Vedas - Eating Indian in Shanghai

Vedas

We love eating Indian and are lucky that there is a pretty good one (Face : Indonesian-owned but managed by a bunch of Singaporeans) just within our residence. Unfortunately it's only open for dinner and is very costly, besides, it's good to try a different curry sometimes. The sauces tend to taste the same after a while, you wouldn't be able to tell a korma, makhani, rogan josh, vindaloo or doo piazza apart.

I read somewhere that Vedas has moved to new premises near Jing'an Temple in Puxi which was where we needed to be 2 Sundays ago for the French Presidential elections. It was a lovely day which made it a pity to have to eat indoors, but the restaurant was bright enough to make it ok and the food was better than we had expected it to be.

Tandoori chicken

Butter naan and garlic naan

I often judge Indian cuisine by its naan and Vedas makes pretty good ones. The different curries have different coloured sauces and you can still taste the ground spices on the tandoori chicken which also happened not to be red in colour.

Bhindi masala

fish curry

The okra was tender and came with a few other vegetables which was a nice touch and for once the fish in the fish curry didn't taste fishy nor was it rubbery. The food was very spicy in general the way we've asked for it to be and the rice came in decent portions for the price.

Butter chicken - so so

Lamb doo piazza

It's not the best Indian I've eaten, but it's pretty decent for Shanghai. We would be back.

Vedas

83 changshu lu

Tel : 021 6445 8100

本家 －Fine Korean Restaurant in Shanghai

Hot charcoal for the BBQ

I must admit that I'm not usually hot about Korean food. I don't eat kimchi and that most of their dishes tend to be red or brown in colour puts me off quite a bit.

I did get into Korean food frenzy when I was following Dae Jang Geum a few years back, but the ubiquitous consumption of horrible-looking zhajiang mian (炸酱面) in another Korean series soon killed it. I haven't thought much about eating Korean until Fei and Judy brought me to eat Korean each time we went to Changning to have cashmere sweaters made (to order) a few weeks ago.

But it was Tina bringing me to eat Korean at 本家 last week that allowed me to see Korean cuisine in another light. She was introduced to the restaurant by Korean friends and was suitably impressed herself to keep returning since.

little side dishes

The restaurant is part of a chain that could be found in Beijing, Qingdao and Shaoxing. The one we went to was in Pudong. We only ordered one type of beef to be cooked over a charcoal stove - but it was sufficient. Because a typical Korean meal usually comes with lots of other little dishes and a lot of fresh salad.

a long tray of salad leaves

The meat was very good and was expertly prepared by the waitress and you get 2 dipping sauces to go with it. We also ordered a beef soup with sweet potato vermicelli that was nice if a little sweet for my liking (am referring to the broth). But the meal on the whole was lovely (and healthy) and I would definitely return with the friends and especially the Teenager who's currently in a Korean phase (due to having many Korean friends at school).

grainy beef that would have cost a bomb in Korea

The bill for the 2 of us was 300 rmb for lunch.

本家

2F, Qianjiang Tower

971 Dongfang Lu

Shanghai Pudong

Tel : 021 5081 9377

Restaurant Jean Georges, Shanghai

Jean Georges Shanghai

This wasn't our first meal at Jean Georges though it was the first time we ate there in the day and managed to take a few photos in natural light. Because the restaurant is pretty chic with wooden panelling, dim lights (even dimmer in the toilets), leather seats...which while creating ambiance wasn't conducive to food photography.

We still think the cuisine is finer, plus travaillée at Jean Georges' than at Mr and Mrs Bund - though the latter remains our favourite restaurant in Shanghai to date thanks to its generous portions and good service. If I haven't mentioned it before, MM Bund's lobster steamed in a glass jar is something one has to try at least once when one is dining in Shanghai.

View of Liujiazui from our table at the Bund

Last week Hub worked through the weekend and had 3 days off (Wednesday was Tomb Sweeping Day in China) at the beginning of this week. Took the opportunity to lunch out most days as many good restaurants do prix fixe menus for lunch that would allow us to try different dishes without ruining our pockets (or our supposed diet). It's also nice to eat out on a nice sunny day - after weeks of continuous rain and grey weather. Our Champagne brunch at Jade on 36 last Sunday was too much though - I drank so much (we estimated we probably drank at least a whole bottle each of champagne and red wine between us) I broke my favourite mug when I reached home and couldn't sleep all night.

Foie gras brulé, candied pistachios - excellent and light

Sea scallops with caramelised cauliflower

The Chinese staff at Jean Georges needs to be better trained according to us. They seemed a little clumsy, lacking in elegance, savoir faire and rigour. I do not know if you have observed professional French waiters at work, but you'll understand then that serving truly requires technique and a certain finesse.

Baked salmon with black truffle crust

Caramelised tenderloin, potato confit with lemon

We took different dishes in the lunch menu and shared a second main dish - because Hub wanted to try their cheeseburger with Russian dressing and crispy onions. He said that since JG had a restaurant in the USA, he must be good at making burgers.

