Writes of Passage

1/F, No.2 No.280 Nong, Hongjing Road, Minhang Qu
Shanghai, China,

I enjoyed my dinner there: good ambiance, good service, good food, good presentation and clean bathroom, in a private tatami room. My friend said this is one of the top Japanese restaurants in twon. It’s my last meal in Shanghai and could not have asked for a better place. Thanks 亲!

1 Fenyang Lu 汾阳路1号 (淮海店)
Shanghai, China,

The spelling can be different: Cheng Long Xing Xie WangFu, Cheng Long Hang Xie Wangfu. I’d dinner there in 2014 at different location tho, in a private room on the second floor. Here in the open, dinning can be trying: noisy and rushed. Foods are fine and service is ok. We ask for a scissor to cut the crab and the waiter turns around and picks one up from the dirty bin, right in front of us.

The crab is sold by size: female 3.5 cm/公分 is ￥308, 2.5 cm￥180 and male 5 cm goes for ￥388.

Qipao Gallery 人间烟火
570 Yongjia Lu, Xuhui Qu
Shanghai, China

The custom made studio is spacious, inside Brownstone where they hold block brunch party. Nothing really catches my fancy, considering their price tags, hovering ￥5,000 (US$700+). They’ve a wine refrigerator and tea on the table but we are offered neither.

99 Huaihai M Road (Shanghai Times Sq)
上海圆苑酒家(兴国店) 淮海中路99号大上海时代广场5层
021-64339123

You’ve got to have their slow roasted pork belly 红烧肉 (bit too sweet for my taste), the add ons are up to you: eggs and potato for us.

The drunken crab is great but they don’t offer you the gadget. When I ask the waiter, she looks surprised “utensil?!” I don’t know whom she asked but come back with it, which bears their name. Poor training!The drunken crab is great but they don’t offer you the gadget. When I ask the waiter, she looks surprised “utensil?!” I don’t know whom she asked but comes back with it, which bears their name (pretty handsome). Poor training! – As it turns out, all the restaurants I’ve been to in Shanghai don’t offer the crab utensil. Surprisingly, one in Zhuhai does, with gloves.

We don’t normally see them do ads in the USA but many would sell out elsewhere. Scarlett Johansson pitches for Huawei phones (in Shanghai) and Bradley Cooper who graduated from Georgetown in 1993 does Haagen Dazs ice cream (in Macau). Chinese market is increasingly important and powerful, commending the top talents. Matt Damon is starring in the Great Wall by Zhang Yimou, coming out Feb 2017. Dr. Strange has Hong Kong and Wang.

3:58 video for Huawei 这是由华为与好莱坞影视制作公司Wondros共同打造的国际版推广短片，背景音乐来自华为手机品牌音乐《Dream It Possible》

上海犹太难民纪念馆
62 Changyang Rd, Hongkou Qu,
Shanghai, China, 200082

This museum is for the Jewish refugees during WWII living in Shanghai. I went there too late, missing it again. The coffee house across the street is still servicing. Otherwise the area is pretty dead.

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It’s the season! Autumn is definitely a good time to go to China. I’ve plenty da zha crab (wiki) during this trip, mainly in Shanghai and Zhuhai. Out of all restaurants and private home, only the one in Zhuhai offers gloves and gadgets. The rest didn’t provide utensils! Hello, how do expect us to eat?

Shanghai & Wuzhen

Zhuhai

Oriental Art Center
425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong Xinqu,
Shanghai, China

OAC opened in 2004, under the same roof with the opera house. Its different from Shanghai Concert Hall. The decor is warm and simple, it’s a pleasure to enjoy Anne-Sophie Mutter‘s performance. Although she gave two encores but I felt there is an icy distance between her and the audience – she chatted with her pianist the whole time never looked at us. Great seats at exuberant price ￥1,280 (about US$200).

This young woman comes to see her from Beijing (she said Mutter gave 4 encores in Beijing!). When she tries to present a bouquet of flowers, one of the ushers stopped her, to which prompts Mutter to ask, “where is my flower?” Throughout the performance, the ushers come out in doves several times, holding ‘no photography’ sign which is super annoying.

The little shop for musical boxes:

上周在北京穆特居然演奏四首返场曲，惊喜[强]

是呀？她只演奏了2首. 有点怪怪的是表演前后她一直和伴奏说话 – as if there’s no connection with the audience. I felt a little rude [闭嘴] but her (their) performance was excellent.

不知是否她更需要伴奏认可，她和伴奏合作了20多年了。那天我碰巧听到我后排的人说她右手已经不是最好，应该是和她自己比，还说她某次欧洲的音乐会表现不太好等等。

SAS
258 Jinfeng Lu 金丰路258号
Minhang, Shanghai, China,

I bet all moms with kids remember this kind of events: planing, shopping, experimenting, tasting, adjusting, cooking/mixing, bottling, chilling, (short sleep)  moving, decorating, shouting, selling, counting money, dismantling what you’ve just done a few hours earlier… tired like a dog but happy. Not sure when will I get the second chance.

Vendors come in doves, selling apartments, after school programs, pro bakeries, …

有孩子在上学的妈妈们还记得吗？计划, 买料，试验，调味，装瓶，雪藏，搬运，摆饰，吆喝，收钱，拆迁… 精疲力尽，声嘶力竭 [偷笑] 不过做的很开心. 不知道猴年马月才会再有这种机会了. 🇺🇸学校需不需要这种💰 是另外一回事儿. 卖房的，卖糕点的，卖课后活动的 … 也都蜂拥而来.

.. and a few hours later. Some are better dressed than the other.

Shanghai Hongqiao Tiandi branch
上海虹桥天地店

小南国是撑不住了，搞了个小号叫南小馆，走平民路线

We’ve been to this 南小馆 twice and enjoy it food.  Bathroom trip has to go outside tho.

Xiao Nan Guo Restaurants Holdings Ltd is a public traded company started in 1987 in Shanghai. zh wiki