faysroOms » Restaurants around JingAn Temple and Nanjing Rd CBD http://shanghai.faysrooms.com Short-term apartment and room rentals network in shanghai Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:08:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Paul Bakery Cafe at the Shanghai Centre http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/paul-bakery-cafe-at-the-shanghai-centre/ http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/paul-bakery-cafe-at-the-shanghai-centre/#comments Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:05:51 +0000 fay http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/paul-bakery-cafe-at-the-shanghai-centre/ Located right next to the Element Fresh in the Shanghai Centre- Portman complex, this is one of a series of Paul Bakeries that have opened around Shanghai in rapid fire in the last 6 months. Hailed from France, Paul's key selling point is that they even import the flour from France. I'd have to agree that basic ingredients matter a lot in baked goods; for some reason, the local flour just does not produce very aromatic breads and cakes (or I'm just prejudiced?) That said, I still think Paul is too expensive to make it an everyday affair. The Centre location has a pretty sizable sit-down area --- atmosphere is great with large windows looking out to a terrace, which will make excellent outdoor seating in the summertime.

We ordered a croque monsieur, a croque madam, and another kind of sandwich, along with some coffee drinks. The sandwiches range in the high $20's to $40', and drinks are Starbucks prices. The food is decent, but I think it's the location that's really worth the bucks. Didn't try their desserts yet, and think I'll go back for afternoon tea next time. They offer a $45RMB set where you can choose a drink + dessert during the weekdays.

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]]> http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/paul-bakery-cafe-at-the-shanghai-centre/feed/ 2 Rendezvous -- Singapore Restaurant in Kerry Center http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/rendezvous-singapore-restaurant-in-kerry-center/ http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/rendezvous-singapore-restaurant-in-kerry-center/#comments Mon, 24 Sep 2007 07:28:13 +0000 fay http://blog.faysrooms.com/rendezvous-singapore-restaurant-in-kerry-center/ Most people who eat here probably work in the Kerry Center, although the restaurant entrance is on the outside of the building. I was taken there by my bank manager for dinner. The place has a pretty authentic feel with a good selection of Singaporean/South East Asian dishes, but the decors are a bit run down. We ordered the mixed satay, salt and pepper pork ribs, stir fried veggies in fish sauce, crispy shrimps. All had heavy sauces and pretty salty. Is this the southeast Asian cooking style?

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]]> http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/rendezvous-singapore-restaurant-in-kerry-center/feed/ 1 浜ちゃんJapanese tonkatsu shop http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/%e6%b5%9c%e3%81%a1%e3%82%83%e3%82%93japanese-tonkatsu-shop/ http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/%e6%b5%9c%e3%81%a1%e3%82%83%e3%82%93japanese-tonkatsu-shop/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:11:28 +0000 fay http://blog.faysrooms.com/%e6%b5%9c%e3%81%a1%e3%82%83%e3%82%93japanese-tonkatsu-shop/ Ok, if you love tonkatsu (Japanese style battered pork chop over rice), then you should try to find this place. My friend's hubby is Japanese so that's how we know the place. It's on the stretch of JiaoZhou Rd between YuYuan Rd and Beijing Rd. It's got no Chinese or English sign and it's puny shop with less than 10 tables and full of Japanese business men (read: smoke). The menu is only in Japanese too, except one of the waitresses speak Chinese (and maybe English?). Anyways, just point to the first item on the first page of the menu, which is the tonkatsu. There's a question of whether you want leaner or fatter meat --- either one is delicious. If you can make out the other items in Japanese on the menu, I'm sure they're pretty yummy too (let me know what they are too).

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]]> http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/%e6%b5%9c%e3%81%a1%e3%82%83%e3%82%93japanese-tonkatsu-shop/feed/ 1 BiFengTang -- Cantonese dim sum and late night snack http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/bifengtang-cantonese-dim-sum-and-late-night-snack/ http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/bifengtang-cantonese-dim-sum-and-late-night-snack/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:02:11 +0000 fay http://blog.faysrooms.com/bifengtang-cantonese-dim-sum-and-late-night-snack/ One of the biggest tea cafe chains in Shanghai. There's is also another chain by the same Chinese name by you can tell them apart from the English (the other one is called Be For Time). The "BiFengTang" 避风塘 seems to be the original one. One is on Nanjing Rd and corner of TongRen Rd, and the other is on ChangShu Rd before hitting ChangLe Rd. You can pretty much order most of the popular dim sum items, along with fried rice and noodles. Their sweet pork buns are very good (they also sell packaged frozen dim sum items in supermarkets). The one on Nanjing Rd has a nice sidewalk seating with window shields.

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]]> http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/bifengtang-cantonese-dim-sum-and-late-night-snack/feed/ 2 WuQi Soup Restaurant -- Hong Kong style pampering http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/wuqi-soup-restaurant-hong-kong-style-pampering/ http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/wuqi-soup-restaurant-hong-kong-style-pampering/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 09:51:36 +0000 fay http://blog.faysrooms.com/wuqi-soup-restaurant-hong-kong-style-pampering/ "WuQi" in Chinese means "house", and the name alludes the different types of soups the restaurant has to offer, which resemble what Cantonese grandmas would make at home for the family. The typical ones come in chick, duck, or pork rib soup base, with more nutrient/medicinal ingredients added in. These soups are usually simmered over several hours to make sure the flavors are fully extracted; the stuff in the soup don't have to be eaten since it's the soup that's the star. The restaurant also serve other Hong Kong/Cantonese dishes in a tea cafe style but do try their soups. There are 2 locations: one on Yuyuan Rd behind Jiuguang on Nanjing Rd in the alley near the Zara shop across from Plaza 66.

