My Shanghai: grocery shopping

One of the things that has taken a bit of getting used to since moving to Shanghai is grocery shopping. Unlike Australia, Singapore or the UK, there is no one-stop shop like Cold Storage, Woolworths or Sainsbury's. Here, you can spend HOURS and HOURS shopping for your groceries from a combination of sources. Fortunately, Shanghai is really, really into online shopping and home delivery. You could literally get one lemon delivered to your door. If you were really lazy, that is!

So here is my shopping hit list:

Fields - For some reason I avoided using Fields for a long time. But recently they have improved their delivery times. For example, if you order before midday, you can have delivery between 4 and 6pm; if you order the night before, you can have a delivery between 9am and midday. And I'm sure their prices have dropped slightly. Their fresh fruit and veggies are great quality - and most of it is organic. As is their meat. I've not tried their seafood, but will do at some stage. I find their website very easy to navigate, so this is now my main go-to place for a weekly shop of fresh goodies.

Feidan - this is my closest shop (left) within walking distance that I can pop into for import goodies. Perfect for milk, cheese, yoghurt, wine, cereal - whatever I've run out of, really. And best of all, they stock the Financial Times weekend paper (from 5pm on Saturdays). And they will home deliver if you spend over 200 kuai.

City Shop - I usually shop regularly at two of their branches - the Shanghai Centre on Nanjing Xi Lu or Huahai Lu (near Shanxi Nan Lu, downstairs from Sephora). You can also order online, however it's actually quicker to pop in and do a shop yourself and pay at the checkout as they will then deliver it within an hour or two. They stock loads of imported brands and have a decent selection of fresh fruit & veggies and sometimes meat and salmon. Remember to check the prices before buying. This place can add up!

The Avocado Lady - I don't know what this lady's real name is, but she's known around town by this moniker and it has stuck. She has a fruit & veggie stall on Wulumuqi Lu (about 10 mins walk from my place) and always has a queue of laowai (expats) and locals running out the door. She stocks more than just fruit and veg; she also sells imported cereals, wine, olive oils, olives, sardines, anchovies, capers, muesli, tinned chick peas and a good selection of fresh nuts and herbs. She also has a fridge full of cheeses that you can buy by weight. Best of all: she is CHEAP! And she's honest to boot. She'll often throw in free herbs with my veggies. And if she thinks the raspberries aren't going to last well, she'll tell me to eat them that day or not bother buying. A smart lady. And she almost always has avocadoes in stock.

Dia - is located directly opposite The Avocado Lady on Wulumuqi Lu. Apparently it's a cheap chain run by Carrefour (but don't quote me on that). It's good for stocking up on essentials like toilet paper, soap, shampoos and the like as their prices are considerably cheaper than the import-heavy supermarkets like City Shop and Feidan. I give their "fresh" fruit and veggies a wide berth as they look like about as fresh as Lindsay Lohan after a night on the tiles. They don't do delivery (or if they do, I can't figure it out), so bring your own bags and muscles for the walk home.

Baker & Spice - this is my favourite bakery. It's on Anfu Lu, just a hop, skip and a jump from Feidan. I absolutely adore their baguettes and mixed olive sourdough bread. And I'm quite partial to their zucchini and carrot cupcake, jam doughnuts and raspberry/chocolate tart. Oh and their lemon meringue tart and pain au chocolat. And their parma ham and rocket panini. You get the drift. It's all good. There's always a queue here. You can eat at the big communal table (or out on the footpath on a stool - no tables) but I prefer to take-away and avoid the crowds.

Sunflour - this bakery (left) only opened recently (at the Wukang Lu end of Anfu Lu). Their croissants and pain au chocolate are better than Baker & Spice and definitely worth trying, as are their cakes, particularly their chocolate mousse cake. I've not tried their bread, bagels or pretzels yet, but am sure they are delicious. It's nice to see B&S with some competition. It can only be a good thing for the consumer.

