is richer with a sesame flavor and is recommended for the meats, while the Empress sauce is lighter and recommended to be paired with vegetables. You can choose to add minced garlic, chopped spring onions, chili pepper, etc. to the sauces.

The fresh ingredients came out daintily arranged in wicker baskets. Here’s what you get from the 68 RMB lunch set: 6 slices of prime pork, some tofu, a piece of mochi, corn, three types of mushrooms, one meat ball, and lots of leaves.

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[Shanghai] Stiller’s

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[Shanghai] Stiller’s

Stiller’s Restaurant & Cooking School

Add: Bldg 13, 6-7/F, The Cool Docks, 505 Zhongshan Nan Lu / 老碼頭, 中山南路505號13號樓6-7樓
Tel: 6152 6501
Hours: [dinner] 6:00~10:30pm [Sunday brunch] 12:00~2:30pm
Price: Brunch 348 RMB/person, Dinner 500+ RMB/person
Website: www.stillers-restaurant.cn
Visited: Oct 2010

Stiller’s at The Cool Docks is modern European fine-dining. The sleek dining room, spacious and elegantly decorated with white tablecloths and roses, matches perfectly with the beautiful dishes conjured up by Stefan Stiller.

Here’s the Lazy Sunday Lunch Menu (348 RMB/person), which changes regularly with the season, starting with bread basket and a trio of whipped butter: curry, sesame, and cilantro

Starter Variation: cilantro mousse, tuna steak, deviled egg, foie gras terrine, mozzarella and tomato. An attractive plate of dainty bites, though nothing left a memorable mark.

Beef Carpaccio with Parmesan Mousse, “Gazpacho Soup”, Olive Tapenade, Pine Nuts and Basil. The gazpacho was enveloped in a bulb, and the parmesan mousse was wrapped in a thin, crunchy pastry. Definitely very complicated and unusual in terms of architecture.

Turbot Herbs Mousse with Sweet Wine Jelly, Fennel and Shallot-Saffron Vinaigrette. A pretty dish.

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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] 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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[Shanghai] Roosevelt Prime Steakhouse

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[Shanghai] Roosevelt Prime Steakhouse

Roosevelt Prime Steakhouse Add: 160 Taiyuan Lu near Yongjia Lu / 太原路160號, 近永嘉路 Tel: 6433 8240 Hours: [Sun-Thu] 5-10pm [Fri-Sat] 5-11pm Website: www.rooseveltsteakhouse.com Price: [appetizers] 75-125 RMB [steaks] 300-1200 RMB [sides] 55-85 RMB [desserts] 70 RMB Visited: Oct 2010 Roosevelt Prime Steakhouse is all about the beef. Big, thick cuts of USDA certified filet mignon, New York strip,…Continue Reading “[Shanghai] Roosevelt Prime Steakhouse” →