上海。Shanghai.
On the way back from Taiwan to Europe, Shanghai was the chance for me to explore a new area of China and catch up with the best of work besties.
The “city on the sea” offers water towns, vanishing old neighbourhoods and one of the most recognisable skylines in the world. Shanghai was a fascinating stop, dotted with a scandalous amount of meals - and an equally obscene number of daily steps to burn the calories while peeking through boarded-up doors.
Shanghai Blog.
Shanghai Travel Stories.
Pig invasion in Shanghai
A gloomy day trip to Zhujiajiao (朱家鱼)
One of the oldest traditional Chinese medicine vendors in Zhujiajiao (朱家鱼). Love myself a good door.
Why use tap water when you can wash your wig in the rain? Everyday scenes in Zhujiajiao (朱家鱼)
Very empty water town.
Rong Cuisine (荣小馆), in Shanghai. Great value for an outstanding Zhejiang dinner for one in Huangpu.
Braised ribs (红烧仔排) at 荣小馆 (Rong Cuisine). Fall-off-the-bone, a light fond and deep flavour.
Yellow croaker in stone pot - 膝椒石锅昂刺鱼, my main at Rong Cuisine. Tender fish in a tingling broth, laced with slippery noodles and a sprinkling of fresh green Sichuan pepper on top. 荣小馆 was a great discovery.
Silky aubergines with minced meat, 肉末茄子. Like I'd pass on an aubergine dish. 荣小馆 didn't disappoint.
Old neighbourhoods in Shanghai are being torn down to make room for high-rise blocks and commercial properties. Some are still standing but boarded up, ready to be torn down. Fascinating limbo.
They do have their charm, though.
Neon lights on the Bund. Mandatory Shanghai skylight picture in between meals.
A bit of an oddball in a sea of Michelin Starred restaurants. Lao Zheng Xin (老正兴菜馆) is unpretentious and the service is lovely but not particularly refined, but the traditional shanghainese dishes on the menu keep old-style benbang cooking on the map.
A lovely drunken chicken (花雕醉鸡) at Lao Zheng Xin (老正兴菜馆). Clean and tender - refreshingly balanced with a delicate rice wine note.
The real surprise of the evening. Shanghai smoked fish (上海票鱼) is an old-style Shanghainese favourite. Chunks of fried white fish, begging to be grabbed and eaten as a snack. Compact and intensely smoky, with a crisp edge, one of the highlights at Lao Zheng Xin (老正兴菜馆). It's not really smoked fish - the smokiness comes from the intense dark soy sauce that turns smoky when hit with blazing-hot fish straight out of the frying oil.
Brown combo at Lao Zheng Xin (老正兴菜馆). Slippery and supple river eels (响油鳝丝) with a refreshing sprinkle of greens on top and a tangy dish of crunchy jellyfish heads (老醋海蜇头) and cucumber slices in vinegar.
An ode to pork. Lao Zheng Xin (老正兴菜馆) serves this pork belly that's reminiscent of dongpo pork with hints of fermented tofu - one the house's signature dishes as the self-referential name suggests: 正兴酱方肉. The fat breaks down, turning into jelly and coating your mouth.
Lost in Shanghai? Follow the skyscrapers.
I would've kept this shop in business myself had it been open. Big fan of goose and of the inspired tag line.
And we're done. Time to head back.
Tiled rooftops in the water towns around Shanghai.
Back to Shanghai, for New Year's Eve. Another view of the Bund and some riverside walks in for a much breezier visit.
Makeshift break in the back of a bike. There's time to relax even in one of the world's busiest cities.
Another jellyfish head in vinegar (陈醋海蜇头), this time at Sanmalu (三玛璐酒楼), a renowned Shanghai-style restaurant in Huanpu.
The red braised pork belly (红烧肉) at Sanmalu (三玛璐酒楼) was sweet, as expected, but less cloyingly so than in other restaurants. Loved the little quail egg on top.
Shanghai lights up at night.
One last meal in Shanghai took me further out North, at Cong (聪菜馆). Very personable service and lovely ambience with artwork on the walls. The cold pig's tongue marinated in wine lees (糟门腔) and scallion oil and scallop noodles (瑶柱葱油拌面) were excellent. A very well-deserved Michelin Bib Gourmand in Shanghai.
Crab roe tofu (蟹粉豆腐) for my second dinner at Lao Zheng Xing (老正兴菜馆).
A touch of Sweden abroad. Fotografiska Shanghai is a recent addition to the ever-expanding offspring of the Stockholm-based photography museum.
An Italian touch by the French Concession.
Consistently imposing, Shanghai World Financial Center - or the Bottle Opener.
A print from Fotografiska Shanghai, to encompass the last leg of the trip - From Shaoxing up to Shanghai. The Shanghairen (literally, people of Shanghai) is a sister project to The Beijingren - a creative project aimed at expressing life in the two cities through fictional magazine covers inspired by The New Yorker and The Parisianer, amongst others.
Between flashing skyscrapers and the bustling streets of Shanghai, Lao Zheng Xing has been awarded one Michelin star for its celebration of traditional Shanghainese cuisine. The restaurant combines a non-pretentious ambience and affordable prices, serving classic dishes like drunken chicken, braised pork belly and Shanghai “smoked” fish.