One of the great joys of living in Shanghai is the availability of 小笼包, or xiaolongbao. Literally translated as “small basket buns,” these beloved snacks are more commonly known as soup dumplings. They are a Shanghainese specialty and the other day I set out to learn how to make them. I attended a two-hour class […]
Shanghai
Simply Delicious Thai Food in Shanghai
One of our favorite restaurants here in Shanghai is Simply Thai. I haven’t been to Thailand yet, so I can’t speak to its authenticity, but Simple Thai consistently wins expat magazine awards for best Thai food so they must be doing something right. I’d give them an award just for the scrumptious tapioca, sago and […]
Afternoon Tea in Shanghai, 87 Floors Up
There are dozens of places in Shanghai that offer afternoon tea – from ice cream parlors to historic hotels – and I intend to try as many of them as I can. So I recently took advantage of a rare blue-sky day to enjoy afternoon tea in the Living Room, the elegant lounge found on the 87th […]
Modern Xinjiang Barbecue at Xibo, Shanghai
A few weeks ago, friends suggested we meet for dinner at this new barbecue joint called Xibo. We gamely showed up expecting pulled-pork sandwiches and hamburgers. But what we found was so much better. With a stunning rooftop location, Xibo specializes in modern Xinjiang cuisine. This hearty, comforting food comes from the northwestern reaches of […]
A Taoist Temple in Pudong, Shanghai
The other day I was running errands – in Pudong of all places – and when I exited Yuanshen metro station I saw a massive temple directly across the street. Marked on my dog-eared city map as a Confucian Temple, I went inside to investigate. What I found was a vast and ornately decorated Taoist […]