Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant - Shanghai

Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant
Yuyuan Bazaar, 378 Fuyou Rd, Shanghai



This post is going to be about 'MUST-SEES'. As a tourist visiting Shanghai, one place that's considered 'must-see' is Oldtown aka Chen Huang Miao. Yu Yuan (another popular tourist sight) is located in the center of Oldtown so perhaps that will ring a bell.



Oldtown is a collection of, well, old buildings. You'll find gorgeous temple-style architecture with iconic roofs and wooden lattice windows. Everything is refurbished though, so you don't feel like you're walking through dusty, crumbling buildings. The buildings in Oldtown house many restaurants, small-eateries and souvenir stores. In particular, there are many shops stocking traditional Chinese products, i.e. tea, silk, pottery and calligraphy.

Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

Chinese Hot and Sour Soup
Home Cooking



Continuing on with the family-style-cooking theme of the previous thread, I served the Shanghai spring rolls with a hot and sour soup.

When I was younger, I was obsessed about soup. The Soup Nazi episode on Seinfeld always made me so furious that there was no soup chain in Brisbane. In Cantonese restaurants, I would mostly look forward to the free soup they served at the start of the meal.

I always thought my mum made the best soup. My favorites included plain chicken broth, vegetable stew and her hot and sour soup.

Shanghai Spring Rolls

Shanghai Spring Rolls
Home Cooking



Having moved out of my parents house, I'm starting to miss mum and dad's cooking. It's one of those things you don't really appreciate until you're forced to eat out/make your own food every single day.

I have a theory that with certain foods, the taste varies greatly not just across different countries, provinces and whatnot but even in different families. This is probably the case with curry. It's definitely the case with spring rolls and wontons.

It's not to say I don't 'like' other spring rolls. Put some in front of me and I'll probably try them! However, I think that nothing replaces what you grew up with and what you're taste buds associate with home. I call these 'Shanghai' spring rolls because that's where my family is from and it's the kind of spring roll that Shanghainese people make.

Workout of the week - MAKE YOUR OWN PASTA

Handmade Pasta
Home Cooking



I'm not going to be modest about this. Today I made HANDMADE pasta. It is indeed HANDMADE because I MADE IT. With my own hands. From SCRATCH.

You cannot GET any more 'handmade' than this. Not only is this homemade (as opposed to buying fresh pasta from a store), I don't even have a pasta machine. I DO, however, have an electronic stand-mixer with a dough-hook. At the time, I chose not to use it because a) I wanted the satisfaction of doing everything by myself and b) I completely underestimated how difficult it would be to kneed the dough.

Zen Chinese Cuisine - Shanghai

Zen Chinese Cuisine, Life Hub @ DaNing, Shanghai (China)
http://www.daningdaning.com/


Note: the website given above is about the location of this restaurant, rather than the restaurant itself.

DaNing (just one of the many buildings)

Usually, when individuals/familys 'return' overseas, they bring gifts back for their families and friends. We go back too often for Australian souviners to have any appeal and aside from sheepskin and lanolin oil, there really isn't much you can get in Australia that you can't get in China.

The current solution is that we don't bring anything back but for courtesy, we shout the family a large meal. When I went back in Feb 09, my mum asked my aunt to chose a nice restaurant. The one we were going to visit was too full and we didn't want to wait around for an hour. It was located in 'DaNing' which is a bit like the Pentagon in Shanghai. Basically, there's a collection of buildings that are full of shops and restaurants. At DaNing, the streets connecting these buildings are pedestrian-only walks and the whole complex is quite nice to walk through and explore.

Zen is the restaurant we ended up going to.

South-East Asian Stir-fried Noodles

South-East Asian Stir-fried Noodles
Home Cooking



Lol at the name of this dish but my explanation is...

The original recipe that inspired me was for 'Singaporean fried noodles' but I've altered it so much that it's barely more than a slight influence. As a result, I have no idea what my noodle dish is supposed to be culturally. 'South-East Asian' is a safe bet but I'm leaning towards Malaysian. There probably isn't a genuine Malaysian dish like this but the flavors and ingredients are a mix between Singaporean and Indonesian tastes so if you're curious about how these noodles taste, it's somewhat similar to those cuisine styles.