JG Cheeseburger, Russian dressing, crispy onions

The food didn't disappoint and the dessert was quite fine - a great way to end the meal with. We drank half a bottle of Chilean red wine which turned out to be quite good, though the cost of the sparkling water (98 rmb!!!) nearly freaked us out. Bill came up to 1000 rmb for the 2 of us, which I guess was normal for lunch. A similar meal for dinner would normally cost double.

Raspberry sorbet, mousse and meringue

Strawberry-Calamansi tart, lemongrass sorbet

Jean Georges Shanghai

3 on the Bund

Tel : 021 6321 7733

www.jean-georges.com

Yuxiang Kitchen, Shanghai (渝乡人家）

Yuxiang Kitchen Himalayas branch

Fei was supposed to join us since she was the one who recommended that we try this Sichuanese restaurant 渝乡人家 that just opened behind the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel in Pudong, but she felt queasy and had to give it a miss. So Judy and I went with the Teenager who surprisingly didn't sulk for once and actually seemed to enjoy his meal.

I am getting used to eating Sichuanese, in fact I sometimes have cravings for the numbing heat and spice of the cuisine. The oil that the food tends to be steeped in is a bit off-putting, but once you start fishing the stuff out, you will forget that you even minded that in the first place. Like my driver said, it can be addictive, so much so that many locals in Shanghai are giving up their sweet cuisine for the fiery one of their Sichuanese comrades - according to him.

Yuxiang Kitchen is actually a chain with branches all over Shanghai. The restaurant in the J Hotel being new, the decor was refined and we had the privilege of eating off new plates and sitting on new chairs.

Forget this beef skewer dish : dry, tough, stringy, raw spice taste

The service was reasonably attentive (not many clients that day) though I wouldn't listen to their recommendations too much, the beef skewers our waitress mentioned we should try was dry and stringy, a mistake.

Bullfrog in chilli oil - yummy and very oily

Chicken in chilli oil - quite nice but could be meatier

But the rest of our orders turned out quite well, though improvements can still be made. I loved the bullfrog dish but the pieces of frog were weirdly chopped, not easy to consume. There was much more eggplant than fish in the fish and eggplant dish, maybe we should have gone for the spicy fried fish instead.

Fried pig's intestines - nice and crunchy on the outside but to be consumed quickly

Eggplant and fish - a bit of a rip off

Finally I actually enjoyed the cold noodles more than I expected to. It had a good mix of sesame oil, peanut paste, soy sauce, vinegar and chilli. Quite yummy, much better than the Ding Tai Fung version, actually.

Cold noodles - very nice

Yuxiang Kitchen Himalayas Pudong Branch

1188 Fangdian Lu

Tel : 021 6047 9797

Lunch at Table N°1 by Jason Atherton

Squid ink risotto @ Table N°1

When you are an expat in Shanghai, you usually look forward to picking up a copy of the free magazine Cityweekend filled with restaurant listings and reviews, the latest concerts and exhibitions etc.

For a year now I've been wanting to try Table N°1 by Jason Atherton since reviews have generally been positive and the menu seemed interesting and reasonably priced. The chef is famous (and has worked at El Bulli as well as won numerous awards) and I liked the idea of modern European cuisine, gastro-pub concept etc. That "N°1" was mentioned somewhere in the name of the restaurant probably contributed to said desire, you know how the psychology works for some of us.

I digress, restaurant opposite was making offering to the gods, burning paper money etc

I convinced Hub to join me there for lunch (he usually prefers French or Italian restaurants if he had to consume calories) one afternoon in February and we found the South Bund area where the restaurant was pretty cool. We were seated in a bright dining room decorated simply with modern fittings and I was quite intrigued by the fact that the kitchen was situated in the next building. It's like watching your neighbours cook, one of those thoughts that crossed my mind.

Salmon cakes with quail eggs

The lunch menu was simple and looked delicious on paper. But I must say that while the food was quite nice, we didn't find it exciting and couldn't find the incentive to return. Plus the portions were small.

Calf liver

We had salmon cakes with quail eggs, squid ink risotto, calf liver (for Hub)...They were cooked properly, the colours and presentation were lovely, but we just felt that there could be more to it. The risotto wasn't anywhere as good as the ones I've eaten in Italy, and the dessert while nice couldn't be compared to what I usually get in France.

Was it just a bad day? Maybe I should give the private chef dining a try? But Hub wouldn't have any of it.

Table N°1 by Jason Atherton

The Waterhouse Hotel, Cool Docks

1号 Maojiayuan Road,

Shanghai
Tel : 021 60802918

www.tableno-1.com

海底捞 Steamboat with Service

Yin yang pot

I've never been hot about steamboat (火锅/hotpot/fondue) until Fei brought us to lunch at 海底捞 (Sichuan Haidilao). Ever since that, I started looking forward to my next steamboat meal and realising that I wasn't alone, we lunched there again this afternoon.