Marks & Spencer - I really got into M&S when I was living in Singapore, mostly for their frozen foods  particularly their quiches, curries, fish, sea scallops and pasta (I love their spinach and ricotta ravioli). We pretty much stock up here at least once a fortnight and fill our freezer for easy mid-week meals (for those nights you don't really feel like cooking from scratch). I also throw pasta sauces, tea bags, canned soups and biscuits into the trolley. And don't forget to stock up on their wine. If you buy six bottles, you get a discount. The store is located on busy Nanjing Xi Lu but there's a metro station next door - or you can get taxis fairly easy at the front door (but avoid rush hour).

Ikea - it might sound odd, but I visit this Swedish furniture store to stock up on their food. It's only two metro stops from my place and they have some great products: crispbreads, condiments, cordial, salmon, chocolate and their famous Swedish meatballs.

Carrefour - if you have a death wish, you can shop at this big French supermarket chain. Prices are cheaper but you have to get yourself to Gubei (about a 25-minute taxi ride from my place) then battle crowds, hideous muzak, more crowds and yet more crowds. But if you want to buy wine, toilet paper, a live fish, a duvet, a billboard-size TV and an electric scooter, you can do it all under one roof. They also have a good selection of organic veggies and their wine selection is vast. But there's a catch: there's no dedicated taxi queue. Good luck finding a taxi and battling the crowds on the footpath while wrestling with your heavy shopping bags. You can also shop online, but the site is clunky, takes hours to navigate and then when you do press "buy", a message appears: "we'll deliver sometime in the next three days. Cash on delivery". So you're then house-bound for three days waiting for the delivery. Burned once and never again.

GL Japan Plaza - this is a new supermarket to my repertoire. Located in Xintiandi, it's a basement-level Japanese supermarket chock full of imported goodies, fresh meats, fruit & veggies, a bakery and sushi counter. The prices are good (particularly with a member card) and the experience is entirely pleasant as the shop is clean, easily laid-out and spacious. I've never encountered any crowds here and it's never a problem to get a taxi on the street. If I'm down Xintiandi way, it's an easy supermarket to pop into.

Wet markets - I do know that some of my friends shop here for their fresh veggies - and some meat. I don't. Since falling pregnant I am extra careful about what I buy and where. Mostly because of pesticides and health standards. Prices are much, much cheaper, but for me, it's not worth the risk. Particularly when I see meat that's been sitting out for hours and from dubious origins. My Chinese teacher once said to me: "We Chinese believe that every food is poisoned, so we just eat a little bit of everything rather than a lot of one thing. Just in case." 'Nuff said.

Things to remember when grocery shopping in Shanghai:

1. Cash is king. With all home deliveries, you will need to have cash for the delivery driver. Some places accept PayPal (for example, Fields) but most don't. So you always need to have a cash supply handy.

2. Meat comes frozen. If you want to cook dinner tonight with the meat you're having delivered at 4pm, think again. It will be frozen. Plan ahead.

3. Not everything is in stock. Most places will give you a heads-up phone call if something you've ordered online is not in stock. But if they ring me at 3:55 for a 4pm delivery and I placed the order at 9am, they can expect me to be annoyed. More often than not if I get suitably outraged, the item magically appears at 4pm.

My Shanghai: favourite weekend afternoon pub

One of our favourite spots to hang for a few hours on a weekend afternoon is Boxing Cat Brewery. They have a couple of locations in Shanghai, but we prefer the one nearest to our place on Fuxing Xi Lu, near Yongfu Lu. In the warmer months, it's lovely to sit outside on the terrace. But in winter, it's just as lovely inside, either at the bar or nearer to the fireplace.

They have their own beer on tap, but really, it's the food we love - Southern comfort food. Think sweet potato fries, pulled pork sandwiches, grits, biscuits and gravy. I cannot call myself an expert in this style of cooking, however I can tell you, I love Boxing Cat's menu, particularly their snack menu. We often pop in here for a late lunch/afternoon snack or with friends if we've done a bit of a mini pub crawl in the area. Top of the list: "Fists of Fury". Chicken wings with an incredibly spicy sauce. And by spicy, I mean lip-burning spicy. I can usually only manage about three wings before my lips fall off. But it's worth the pain.