The Pancake Post

The Pancake Post
Home Cooking



When I started writing this blog, I thought about putting up an entry on pancake and subsequently dismissed it as 'too boring'/'too easy'.

Today, nearly 3 months later, I've decided that I've got enough photos/recipes/variations to write up a decent post on pancakes after all.

Govinda's Vegetarian Restaurant

Govinda's Vegetarian Restaurant
www.brisbanegovindas.com.au



Since my current obsession is with all things healthy and vegetarian, it's not surprising that a sign for 'all you can eat vegetarian buffet' sparked my interest. Last week, I suggested trying that place but Charlie and I were too scared that it'd be some weird hippy place. In a cowardly attempt to avoid risk of brain-washing cults, free love orgies and being smothered in dreadlocks and hemp, we steered clear.

Today, I was in the company of a much braver individual. This friend had also seen the sign but she had gone one step further and went up the narrow stairs to see what the restaurant alike. Assured that it was more 'Indian-influence' than hippy/vegan, we decided we really wanted to give it a try.

Vegetable Balti Curry

Vegetable Balti Curry
Home Cooking



I don't have to say it again but I do love curry. Curry + vegetables = vegetarian curry = I'm enjoying my food guilt-free because it's healthy.

This post will be pretty short and sweet because there wasn't a lot of cooking or preparation involved. Perfect for mid-week after work meals.

Even though I've had a shockingly bad experience with supermarket bottled Indian curry sauce, I gave it another go. Due to laziness. And due to the fact that I didn't want to buy a million ingredients to use for the one dish.

Jellyfish Restaurant

Jellyfish Restaurant
http://www.jellyfishrestaurant.com.au/



Despite having a constantly-updated mental list of 'MUST VISIT RESTAURANTS', I still manage to blank out. I couldn't decide where to go for dinner on the day of my birthday and luckily for me, a good friend came to the rescue and suggested Jellyfish. It's apparently new but established by the same people responsible for Brisbane's reputably 'best' steak restaurant, Cha Cha Char.

I've had amazing experiences at Cha Cha Char so I became instantly curious about Jellyfish.


It's located on Eagle Street Pier, the most collective strip of fine restaurant in Brisbane. Charlie specifically booked an outdoor table. I'm normally very wind-phobic but the weather last night was lovely. Brisbane doesn't boast of the world's best views (by far) but all the same, it was nice to look out at the story bridge skyline.

DIY VERSION: Korean Hotpot

Korean Hotpot
Home Cooking



Be prepared to read about the most unauthentic Korean hotpot you'll ever come across. It's true that I have had a fair amount of Korean soup dishes from eateries around Brisbane. There's no perfectly good excuse for getting it wrong. In truth, we weren't aiming to recreate any particular dish we've eaten in the past. I didn't even do any research on how to go about replicating a genuine soup base rarara.

The thing is... the hotpot was good. You just put in whatever you've eaten that you have enjoyed. My photos below are just suggestions - same as restaurant menu photos and Korean instant noodle packets. They are all suggestions.

Mirasoul

Mirasoul
http://www.mirasoul.com.au/



Mirasoul gets a special post because I had my 21st BIRTHDAY PARTY there this past weekend!!!

I chose it after reading many recommendations and I'm so glad I did. As a function venue, it was so easy to get things organized (Kim, the function coordinator was absolutely fabulous and amazing). I did catering and had a bar tab with them - all went super smoothly and the place had a great vibe Saturday night.


The week beforehand, my friends and I went to Mirasoul to suss the place out. We took advantage of the AWESOME 2-for-1 tapas deal on Tuesday. This post will mainly talk about the food and dining experience. Remember though, for any function that you might have, I can' recommend Mirasoul highly enough. It was just GREAT.