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]]> http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/wuqi-soup-restaurant-hong-kong-style-pampering/feed/ 1 Element Fresh Cafe http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/element-fresh-cafe/ http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/element-fresh-cafe/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 09:15:34 +0000 fay http://blog.faysrooms.com/element-fresh-cafe/ One of the first cafe chains aiming at providing health, light fares. They have a good selection of juices and smoothies (with those boosters that Jamba Juice lovers are so familiar with). They also have wifi internet and bright interior so you can actually do some work there. Both the Shanghai Centre and KaWah Center (on DongHu Rd near HuaiHai Rd) locations have outdoor seating. My complaint would be that the food has become somewhat bland, and the prices are getting higher. I go there once in while for the bright space. The new Paul Bakery Cafe is right next to its Shanghai Centre location.

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]]> http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/element-fresh-cafe/feed/ 2 Steaks and Eggs American Diner http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/steaks-and-eggs-american-diner/ http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/steaks-and-eggs-american-diner/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 09:08:29 +0000 fay http://blog.faysrooms.com/steaks-and-eggs-american-diner/ I first heard about this new place from my guest who ate there everyday when he was in Beijing (this franchise started in Beijing) so I kept going back to check when it would be open. Finally tried it out this past weekend and it struck me as a place stuck in the 80's (not sure if it's the intended design). The carpet was in a funky forest green color with striping; tables and chairs are of the no-frills, no-style type; the menu came in photocopied paper bound in a plastic binder. I order the french toast with eggs and sausages. It tasted ok but I could also reproduce most of it at home (and mine would taste just like it if not better). The sausages were good though, plump and tasty. The pricing is decent (~$30-40 for breakfast items)In Shanghai's competitive landscape today, I think this restaurant's concept is truly outdated. To survive in the Nanjing Rd area, you really need to have more style --- and more substance.

Steaks and Eggs is located on XiKang Rd, around the corner from the Shanghai Centre.

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]]> http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/steaks-and-eggs-american-diner/feed/ 0 Lynn -- modern Shanghainese and dim sum buffet http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/lynn-modern-shanghainese-and-dim-sum-buffet/ http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/lynn-modern-shanghainese-and-dim-sum-buffet/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 09:00:15 +0000 fay http://blog.faysrooms.com/lynn-modern-shanghainese-and-dim-sum-buffet/ I went to Lynn once for their weekend dimsum buffet, cuz I needed a break from those western brunches. The place is nicely decorated with modern Chinese elements. We ordered the $68 per person all you can order dimsum. However, I was not happy about having to order tea by the glass --- the leaves floating on top made it very hard to drink the tea --- a personal size french press or teapot is called for if they are charging the tea separately. The dimsum menu has the usual fares so we order pretty much one of each. The dishes were slow to arrive (I guess it's a strategy for all-you-can-order style pricing) and overall food tastes just so-so. Maybe their individual dishes taste better, as one of my guests really liked it there. The service can use some improvement too, as we saw the well-dressed staff running in and out empty-handed and not giving the customers eye contacts.

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]]> http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/lynn-modern-shanghainese-and-dim-sum-buffet/feed/ 1 YongHe DaWang -- Chinese fastfood and breakfast http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/yonghe-dawang-chinese-fastfood-and-breakfast/ http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/yonghe-dawang-chinese-fastfood-and-breakfast/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 08:49:02 +0000 fay http://blog.faysrooms.com/yonghe-dawang-chinese-fastfood-and-breakfast/ YongHe is the name of a suburb of Taipei in Taiwan, and someone had started a breakfast shop several decades ago specializing in freshly made soybean milk, "you tiao" and "shao bin". A chain by the same name started in China in the 90's and have become a successful local brand. Besides the breakfast items I mentioned above, you can also get xiaolongbao, and various kinds of rice plates and noodles at the shop. The prices are more expensive than the local shops but for it's relatively cleanliness, it's worth a bit more.

Check out their on-line ordering system and photos of the food items (all in Chinese though) here. The nearest one around the apartements is on XiKang Rd near Beijing Rd.

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]]> http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/yonghe-dawang-chinese-fastfood-and-breakfast/feed/ 1 Bellagio -- Taiwanese cafe and sculptural ice desserts http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/bellagio-taiwanese-cafe-and-sculptural-ice-desserts/ http://shanghai.faysrooms.com/bellagio-taiwanese-cafe-and-sculptural-ice-desserts/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 08:36:08 +0000 fay http://blog.faysrooms.com/bellagio-taiwanese-cafe-and-sculptural-ice-desserts/ For those of you who have visited Taiwan, you couldn't have missed all the yummy street foods like stinking tofu, minced pork over rice, oyster omelettes, pig gut vermicelli (hmm, why do the names sound so scary in English), and the legendary shaved ice, and pearl milk iced tea. So what do you do when you have a craving for these things? Bellagio is one of the answers (another one is Charmant and I'm sure there are more and better places in the Taiwanese enclave of HongQiao and Gubei). Honestly, Taiwanese food could never taste the same once outside of Taiwan, because of the indigenous ingredients used in the dishes, but ordering food bearing those names takes away some of that homesickness. Bellagio has several locations, one near Xintiandi, 2 more in Hong Qiao and Gubei. They're also expanding into other cities like Bejing, Nanjing, Xiamen and other major cities.

I have no idea why the 3D ice dessert sculptures are so popular here. In Taiwan, the shaved ice is not piled so high, and the toppings are much tastier and melded in with the ice. Bellagio invented them for the stunning visual effects I guess and they are popular. Boy, do I miss the real McCoy...

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