Shanghai’s Reél Kitchen is a giant collection of food stalls situated above a metro station on Nanjing Xi Lu. The space is brightly lit and surprisingly clean, with the servers wearing hygienic masks and gloves. The sterile yet cutesy vibe reminds me of the food courts inside Japanese train stations. As you walk in, the […]
Asia
Singapore Zoo: Breakfast with Orangutans
The Singapore Zoo offers an extraordinary experience where you can eat breakfast with orangutans. This “Jungle Breakfast” is served in the zoo’s open-air Ah Meng Restaurant at 9:00 am. The buffet includes a large variety of dishes to suit everyone’s tastes, and I appreciated the nod to Singapore’s multicultural influences. Our hairy companions arrived at […]
Shanghai’s Notorious Past: A Gangster Tour of the French Concession
We recently had the pleasure of taking a Gangster Tour of the former French Concession, led by Daniel Newman and Christopher Pegg of Newman Tours. Daniel, a charismatic Brit, spent the entirety of the tour in character as a Cockney hustler, while affable Chris led us to believe he was once in the employ of Chicago’s […]
The Avocado Lady: Where to Get Western Groceries Shanghai
When I first moved to Shanghai, I heard about this woman called the Avocado Lady. She has a popular shop at 274 Wulumuqi Lu that has reached almost mythical status. What differentiates her from the countless other fruit and vegetable stands that line the sidewalks? For starters, she has produce that foreigners actually want to […]
Fuxing Park: A French Garden in Shanghai
The steam bath that is the Shanghai summer is upon us. My first inclination is to stay inside enjoying the comforts of air conditioning. But there are a few areas of the city still worth exploring this time of year, including the exceedingly lovely Fuxing (pronounced phoo-shing) Park. Once known as “the French garden,” Fuxing […]