Boxing Cat Brewery
82 Fuxing Xi Lu (near Yongfu Lu)
复兴路82号, 近永福路

Cooking at home: pesto eggs; Moroccan cottage pie, spicy cauliflower, fish tacos and apple crumble

The combination of cooler weather and my growing bump has led to me being a major nesting mode lately. As a result, I've really been enjoying cooking at home more.  I've been ordering up a bunch of fresh veggies each Monday so I can have a stocked fridge to inspire me.

First up: Sunday brekky. Usually I have my eggs poached, but I couldn't be bothered with the faffing about, so I opted to just fry them up. I popped some sourdough bread in the toaster, squeezed some fresh orange juice and cut up some organic tomatoes and topped with some basil pesto I'd made the day before. (I also put some on the toast under the eggs). It was all on the table in less than five minutes.

Home-made pesto is super easy. A bunch of basil, a handful of parmesan, a handful of pine nuts, olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Whizz it all up in a food processor and give it a taste and adjust if you need. It keeps for days in the fridge, or you can freeze it. I have it for lunch with wholewheat pasta (I just drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil through it to lube it up a bit more and shave some fresh parmesan on top, and toasted pine nuts if I can be bothered). It's a good way of using up leftover herbs and nuts. You can also substitute coriander for basil (hold the parmesan) or macadamia nuts for pine nuts. Have it as a dip or a pasta sauce or a spread. Whatever you fancy, really.

Second up: mid-week dinner. I've been trying to eat less meat lately, however it hasn't gone down too well with my meat-loving husband. I came across this recipe in one of my cookbooks and thought I'd give it a go. It was super tasty! And a really easy recipe. Perfect comfort food. And I loved that we had our own individual portions. I actually froze half of the mince. So next time, I'll just heat it up and make some fresh mash. In fact, next time I might even double the recipe and freeze three batches. It's that good.

Moroccan Cottage Pie

Adapted from "Delicious: Quick Smart Cook" by Valli Little

Serves 4-6 (in one big dish, or small individual dishes)

For the pie

2 tbs olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

650g lamb mince

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp chili powder

2 tsp ground turmeric

2tbs tomato paste

150ml red wine

150ml beef stock

½ cup roughly chopped pitted green olives

1/3 cup chopped mint leaves, plus small leaves to garnish

For the mash

2 extra-large potatoes, peeled and chopped

knob of butter

dash of milk (or ½ cup sour cream or crème fraiche)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the lamb mince and cook, stirring, for 5-6 minutes until browned. Add the dry spices, reserving 1 tsp turmeric for the potato mash) and the tomato paste and cook for a further minute. Add the wine and stock, bring to a simmer, then decrease heat to low and cook for 15-18 minutes until the meat is cooked and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the olives and mint. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish (or small individual dishes) and set aside. Meanwhile, cook the potato and remaining turmeric in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes until tender. Drain well, then mash well. Season with salt and pepper, stir in butter and milk. Spread the mashed potato over the mince, and garnish with mint leaves.

I'd also bookmarked a recipe a while back on a food blog I read regularly, but I'd never got around to actually cooking it. I was looking for a side dish to the cottage pie that would complement the flavours but also add some veggies to the equation. Enter: Spicy Cauliflower.

I modified it a bit as I didn't have all the ingredients to hand, but it didn't matter. Even without the sesame seeds and jalapenos, it was a winner. I'll give it a go with those ingredients next time, but for my money, it actually didn't need it. What's more: the dish was even better when I ate the leftovers cold a few days later for lunch.

