So I've been in Shanghai for over two weeks now, and everyday I am amazed by the city. I am lucky enough to have been put up in a lovely apartment in the Jing'an District (named after the Jing'an Temple that is located just one Metro stop away). My view is pretty impressive...
Every morning my journey to work takes about 30 mins. A short 5 minute walk to the Metro Station and then two stops and I'm pretty much at the office. Not quite as quick as my 3 minute commute in Singapore and slightly more crowded but I'm lucky that I'm not further away as I'm not sure how long I could cope being a sardine every morning!
Over the last 14 days I have come to realise that Shanghai is in fact huge! My map is deceiving as the distance of each block can be massive. I forget that this is the largest city by population in the world! And I'm here. Just me. My first week was a bit over-whelming as work is pretty busy and the city is even busier! As well as eating chicken feet and ducks tongues I have had some more incredible cuisine, once again at Lost Heaven, after a night out with the Holmes and Marchant girls. Lily and Catherine took me an incredible roof top bar, at The Peninsula Hotel, where I was literally "wowed" by the view. It was at this moment that Shanghai truly came to life for me.
As I mentioned previously, China is a food mecca! I've managed to try out so many delicious cafes and restaurants since I've been here. Some of my favorites...
DIN TAI FUNG
Din Tai Fung is an award-winning restaurant originating in Taiwan specializing in xiaolongbao (soup dumblings). We actually have branches in Singapore, but I've not yet tried it out. The dumpling skins are wrapped around a juicy pork filling, also containing a shot of really tasty soup/broth. It may very well be a Taiwanese chain, but I had heard that this was the best place to get xiaolongbao. It did not disappoint at all.
So, what else has been happening? Well, I was lucky enough to have Grant come and visit on my first weekend here. I was really grateful to have some company for a couple of days as the city is pretty daunting on my own. Most people stare. And I've had a few people literally stick their iPhones in my face and take pictures. Why? I'm not quite sure. Just something that I will have to get used to I suppose.
Last Friday night we managed to end up in a bar called Sasha's in the French Concession. An interesting place. The club next door was even more interesting. Greeted by the sign "LADS : no shirt = no drinks LADIES : now shirt = free drinks all night" I swiftly made a quick exit.
Last Saturday was sight seeing day. The easiest way...Big Bus Tours of course! I think it was the best way to enjoy the magnificent views from the top of the double decker bus, all with running commentary bringing Shaghai's 1000 year story to life. From the city we made our way over to Pudong, Shanghai's financial district, located along the east side of the Huangpu River. It was hard to imagine that this area has only been developing since the 1990's. Since then it has become home to many of Shanghai's best known buildings. The Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Building and the Shanghai World Financial Centre ... this one I have to get to the top of!
It is super tall! When it was completed in 2007, it was, at the time, the second tallest building in the world, at 492 meters tall! Grant and I made our way up the 100th floor to the observation deck with views from 474 meters above ground level. Absolutely incredible views. It seems like everything in this city is about height and bright lights as Pudong really comes to life in the evenings. Another favorite part of that side of the river was the incredible roundabout just below the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. So so colorful...
I'm really glad that Grant suggested getting out of the city on Sunday. I know for sure that had he not been here I would probably have spent the day wandering about aimlessly! So, we decide to head for Suzhou (pronouced Sue-Joe). A major city located adjacent to Shanghai. The train station was an experience in itself. After being dropped off my the taxi driver, literally in the middle of the road, we made our way to the ticket office and your tickets quite easily. Not so easy to figure out which platform we needed to be on though! Once we did we were on our way. Shanghai to Suzhou in 25 minutes.
Whilst I've been here I have also discovered Green Massage. A sanctuary to escape the daily stress for sure! I have visited twice now and both times I have come away feeling completely tranquil.
A mini highlight for me has been seeing the Chinese Magnum packs that we worked on in 2010. Never thought I'd see these in reality...
I arrived in China two weeks ago yesterday, and it has literally flown by. It's a completely different experience to living in Singapore, which I know consider "Asia for beginners". Watch this space for more pictures from our trip to Suzhou!
Every morning my journey to work takes about 30 mins. A short 5 minute walk to the Metro Station and then two stops and I'm pretty much at the office. Not quite as quick as my 3 minute commute in Singapore and slightly more crowded but I'm lucky that I'm not further away as I'm not sure how long I could cope being a sardine every morning!
Over the last 14 days I have come to realise that Shanghai is in fact huge! My map is deceiving as the distance of each block can be massive. I forget that this is the largest city by population in the world! And I'm here. Just me. My first week was a bit over-whelming as work is pretty busy and the city is even busier! As well as eating chicken feet and ducks tongues I have had some more incredible cuisine, once again at Lost Heaven, after a night out with the Holmes and Marchant girls. Lily and Catherine took me an incredible roof top bar, at The Peninsula Hotel, where I was literally "wowed" by the view. It was at this moment that Shanghai truly came to life for me.
As I mentioned previously, China is a food mecca! I've managed to try out so many delicious cafes and restaurants since I've been here. Some of my favorites...
