Mad About Shanghai

Shanghai Restaurant Week (March 5-11)

2012-02-11T12:01:37+08:00

DiningCity.com presents the return of Shanghai Restaurant Week this March 5-11

Online bookings go live at 10am on February 15

More great restaurants, more special menus, and more great deals await Shanghai food lovers this March with the city’s 5th edition of Shanghai Restaurant Week. Bookings through the online reservation system start at 10am on February 15, and – as always – tables are expected to go quickly.

This year’s selection of restaurants is set to include Mr & Mrs Bund, el Willy, Otto e Mezzo, Madison, Moon Steakhouse, T8, Sir Elly's, Pelham’s, Grand Brassiere at the Waldorf Astoria, Table No. 1, Restaurant Martin, along with many others to be announced when bookings go live on February 15.

Each dining experience features a 3-course dinner at 168 RMB or 248 RMB, and a 3-course lunch at 78 RMB or 118 RMB (check shanghairestaurantweek.com for menus and pricing, open February).

“Chefs go out of their way to create special menus for Restaurant Week,” said Onno Schreurs, Managing Director for China and Hong Kong of Diningcity.com, the organizer of Restaurant Week. “The element of surprise is something that our diners appreciate – it gives the restaurants a chance to really show off.”

A special emphasis for this edition is food safety via traceable products. Selected restaurants of leading Shanghai Chefs such as GoGa, The Purple Onion, el Willy, Madison and 5-star Hotel Radisson Hongquan will feature traceable ingredients that can be traced back “from farm to fork”. With the "Eat Safely. Eat Traceable." program initiated by METRO China using Star Farm Products, restaurant goers can fully trust the quality of the food they are eating. Eric Gagnon, Key Account & Star Farm Manager, says "Star Farm is a unique concept, providing full transparency in the food supply chain hence providing higher food quality to the Shanghai Chefs”.

The cooperation between Shanghai Restaurantweek and METRO China will show that fine dining and traceable food go hand in hand perfectly and will set the highest standard in 2012.

The last edition of Shanghai Restaurant Week, September 2011, featured over 80 restaurants and 12,000 reservations. Dining powerhouse T8 took the top prize as “Restaurant of the Week” as selected by diners, followed by Nougatine by Jean Georges and Grand Brasserie of the Waldorf Astoria. A successful Restaurant Week in Hong Kong and upcoming in Beijing this March have helped create an astonishing amount of dining buzz around China.

Book early to avoid disappointment!

Date: March 5-11, 2012

Bookings Open: February 15, 10am

Reservations: shanghairestaurantweek.com

About DiningCity.com China
DiningCity started in 1998 and is the leading worldwide dining guide. Currently operating in 35 cities around the globe, DiningCity cities include Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Rotterdam, Dubai, Madrid, Geneva, Rome, Vienna, New York and Singapore. In cooperation with DiningCity the event Restaurant Week was born.

Visitors of the website can search for a restaurant via the following criteria: price, cuisine, location and extras. Every restaurant has its own unique profile and high quality photos, so visitors can have a good impression of the interior and the atmosphere. Menu information, a virtual tour, and online reservations make it easy for diners to choose a restaurant to fit their mood and taste.

Don’t know where to go? Via the “Dining Suggestions” section the DiningCity team will help you select the perfect restaurant for your dinner, your event or your meeting. The DiningCity website distinguishes itself by the interactive opportunities and clear information, and no distracting advertisement. Hungry or just curious? Go to: www.diningcity.com/shanghai

Beijing Office Rentals Now More Expensive than New York

2012-02-08T16:19:09+08:00

According to Cushman & Wakefield, a global real estate services company, Beijing has overtook New York in office rents. The report was released this month.

Thes are the top 6 countries in terms of having the most expensive office rentals:

1) Hong Kong

2) London

3) Tokyo

4) Moscow

5)Beijing

6) New York

More details can be found here.

Nothing like Hot Latte on a Cold Day

2012-02-04T21:07:23+08:00

I love a hot drink (especially if it contains chocolate!) and waffles on a cold day.

Who doesn't?!

Cute Hong Baos

2012-01-28T00:51:49+08:00

Do you know that the Spring Festival is actually 15 days long? So keep celebrating!