Spicy Cauliflower Recipe
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


1 teaspoon cumin seeds


1 big yellow onion, finely sliced


A pinch of turmeric


Sea salt

1 medium cauliflower, thinly sliced

4 dried red chilies, stemmed and halved


1 garlic clove, grated

4 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated


2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the cumin seeds and cook until they begin to crackle, just 30 seconds or so. Stir in the onions, along with the turmeric and a few pinches of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions caramelize a bit and turn lightly golden, roughly 7 - 10 minutes. Add the red chilies, garlic and half of the ginger. Continue to cook for another minute. Add the cauliflower and stir well. Cover the pan and cook the cauliflower over low-medium heat for 3 - 5 minutes, until just tender. (I added some water to the pan here to hurry along the steaming of the cauliflower). When the cauliflower is nearly cooked, remove the lid, increase the heat, and stir in the remaining ginger. Salt to taste, sprinkle with cilantro and enjoy.

Weekend dinner: Fish tacos!  I had some frozen cod fillets in the freezer and some tortillas that needed using up, when I remembered a recipe I'd bookmarked a while back. It's from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook (ugh Gwyneth!) and was a pretty great recipe. I actually made the fish two ways. One following her recipe (beer battered and fried - kinda surprising for health nut Gwyneth) and another more healthy choice (marinated in lime juice and coriander, then grilled).

The picture above is of the beer battered version. It was pretty fantastic. I followed the recipe pretty faithfully. You can read it here. I've made pico de gallo and guacamole before (I add chopped red chilli and lemon juice to mine) but I've never made salted cabbage. It was so easy and really very, very tasty. It definitely added a new element to the dish.

Lastly: dessert!  I have never really had a sweet tooth, but my pregnancy seems to have brought out the dessert lover in me. I had bought some fresh green apples and had not used these cute little single-serve ovenproof dishes we'd bought. Hey presto: apple crumble. 

I used this recipe as inspiration but I don't measure anything and substitute rolled oats instead of flour for the topping. I find it tastier - and I think it's healthier? Minus the two scoops of ice-cream! Whoops. But what's crumble without vanilla ice-cream? The dish I used fitted one green apple perfectly. You could of course make a bigger crumble in a bigger dish, but I like having my own plate!

Apple Crumble

Adapted from BBC Food

For the crumble

Rolled oats

A little bit of plain flour

Some brown sugar

Knob of unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature

For the filling

1 green apple (per head), peeled, cored and cut into 1cm pieces

Handful of brown sugar

Handful of plain flour

1 pinch of ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the rolled oats, flour and sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Taking a few cubes of butter at a time, rub into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Place the fruit in a bowl and sprinkle over the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Stir well being careful not to break up the fruit. Spoon the fruit mixture into the bottom, then sprinkle the crumble mixture on top. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the crumble is browned and the fruit mixture bubbling. Serve with vanilla ice-cream.

Step by Step: roasted vegie salad

I'm loving my organic vegies lately. They're just so damn tasty. And they're good for my growing baby. Best of all: they really don't require all that much work to deliver a tasty meal. Here's an idea for a quick lunch/dinner.


STEP ONE ("We can have lots of fun!" Go NKOTB)
Pre-heat the oven to about 180°C. Chop up the vegetables roughly (this will take about five minutes, tops). I've used pumpkin, red onion, zucchini, carrots and whole garlic pieces, but you can use whatever you like. Normally I leave the pumpkin skin on, but today the skin was a bit too dirty so I chopped it off. A bit of a shame as I love when the skin caramelises.

STEP TWO ("There's so much we can do!" Ok I'm going to stop)
Pop the vegies into a roasting tray. Cover with a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper and some freshly-chopped rosemary. Pop in the oven for about 30 mins. Walk away. (See, easy.)

STEP THREE ("It's just you and meeee..." Sorry couldn't help it)
Pop the vegies into a bowl or on a plate, then drizzle with a salad dressing (I used a mix of dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper and olive oil - all shook up) and scatter with fresh parsley, sea salt and pepper.