What's so special about this steamboat restaurant? Without hesitation I'll tell you that it's the service. Yes, it's possible to have service in China. This restaurant positively sizzles with it. Though of course it comes with a price. I've brought my driver to lunch there on another occasion and according to him a meal at Haidilao costs at least 50% more than a similar one (with less service, of course) that he and his family would go for.

From the moment you step out of your car and walk towards the building housing the eating place, there would be someone waiting, "Do you happen to want to lunch at Haidilao?" Reply in the positive and you would be ushered to the private lift that would bring you directly to the restaurant and be greeted by a hostess.

At your table you would get a hot towel (that would be changed any time you want a new one), an apron, a cover for your jacket and bag, an elastic band for your hair (if you don't have one)...You order your food, your drinks (free-flow and served), specify if you want someone to cook for you, and you would always be checked on to see if you needed anything else, if the heat was too strong or not enough etc.

There would be a station filled with cold appetisers and a wide choice of sauces that you could mix yourself (and it's cleaned all the time by the staff), noodles would be prepared and pulled right in front of you, plates changed throughout the meal...The menu is quite varied and the prices reasonable. I love their special beef (that remains tender even after a long time in the pot), prawn balls and fried bean curd sticks.

Spoilt for choice

Cleaning and refilling the sauce station

You need to go to the toilet? It's very clean for a Chinese restaurant because there is someone cleaning it all the time. Need a sanitary napkin? Just ask. There may even be staff waiting to turn on the tap for you, provide you with a towel, hand cream, tooth pick, chewing gum etc etc.

Chillies and oil!

Their 麻辣 soup base was one of the best I've tried, so strong and hot Fei had to eat pop corn (courtesy of the house, of course) to quench the fire. Feel that maybe the meal may be too hot for your system? They would make flower tea for you to balance things up.

Division of labour is the way this restaurant works. There is someone for every task. There are currently 10 restaurants in Shanghai but we usually go to the one in Pudong. You can order steamboat to be delivered to your house, by the way. Or buy one of their soup bases online. On 淘宝, of course.

海底捞

上海市浦东新区张杨路588号中融恒瑞大厦6层

Tel : 021 38713936

www.haidilao.com

T8 Fusion Cuisine Restaurant, Shanghai

T8 Shanghai

I haven't told you about T8. Hub brought me there - was it in November? Goodness, time does fly, doesn't it? We are now moving into February...

Anyway he went there once with a few colleagues for a business dinner and thought that I would enjoy trying it out. It's sweet when Hub displays such little acts of thoughtfulness. After more than a decade together, you fear sometimes that you have become part of the wall paper together with the resident spiders and flies. But if he still wants to bring you out to dinner and share every order, you know that he still cares. Hub's not into gifts and sweet words, but he's big on gourmet cuisine.

Still, I thought that maybe we hadn't needed to go for the big tasting menu @ 1398rmb pax. The kids are growing up really fast and one may go to college soon - and we have nothing saved up yet. But Hub said he may die of a heart attack tomorrow and would rather enjoy life while he could. So we ate and we drank.

Spiced and roasted pumpkin soup

Salmon Tsunami

The restaurant specialises in serving European food with an Asian touch and is located in the trendy Xintiandi area. It had dim lighting which while creating atmosphere spelled doom for food photography. It contained an open kitchen in the middle of the dining hall and you could catch the cooks in action. Like 2 of them (Chinese) taking turns to shuck oysters - and not managing it.

Cold lobster lasagna

Shanghainese hairy crab meat with squid ink pasta

The serving staff was friendly and good looking - but as usual sometimes clueless. The high turnover in Shanghai with jobs aplenty probably doesn't help create trained personnel no matter where you go, whether it be a restaurant or an electronics store. And many of them have no concept of hygiene, etiquette or product safety, like this cleaner I saw the other morning cleaning the glass walls of a swimming pool - dipping her scrapper in it...I digress as usual.

Passionfruit sorbet

Australian Wagyu beef striploin grade 9+

The food was good as were the wines that came with every dish. I still dream of the wagyu beef grade 9+ that came in a very small portion but melted in my mouth...I must admit that I've never really eaten wagyu beef before because it tends to be so expensive, but once I've tasted it, I keep thinking that I must eat it again soon! And as luck would have it, we were invited to dinner in an Italian restaurant the other evening and I had wagyu beef grade 6 for my main course. Better than lobster, in fact it did cost more than the latter actually. Another expensive taste on the way to being cultivated, I fear.

Cheese

Chocolate soufflé with sour pear sorbet

Xintiandi on a wet evening was actually pretty crowded as expats and rich Chinese turned out for the trendy restaurants, jazz bars and European cafés. Times like these we regret that we do not live in Puxi, but when you have young children Pudong is definitely a nicer option with its green space and cleaner air.

T8 Shanghai

上海市卢湾区太仓路181弄北里8号

Tel : 021 6355 8999