Beccofino

Beccofino
http://www.beccofino.com.au/



It's not unusual for me to make up semi-ridiculous excuses for going out for dinner. For this reason, Charlie and I are still celebrating an 'anniversary' every month. Yesterday marked 10 months and due to some strange coincidence, also the 1 year anniversary of our first date together.

This first date actually involved a dinner at Joseph Alexanders. Ideally, we would have returned there - making it soppy, cheesy and appropriate. Unfortunately, they don't open on Sundays so we were left to hunt for other restaurants.

My birthday party happened this weekend and one of the presents I got was 'Nigella Bites' by Nigella Lawson. I love her books even for bedtime reading and when I was leafing through the pages, I came across this divine chili linguine recipe. This gave me an intense pasta craving and consequently, I found myself scouring online resources for good Italian restaurants in Brisbane.

Prawn Laksa

Prawn Laksa
Home Cooking



My current strategy for keeping a stable diet involves consuming minimal carbs at night. I figured I wouldn't need the energy rush anytime past 7pm so breakfast time would be break, muffins, muesli and dinner would be protein and veggies.

This is easier said than done, especially when you're in the mood for something heavily spiced. It just so happens that flavorsome food (like... Indian, Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian) all 'go' with rice and don't quite work without it. I contemplated making a green curry or massaman curry but even thinking about eating spoonfuls of that stuff without rice was enough to overwhelm me.

In the end, I thought a decent compromise was to make Laksa and use up some of the vermicelli in my pantry. Although this is not technically a 'carb-free' dish, it's still quite light and you can go easy on the vermicelli like I did.

Viet De Lites

Viet De Lites
http://www.vietdelites.com.au/



Whenever it's available to me, I'll grab a copy of 'Dining Out'. If you're wondering, this is basically a collection of advertisements for central Brisbane restaurants. Even when I have 2 copies already, I'll go on and take another one to leaf through.

I have a feeling a new issue comes out every season or maybe every half a year. It tends to feature the same old restaurants over and over again and the pages have become very familiar to me over time (especially for the restaurants that don't bother to change their ads).

It's always really refreshing when I spot newcomers. One such place is Viet De Lites. This restaurant is contemporary Vietnamese dining, located in South Bank Parklands.

A Night in India

A Night in India
http://www.anightinindia.com.au/



Today, it was declared (between Charlie and myself) that A Night in India was our MOST FREQUENTED restaurant/eatery IN BRISBANE.

This is quite astounding. You have probably noticed by now that we eat out a fair bit. It so happens that our food cravings tend towards Asian (Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean being the regular) or 'ethnic' which is a term I use to broadly cover anything that's heavy in spices (Thai, Indian, Turkish).



Indian food is constantly on our minds... or in our stomachs... or whatever.

Sunny Breeze Restaurant

Sunny Breeze Restaurant
Sunny Park Shopping Center, Sunnybank



Before it was Sunny Breeze, this was the location of a Japanese restaurant that I always wanted to try (even though I honestly didn't think it would be exceptional). That place has disappeared and in its place, Sunny Breeze. Without really knowing what Sunny Breeze had on offer, I felt interested in the restaurant. Something about the decor, signage and color-scheme spells out 'nice, cheap Asian food'.

Last night, I wanted to go to Market Square for dinner but parking was abysmal so I decided to give Sunny Breeze a go.

Kadoya

Kadoya
Elizabeth Arcade (99 Elizabeth St, Brisbane CBD)



My uni classes happen in the city. That's a good thing when it comes to getting lunch because the city has a great selection of cheap eats. Last year, a close friend and I would frequent the Asian eateries around Brisbane CBD, alternating between the best. This year, we're more health conscious and sticking to Cafes for salads and sandwiches.

Kadoya is leaning towards the expensive side of 'cheap' but it has a great selection and is consistently good. It's also nice to see them change/add to their menu every now and again because so many eateries fall into a rut and become boring. It's hard for Kadoya to compete when there are chains like Hanaichi around that do similar food but much faster and cheaper. Still, there must be a reason why I chose Kadoya over them when I do.