Yum, yum and yum. And healthy to boot.

And for those who have no idea who or what NKOTB is, here's a flashback (go to 2:45). You could play this while you're chopping your vegies! Dance moves and bad fashion are optional.

Cooking at home: roast chicken two ways

I love roast chicken and vegies. In fact, I think it's my favourite meal on earth. Especially when my Mum used to cook it. I always requested it on my birthday.

I had a craving for it this weekend, so I bought a whole chicken to roast (online from Fields) plus some veges - potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, red onions and garlic. Stuff the chicken with a whole lemon (first prick it with a fork and stick it in the microwave for 20 seconds) and then pop bunches of herbs under the skin (I prefer rosemary and thyme) and a few sticks of butter. Whack it on a roasting tray, drizzle it with olive oil and sea salt, then pop into a hot oven for 30 minutes. Add the vegies (I par-boil my potatoes before this step), and cook it all for another 30 minutes. Take out the chicken and rest it for 5-10 minutes (make the gravy with the pan juices then) before carving the chicken. Last but not least, pull the vegies out of the oven and voila - perfectly crispy skin and tender meat.

As it was just the two of us, we had quite a lot of chicken leftover, so for lunch the next day, I bought a fresh baguette from Baker & Spice on Anfu Lu. In a mixing bowl, combine diced chicken, chopped spring onions, a spoonful or two of mayonnaise, some salt and pepper and give it a stir. Put the mixture on the baguette for a yummy leftover lunch. Waste not, want not.

5 Things I Love This Week

1. Sunny days. The view from my balcony at the moment is gorgeous. It's Autumn here and we're enjoying the last of the green leaves. This week's weather has been particularly lovely. It's cool but not cold and there are even blue skies. Just perfect.

2. Feeling my bump grow. And quickly! I still can't feel movement, but my OB assures me it's coming soon. I can't believe I'm past the half way mark.

3. Internet radio. I listen to Triple J every day via my iPod hooked to our iPod dock. My eyes tell me I live in Shanghai when I look out the window, but my ears are firmly planted back in Australia when I'm in my living room. Love it.

4. High tea. My friends and I have started a new monthly outing: we go for an afternoon of high tea and side of girly chats. We've now done The Peninsula and the Waldorf Astoria. It feels so cliched - ladies who tea! - but we're loving it.

5. New babies. In the space of 18 months we have welcomed four new boys to our extended family -- two in the last fortnight! Two on my side and two on my husband's side. I wonder if I will continue the trend and have a boy? We'll find out in March...

My top 20 favourite Asian dishes

A big part of travelling and living abroad is indulging in local food. Eating and remembering certain tastes from different countries is a critical part of travelling and exploring another culture. I've barely scratched the surface in China (note to self: need to travel more) - or Asia for that matter - but I've certainly accumulated a long list of favourite dishes. I don't cook any of these myself, it's strictly food I order out. In no particular order, here are the top 20 Asian dishes I can't live without...

1. Xiaolongbao (China)

These soup-filled dumplings are a Shanghai specialty, however I first tried them at a Singapore branch of Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese chain who are known for their xialongbao. I could eat these every week. And I do! You dip the whole dumpling in ginger and soy, bite off the beautifully folded top to let the heat escape and then let the broth and meat (pork, shrimp) do their work.

2. Kare-pan (Japan)
I dream of this snack and haven't found a good one in Shanghai (yet)! Otherwise known as a Japanese curry doughnut or a curry bun, I first tried kare-pan at my local supermarket in Singapore, Isetan, a Japanese-owned store and then ate a couple (or more) when in Japan last year. They're always for sale in the Isetan bakery upfront, but a few times a year, Isetan hold regional food fairs, including a stall that made kare-pan to order!! I'm salivating just thinking about it -- Japanese curry (not to be confused with Indian curry) surrounded by dough and covered in panko crumbs then deep fried. It's so naughty, but it's worth every calorie. I cannot tell you how good it tastes. A lot of bakeries bake the doughnut rather than deep frying, but it's a pale imitation. Accept no substitutes!!

