food and some verses

One does not need one's own expense account, if one is in possession of friends with expense accounts. Here's a rundown of the most recent stakes (steaks?) settled in my culinary conquest of Shanghai's finest on Wall Street's dollars:


Xiao Nan Guo (that's 'southern country' and not 'grief') - The boys wanted some local flavor, so I suggested the Huanghe Lu branch (at Beijing Xi Lu) of this Shanghai staple - a modern, minimalist space, with two stories of buxom booths. I, as in all cases when each Chinese menu item isn't illustrated, asked the waitress to select some zhao pai cai - signature dishes - for us. She returned with a savory selection of Shanghainese fare: spongy gluton cakes, "lion head" meatballs (taste like childhood), soup dumplings (taste like goodness), sweet roasted pigs' knuckles (singularly responsible for atrocious CNY weight gain) and a thick pumpkin chowder.

M on the Bund - It was unanimously confirmed by poll respondents (read: the six people I know in Shanghai) to offer the very best view of Pudong, and additionally, to be "the most popular restaurant in Shanghai" by Zagat. Certainly, it boasts a swanky waterfront address (Bund 5) and a seventh-floor terrace above its lieutenant-in-noveau French sex appeal, the notorious Glamour Bar. We opened with an artistic foie gras triptych (the caramelized pineapple pate taking the cake) and lamb dumplings (Turkish, I believe) in a kicky yogurt. The service was sadly unimpressive (particularly in overstaffed Shanghai), and I and my poor jet-lagged guest wandered out onto the terrace to kill time, taking in the Pudong skyline (looking, that night, as God intended) before commencing onto continental fusion entrees - the zhao pai salt leg of lamb, and stuffed garfish. I dare to say that the food was tasty, but somewhat boring.


Ding Tai Feng - Somebody had the brilliant idea to put an epicurean spin on soup(dumpling)to (ginkgo)nuts Shanghainese street food. The flagship establishment is in Taipei, and it's nightly booked - lines of coiffed couples and businessmen waiting to pay a pretty penny for gourmet-style dumplings. We lunched at the Xin Tian Di branch in Shanghai (unfortunately, less lovely before dark) on ma la mien (noodles swimming in meaty, glutinous sauce), crab meat and the zhao pai pork soup dumplings.

Sun with Aqua - Our second dinner on the Bund - a sultry Japanese affair - pwnd the experience at M, in my humble opinion. S with A sits pretty across from M on Guangdong Lu, on the second floor of newer, sleeker Bund 3. We were greeted by a large live shark tank at the entrance, and led to the spacious seating area, where we ordered an eel hotpot, a spider roll to share, kobe beef marinating in a bubbling caramel-miso concoction and hot, dry sake for two. Following dessert (a decadent white chocolate apple creme brulee and a seriously spot-hitting mango sago pudding), we explored the bar. We sat, digesting with cocktails in a dimly-lit booth sheathed in translucent black silk curtains, watching the ferries pass on the river and the changing lights of the Pearl Orient, small carnivores pacing the luminescent wall-to-wall shark aquarium behind us. Fireworks sprayed unexpectedly over the Pudong skyline then, as if to confirm that Yes. This is money.

Herbal Legend - The South Block of Xin Tian Di on a warm spring night particularly evokes the faux-Paris the architects no doubt had in mind when they build it. Herbal Legend is dwarfed by its more prominent neighbors, namely, ZEN, Nice Paris, and the Belgian Beer Garden. The gimmick is "medicinal nourishment", and the fare was surprisingly light for Chinese food. Here, the zhao pai cai featured mushrooms, white meat, and several bamboo shoot varieties.

Yongfu Elite - A certain glamorous jet setter has been pushing this name on me for weeks. I foolishly put it off until last night, and am regretful that I've not tried harder to rendez-vous at this turn-of-the-century-French-estate-turned-British-Consulate-turned-restaurant. Yongfu Elite is nestled in the Concession district, and boasts a couple of acres of stylishly unkempt wild fruit and rose bushes. Antique sofas are scattered throughout the moonlit garden space, among the charming koi ponds, the elegant slouching willow trees and the romantic climbing ivy. The mansion itself has been largely preserved, and what might have been considered gaudy at one time - crystal pillars, dusty jade lions, mahogany archways - appealed to our shared view of charm. We dined on the first-floor terrace overlooking the grounds and under a clear sky. The food wasn't spectacular ('yi ban' is the fitting descriptor) -coconut beef, a buttered spinach dish, standard Shanghai glazed lotus roots, red wine and two awfully strong martinis - but the dining experience more than made up for any shortcomings on the flavor front.