Shanghai - Part 2 - The Eating

Eating in Shanghai is very fabulous. It's usually good and cheap. Meals for about 6-8 people in a nice restaurant with tons of dishes and leftovers would be about $35 US. No tax, no tip. You never felt guilty about eating out, and people eat out all the time.

KFC is huge in Shanghai. Bigger than McDonalds. They have some chicken wraps that are yum. And they have jook for breakfast. They also have the best Egg Custards (think dim sum) in Shanghai. They are melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

We had lunch at the famous restaurant where they make those little steamed dumplings.
John's parents live across the street from the Grand Gateway Mall. It's an intersection of shops and businesses. The subway is right underneath the street. There is a 5 story shopping mall, a grocery store, and tons of restaurants.The smog and haze is incredible in Shanghai. There was never a day that the haze wasn't overpowering. I guess it's all the construction going on.

John’s parents took us to the Orange Café inside the mall. It was very retro. They had this shaved ice dessert with red beans and green beans, and other beans. The ice was so fine that it was more like snow.
They also took us to a lot of Shanghainese restaurants where we had very traditional food like Fish Stomach Soup, Baby Clams, Mashed Peas, something with little tiny eels, etc… It was different and took a little getting used to. Some of the restaurants in Shanghai are huge. There was one that was in a huge building with 60-70 private banquet rooms as well as 2 large common dining rooms. John’s mom requested one of the private rooms and each room has it’s own servers and about 2-3 other wait staff.


When we met up with Deborah and her friends, we always had Taiwanese food, which is more of the food we’re used to. The desserts here were really good too. They have a mango ice, as well as a peanut ice. The peanut ice was actually very good. And they’re huge!
Nai Nai and Ye Ye took the kids for ice cream at this shop at the mall also. Sydney is pointing out which ice cream she likes.Deborah also took us one day to Element Fresh. They have yummy sandwiches and salads – also at the mall across the street.

We had to use the restroom one afternoon and happened upon a Pizza Hut. We didn’t eat there, but apparently Pizza Hut is considered fine dining in Shanghai. There are table cloths and candles, soft music, nice table settings, etc…

Deborah’s parents and aunt and uncle were also visiting while we were in Shanghai and we all had dinner together one night at a restaurant called Bellagio. It’s also Taiwanese. They have these garlic stalks that are really good. They also have a veggie called the Dragon Bean. It’s green and pointed. Their desserts were also delicious.

We decided to try a non-asian restaurant for lunch while we were strolling on the Bund. This one was highly recommended and has an amazing view of the river. It's called M on the Bund.

It was the most expensive meal we had in Shanghai.

And yes, Starbucks is everywhere.