3. Roti Prata (Singapore)

This has to be one of the best hangover dishes of all time. It's a Singaporean invention and is a fried flour-based pancake served with an accompanying bowl of meat or vege curry. You can have the bread plain or you can load it up with cheese, onions, mushrooms, whatever you fancy. You tear the bread into pieces, dunk it in the curry and try not to burn your hands or tongue as you chomp away. I often see a sweet variation in Thailand at roadside stalls with nutella, chocolate, bananas or peanuts. Also amazing.

4. Bulgogi and Banchan (Korea) 
Bulgogi is a marinated and barbecued meat (beef, pork or chicken) and banchan are the side dishes that accompany it. I love this dish and usually order the pork. I first started eating this in Sydney when a local Korean restaurant opened up the road from my office and it became a much-loved lunch spot for the gang. Equally important is the array of side dishes that come with the sizzling hotplate. Lots of pickled and marinated veges (kongnamul which is a pickled bean sprout dish is my fave), dried fish, kimchi and heaps more.

5. Banh xeo (Vietnam)

I haven't had this recently, but this is one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes. I remember eating this savoury crepe filled with prawns, pork and bean sprouts for breakfast each morning of our honeymoon at Evason Ana Mandara in Nha Trang. The best bit is when you dip the pancake into a special fermented soy bean sauce. It's so fresh and tasty.

6. Banh mi (Vietnam)

I spoke about this Vietnamese-style sandwich already on my blog. Read it here. I could eat this for lunch every day. In fact, I used to when I worked in Sydney around the corner from Little Devil. Although I think they added a bit of MSG as I was always so thirsty by about 3pm every day! This one (pictured left) is from B Real in Shanghai and is fantastic.

7. Peking duck (China)

I really got into this dish properly when I lived in London and used to visit Chinatown a lot. The combination of duck meat, duck skin, hoisin sauce, spring onions and pancake is magic. It's been a while since I've had a great version, but I'm travelling to Beijing soon and am going to go hell for leather.

8. Tom Yum Goong (Thailand) 

This soup is one of my favourite Thai dishes. It is the perfect combination of spicy, sour and fragrant. I once learned how to cook this at a cooking school in Chiang Mai, but it was over ten years ago and I've never attempted it since. The best version I've ever had was on a press trip at the Phulay Bay Ritz Carlton Reserve in Krabi. It was super spicy, but also perfectly sour. But then again, I've had some pretty great versions from cheap roadside stalls in Bangkok to takeaway restaurants all over the world.

9. Takoyaki (Japan)

Another fabulous Japanese snack. This is one of my all-time faves. It's a deep fried octopus (or prawn) surrounded by batter and lathered in takoyaki sauce, mayonnaise and dried bonito flakes. This isn't a restaurant dish, you'll usually find it in roadside kiosks or food halls and it's a stand-up stack. Poke into it with a stick and eat away. But beware: these balls are HOT. Don't pop a just-cooked whole one in your mouth or you may get third degree burns. But if you have the patience for it to cool down a bit, go for it!

10. Pad Thai (Thailand)
It's a classic, but for a reason. The combo of noodles, peanuts, spring onions, chili, lime is killer. But for all the fancy ones I've tasted, I still think a 20 baht roadside stall dish I tasted ten years ago comes up trumps.

11. Yakitori (Japan)

This is traditionally grilled chicken on a stick and cooked in front of you over charcoal. But it can also refer to any type of food on a skewer, not just chicken. Think beef, scallops, pork belly, mushrooms; you name it. It's one of my favourite Japanese foods. One of the best spots I've been to was a place called Kushiwakamaru in Tokyo's Naka-Meguro neighbourhood. It's been open for over 30 years and often has big queues.We got there early and got in straight away. The food and ambience were fantastic.