DIN TAI FUNG
Din Tai Fung is an award-winning restaurant originating in Taiwan specializing in xiaolongbao (soup dumblings). We actually have branches in Singapore, but I've not yet tried it out. The dumpling skins are wrapped around a juicy pork filling, also containing a shot of really tasty soup/broth. It may very well be a Taiwanese chain, but I had heard that this was the best place to get xiaolongbao. It did not disappoint at all.
ELEMENT FRESH
This has fast become one of my favorite places to eat! Most famous for great salads, sandwiches, juices and smoothies, they also offer a variety of Asian dishes and a delicious dinner menu.
Element Fresh grew out of Scott Minoie's and Sheldon Habiger's lifelong passion for food. Scott, a Boston-native started his first catering business at the age of 15 from his mom's kitchen, and has been involved with food and restaurants ever since, primarily as a chef and restaurant manager.
Sheldon, combining a strong background in nutrition with business experience in China, in the year 2000 convinced Scott they should start a catering service together, helping to fill the gap in Shanghai's offerings of fresh, international food. In 2001, they added a health food & juice bar in Shanghai's first international health club.
The big break came in 2002: a regular customer working in the leasing department of Shanghai's premier retail, office and hotel complex, the Shanghai Centre/Portman, offered a location in the Shanghai Centre to the young restaurant company. When the word got out, other regular customers decided to provide the required financial support to the founders...and so Element Fresh at The Shanghai Centre opened its doors on July 12, 2002!"
This is where you will find me when I'm craving a salad. Element Fresh is simply great for it ... just look at the size of this Cobb Salad...
GOURMET CAFE
Today I stumbled upon Gourmet Cafe whilst a Shanghai Centre. They serve hand-made, premium hamburgers in a modern cafe setting.
"All our hamburgers, be it beef, pork, chicken or vegetable are an exercise in culinary perfection fusing imaginative and delicious combinations of ingredients and guarantee to blow your socks off."
LOST HEAVEN
I already prevoisuly wrote about Lost Heaven. Three visits now in a fortnight! I highly recommend!
GREEN AND SAFE ORGANIC
This is a high-end organic supermarket very similar to Whole Foods. It is owned by a Taiwanese company and is both a supermarket and a cafe. There are wooden crates everywhere, filled with bright, very healthy vegetables and fruits! My favorite thing ... free tasters! Check out these chillies outside drying in the sunshine...
Last Friday night we managed to end up in a bar called Sasha's in the French Concession. An interesting place. The club next door was even more interesting. Greeted by the sign "LADS : no shirt = no drinks LADIES : now shirt = free drinks all night" I swiftly made a quick exit.
Last Saturday was sight seeing day. The easiest way...Big Bus Tours of course! I think it was the best way to enjoy the magnificent views from the top of the double decker bus, all with running commentary bringing Shaghai's 1000 year story to life. From the city we made our way over to Pudong, Shanghai's financial district, located along the east side of the Huangpu River. It was hard to imagine that this area has only been developing since the 1990's. Since then it has become home to many of Shanghai's best known buildings. The Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Building and the Shanghai World Financial Centre ... this one I have to get to the top of!
It is super tall! When it was completed in 2007, it was, at the time, the second tallest building in the world, at 492 meters tall! Grant and I made our way up the 100th floor to the observation deck with views from 474 meters above ground level. Absolutely incredible views. It seems like everything in this city is about height and bright lights as Pudong really comes to life in the evenings. Another favorite part of that side of the river was the incredible roundabout just below the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. So so colorful...
Another delicious meal at Lost Heave and a casual stroll along the Bund that evening, where once again people come pounding up to us to have their photos taken. So bizarre! We covered a lot of ground that day!
I'm really glad that Grant suggested getting out of the city on Sunday. I know for sure that had he not been here I would probably have spent the day wandering about aimlessly! So, we decide to head for Suzhou (pronouced Sue-Joe). A major city located adjacent to Shanghai. The train station was an experience in itself. After being dropped off my the taxi driver, literally in the middle of the road, we made our way to the ticket office and your tickets quite easily. Not so easy to figure out which platform we needed to be on though! Once we did we were on our way. Shanghai to Suzhou in 25 minutes.
Whilst I've been here I have also discovered Green Massage. A sanctuary to escape the daily stress for sure! I have visited twice now and both times I have come away feeling completely tranquil.
Green Massage is my favorite weekend "treat". At 370RNB for a 120 minute full body massage, it may be on the more expensive side but it totally worth it. At both the Shanghai Centre and the Shanghai World Financial Centre branches I have been made to feel extremely welcome. The interiors although very dark, provide the perfect lull into relaxation with mature sounds and soothing music. They brew their own flower tea too! Chinese massage can be quite hard and at times I find myself blinking back tears of pain, but it is a rewarding experience in the end. I feel calm, relaxed and rejuvenated, ready to take on next weeks challenges!
...and then of course it's a great feeling to be able to see some of Chinese packaging on shelf here. Chips Ahoy was one of the Chinese projects I worked on and here it is. In all it's glory!
I arrived in China two weeks ago yesterday, and it has literally flown by. It's a completely different experience to living in Singapore, which I know consider "Asia for beginners". Watch this space for more pictures from our trip to Suzhou!
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