Taste of Shanghai part 2

So far it seems that my plan to catch up with the blog before I go overseas this Sunday will most likely to be fail. Didn't say that because I'm a pessimist, but mostly because I'm trying to be realistic. 20 posts to go and imagine how many posts I have to do after 7 weeks of holidays!

Let's make it 19 posts to go..shall we?

A while ago we went to this dumpling joint in World Square because Din Tai Fung was closed and left us with no choice. But this time we actually went there because we wanted to :)

I remember it was on a Friday night a couple of weeks ago, I was having a bad day so I decided I just had to get a good dinner to compensate!

For the starters we ordered the usual siao lung bao...


And then it gets better with these fried dumplings and the usual minced pork with green beans:




I always wanted to try the crab with salty egg, but I thought I should wait for a larger crowd to share it with. But not that night, I wanted it and I shall have it bwahahaha (I had a bad day remember?) Anyway I sorted out the craving but dang that salty egg was so salty (DOH..) And just sharing it between us two, we ended up with so much left over lol..


It won't take genius to work out what we ate for the next few days...

Le'toile

Okay now I'll try my new method to just post whatever recent events that I went to and deal with the older posts when I got a chance :)

Look where Moco took me for my birthday! hehe wasn't actually a surprise since I requested to go there =p

I saw Manu on the street a couple of weeks back and I regretted I didn't ask him for a photo so I was half hoping by going to his restaurant I could have a photo with him, no?

Soon I got there I peaked my head straight to the kitchen - he wasn't there but there's no harm of trying! Soon as we sat down I overheard the lady on the table behind us was quite disappointed she couldn't see Manu that day - oh lady you're not alone!

I've checked the menu before we went there so I pretty much knew what I wanted to order (it doesn't happen too often - per say..)

Moco and I decided to get the 2 courses lunch with me having an entree and a main and Moco chose to get a main and a dessert.

Moco was quite surprised when I ordered the Mackerel as my entree, since I can't stand mackerel fishy smell however when I asked the (sweet Franchie) waiter, he assured it won't be fishy but it'd be salty. It doesn't mean much to me since I don't like salty food either, but hey I still wanted to order it. And glad that I did!

Look how fantastic my entree looked and what a generous serving for an entree too!

As the main, I went for the Kingfish and Moco was very much eager to try his butcher's steak, and soon you can see why..

Yummy giant king fish and the buttery mash beans on the bottom!

What a perfect colour of the steak!

Moco's dessert - the Creme Brulee, I'm not a fan of creme brulee but according to Moco it was superbb!!

The generous portions still amazed me, sometimes French restaurant invested more in their decor and I ended up with two pieces of tiny meats I could barely see. I demand quality and quantity yeah!

Bottom line I enjoyed it very much, it's a wonderful lunch with a perfect companion. Didn't get to see Manu but I think we're lucky to get such beautiful weather on the last day of summer, enjoying the cozy spot at the back courtyard and relaxing French music at the background. Merci Moco! xx

Spice Temple

To be honest I didn't think we'd ever go to this restaurant if wasn't for a friend's birthday. I mean of course we're intrigued to try out Neil Perry's latest creation but since it was just Chinese (albeit upmarket) it kinda threw me off a little bit. I grew up with Asian food so I think it's justified if I'm hesitant to dine in supposedly fine Chinese? My dad will laugh his head off if he knew ;p

But anyway let's see what we had that night and I'll let you decide if it's worth it or not :)

The atmosphere of the restaurant was dark and it managed to put me in a relaxed mood (or maybe it was just me getting on with some cocktails whilst waiting). The names of their cocktails are so cute - using the Asian horoscope - and made it hard for me to decide since I didn't like the ingredients in my horoscope...

Anyway we didn't wait too long until everyone arrived, for the starters we had a combo of good ol picked radish and cucumbers with "smashed garlic". Reminded Moco a lot of what he'd normally have with congee.

Next up was an interesting mixture of eggplant with pork, corriander and even more garlic. Great for the breath. The presentation was nice as we needed to mix it up to finish off the dish.


Spicy deep fried chicken wings was the next dish, they were garnished with some yummy chillies which became a challenge for the boys on our table to see who could eat the most. I think the repercussions from that wouldn't felt until the next morning.


Ahh salt and pepper squid, well the Neil Perry version calls for "five spices" instead of the traditional two. These were an interesting take on an "Aussie" favourite. Although after a while the spices tasted a bit too dry, more like they were sprinkled on rather than used in the cooking process.


It was caution all around when the chicken hot pot came out. I think this had some sort of alcohol in it and it certainly had a nice punch. Probably one of the better dishes of the night. Moco enjoyed the garlic that was nicely cooked in this one:


Hrmmm, Sweet and Sour Pork? Not what you'd usually expect to see in a "nice" restaurant but hey whatever works. To be honest it was one of the better takes on it I've had in the past, I could definately taste some Sichuan pepper in there, I think that made the difference.


Mention Wagyu and everyone seems to get gitty. This very tasty brisket served with eggplant and a touch of chilli was certainly a highlight of the evening. As you would expect the brisket just falls apart at the slightest touch.


What Chinese meal wouldn't be complete with some Asian Greens, in this case it was Brocollini standing in for Gai Lan.


Look how amazing my friend's birthday cake - and she made it herself too!! Double applause please.


To finish off the banquet we had some watermelon granita that did a good job of refreshing us for the evening.

At the end of the night we were quite surprised to get charged a massive drinks bill - we didn't think we drank that much at all! Later I read in one of the restaurant's reviews, it's quite common that they charge incorrect amounts for alcohol. Part human error and part the really dark room Either way if you're planning to go there, make sure you keep track of your alcohol intake! x