Kapsali Greek Restaurant

Kapsali Taverna
http://www.kapsalis.com.au/



One time when my grandparents came to visit Brisbane from Shanghai, I took them to a restaurant in Southbank. It was good but oh-so-expensive when you're used to Chinese dining prices. I didn't know that that restaurant had closed down/moved but in its place is Kapsali.

A friend from uni decided to have her 21st birthday party at Kapsali and when I read that it was in Southbank, I was surprised because I've never seen it before. It's actually located in what they call the 'central shops' - near Boost Juice and New Zealand Natural etc. Not hard to miss really but somehow I managed to.

Duck King - Shanghai

Duck King (Ya Wang)
Si Chuan Rd, Hong Kou, Shanghai



I've mentioned in an earlier post how unlikely it is that I'll ever settle on a 'favorite ice-cream flavor'. It's a completely different story with food.

For a long time now, I've declared my favorite food to be Peking duck. I rave on and on about it to friends who don't know what that means or who have only tried Peking duck in Australian restaurants. This has set me up for many opportunities to get disappointed... whenever I go back to Shanghai and order Peking duck, my expectations are sky high.

Healthy sweet fix - Apple & Muesli

Apple and Berry Muesli Crumble
Home Cooking



Trying to stay on a diet can be an absolute pain when you have a sweet tooth like mine. Maybe it's not that difficult cutting down main meals and what not but time and time again, I lose it when I give up to cake or cookie cravings.

Recently I was with a group of friends talking about cheesecake. This has triggered a chain occurrence of cheesecake cravings. Every afternoon since, without fail, I'd find myself fantasizing about cheesecake. Charlie offered to drive out and buy me a slice but I declined under the false pretense that I needed to stick to the diet. That was rubbish because at the time, I didn't give a rat's arse about the diet - it was more so the fact that I knew the cheesecake I wanted wasn't purchasable from anywhere nearby.

Wagas Cafe, Shangahi

Wagas Cafe
http://www.wagas.com.cn/



I'd call this my favorite cafe in Shanghai although I haven't tried some of the other top recommended 'Western' cafes. It's true that when you go overseas, you might not think there's much point in getting anything that resembles what you eat back home.

Xiao Yang Pan-fried Buns

Xiao Yang
Pentagon (Wu Jiao Chang) Shanghai, China


There are literally more food places in Shanghai than you can ever dream of trying in a life-time. Trust me on that one. Thus, it follows that if an eatery manages to make a name for itself in the population of millions as a 'best of', it must be pretty damn good.



Xiao Yang is one such place. Located within the Shanghai No. 1 Food Mall building of the Pentagon, it is so popular that basically, you should know better than to think you're going to get a seat.

Dragon Lake

Dragon Lake
1898 Logan Road, Upper Mount Gravatt



I vaguely remember going to a Chinese restaurant on Logan Rd many million years ago when my mum and I were waiting for her car to get serviced. This may or may not be the same restaurant but.. nonetheless.

It's super awesome going to an Asian restaurant when you have a decent group of friends because you can amp up the variety and all share a selection of dishes. Banquet-style feasts are the win.

A group of us are planning to road trip to Sydney for the Easter break and so we decided to discuss details and logistics over a nice meal.

Oatmeal and Almond Praline Ice-Cream

Oatmeal and Almond Praline Ice-Cream
Home Cooking



I am about to make a HUGE CALL that I will most probably take back at one point or another. Here it goes anyway...

Perhaps my favorite ice-cream flavor to date... after trying gazillions from different places...

would be...

Homer Hudson - DIGGER. It was apparently created by Australian chef Pete Evans and has a description with such luscious food terms as: honey comb pieces and ANZAC biscuit.

The Chill Bar

The Chill Bar
www.chillbar.com.au



I cannot truly remember where I first heard about this place - possibly a local Eastside paper. I only know that I'd been wanting to go for some time.

Since I've moved from Carindale, it's less convenient for me to head all the way over to Bulimba. That's a shame because it's an awesome suburb. Bulimba is rocking the boutique village thing and I totally dig that.

One fine day, it just so happened that I had business in the East and I thought it was about time I could check out Chill Bar. Off we went.