Some very cute hong baos (red envelopes) I came across this year:

Happy Lunar New Year 2012 !

2012-01-21T14:38:21+08:00

Lunar New Year is the biggest festival in the Chinese calendar.

The good thing about being Chinese in ethnicity is that Chinese gets to celebrate new year twice ! Once on the first day of January and the other on Lunar New Year.

Every year, about a month before the actual day, the largest human migration exercise in the world takes place, as millions and millions of migrant workers, children studying overseas, sons and daughters that have relocated out of the town where their parents stay, makes it a point to come home for the reunion dinner the night before the Lunar New Year starts.

To be exact, the estimated number of people participating in the rush home is estimated to be around 140 million! Or about the population size of Russia !

Rain,snow, overcrowding, pushing and shoving are not going to deter most from going back home to have the reunion dinner. To many, home is a place where they seek consolation and rest from the weariness of work, fighting it out in the big city or the unfamilarity of a new country.

This is does not happen only in China but also in countries where there are Chinese . To name a few more: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore etc.

Then of course, we also have another group of people who either stay with their family or very close that long trips back home are not necessary. Nonetheless, they are also just as happy to be close to their loved ones, feasting and laughing. These are just some of the little things in life that money cannot buy.

I find it so apt that the most distinct values of the Chinese culture, family and filial piety are expressed in the biggest festival on the Chinese calendar.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, most would spend the day visiting relatives and friends or hosting them. Children love this festival as the Lunar New Year to them, means lots of delicacies, celebration and red packets (红包 - red envelopes with money inside as pocket money for them)

So, how what are your Lunar New Year plans ?

I wish all my readers 新春愉快! 吉祥如意! 心想事成！

Remnant Pavilions from World Expo 2010

2012-01-13T13:28:17+08:00

If you missed the World Expo in 2010 and you intend to visit Shanghai, do you know that you still can have a taste and glimpse of the Expo?

Yes. Some pavilions from the World Expo held in Shanghai in 2010 has not been dismantled yet. Even the official gift shop there is still open for business. If you would like to take some pictures of the pavilions itself, you still can go there though most of the interior exhibits have been removed. For example, the China Pavilion is still there and serves as a exhibition center and other events.

Some time back, Regine and myself went there to have a look and toured the Picasso Exhibition held at the China Pavilion. The immediate thought that struck me was the irony. Italian masterpieces being displayed in a pavilion that is suppose to represent the best of China? It was just like the first time I went to the Forbidden City in Beijing. Some of the exhibit and national treasures were proudly displayed as "Exhibit sponsored by American Express ". Anyway, that is a separate thought all together.

The moment we got out of the metro station, we were swarmed with touts asking us to buy expo memorabilia, fully stamped expo passports and cheaper tickets to the exhibit.

One tout followed us for a good one hundred yards. Another offered a fully stamped Expo passport for only RM10. Despite their eagerness to close the sale, we ignored them and bought the tickets from the booth.

Sorry, no photos of the Picasso exhibit as we are not allowed to take pictures inside. However, I managed to see a few people standing in front of the masterpieces and copying/drawing the same thing. One of them was quite and elderly lady and she probably did it out of interest, what she close was really close to the real thing!

Overall, I would say it is a fairly good day trip. A place I would recommend still for all the shutterbugs out there.

Travel Plans for 2012

2012-01-09T00:45:34+08:00

Hello everyone !

How is 2012 so far for you?

I always look forward to a new year with my travel plans in mind.

I just touched down from a short holiday in Taipei.

I planned only two other places to go this year: Korea and Liverpool.

Why the two?

Korea cos its the only big city I have not been to in Asia that I wanted to go.

Liverpool, needless for me to say. I am a big football fan. I am really looking forward to this one is I can make it.

What are your travel plans for 2012?

It's 2012!

2012-01-01T16:19:48+08:00

Wishing you good health and abundance in 2012!

I leave you with the signature dish of Shanghai:

Merry Christmas !!!

2011-12-24T14:54:41+08:00

Wishing our readers a Merry Christmas filled with peace and joy ~

More Christmas Decorations in Shanghai

2011-12-23T01:52:41+08:00

David Tan