12. Okonomiyaki (Japan)

Yum. This is known as a Japanese 'pizza' but I don't really get that description as it's more like a savoury pancake filled with prawns and spring onions and doused in sauce, mayonnaise and bonito flakes. Divine. One of the more memorable versions of this was when we were in Kyoto and we ate at a grill-your-own place and cooked it ourself on a hotplate at our table.

13. Tonkatsu / Katsudon (Japan)
This deep fried pork cutlet can come on its own with a side serve of cabbage and sesame seed dip (tonkatsu, left). Or you can whack the cutlet on top of a bowl of rice and cover it with egg and spring onions (right). Both are delicious.

14. Pho (Vietnam)
There's conjecture over how to pronounce this, I was told 'feh' or 'fer' by locals in Vietnam. All I know is it's not 'foe'. Nevertheless this is one fragrant and filling dish consisting of a hearty meat-based broth with noodles plus slices of beef, sprouts, herbs, chili, soy, chili sauce, fish sauce, more herbs, whatever you want to keep adding really. This was a favourite lunch time staple when I worked in Chinatown in Singapore. Healthy and delicious.

15. Goi cuon (Vietnam)

Rice paper rolls filled with prawns, noodles and herbs. Simple, fresh, fragrant, tasty. Dip it in the accompanying sauce and enjoy. I have made these myself before and they're actually really easy. I went through a phase of having these for lunch every day. Yes, I am a creature of habit.

16. Agedashi dofu (Japan)

Yum. Silken tofu covered in cornstarch and deep fried then covered in a beautiful broth (dashi, mirin, sho-yu) and served with spring onions, bonito flakes and daikon. This is a perfect side dish. The taste is just so clean and crisp. Although I do need to work on my chopstick technique with this dish. The cubes always slide all over the shop! But it always tastes good.

17. Massaman curry (Thailand)
This southern Thai dish has Muslim origins and is one of my favourite dishes of all time. I remember eating a sensational version of this dish in Kanchanaburi (near the River Kwai) when I was backpacking a decade ago. The combination of beef (or duck), coconut milk, cashews, potatoes and spices such as cardamon, star anise and cinnamon is just beautiful. I almost always order this when I spot it on the menu.

18. Ramen (Japan)
This Japanese noodle dish can have lots of variations, but essentially it's a meat-based broth with noodles and vegetables plus meat. I usually love pork slices or pork belly the best. And sometimes corn. In Singapore, we used to eat at Ippudo in the Mandarin Gallery a lot. A pint of Asahi, a bowl of ramen, a side of gyoza and pork buns. Heaven.

19. Laksa (Singapore/Malaysia)

A spice noodle soup from the Peranakan culture (a mix of Malay and Chinese), I used to eat this regularly when living in Singapore. People say you shouldn't (cos it could cause a stomach upset) but I always asked for cockles to be added. They're just too good. The salty seafood taste makes this dish even more delicious.

20. Cha siu bao (China)

I'm not actually that big a fan of yum cha / dim sum as I find so many of the dishes to be very greasy, but I do love a BBQ pork bun.









Also on my radar:

1. Satay - what's not to love about peanut sauce?
2. Sushi and sashimi (Japan)  I'm a big seafood fan, so sushi always hits the spot with me
3. Gyoza (Japan)  Love these potsticker dumplings.
4. Bibimbap (Korea) - This is always a winner. Especially that bottom crust.
5. Chili Crab (Singapore) - a lot of mess for little reward but that sauce is fantastic
6. Larb (Thailand) and Papaya salad (Thailand) - spicy, healthy salads
7. Rendang (Indonesia) - I've not yet been to Indonesia so I can't properly add this yet.
8. Green curry, red curry (Thailand) - love them
9. Hainanese Chicken rice (Singapore) - please don't hate me, but I don't love it, I only like it
10. Cold soba noodles (Japan) - the perfect, healthy dish; noodles, dipping sauce, a quail egg, seaweed, wasabi. Yum.

My Shanghai: a favourite lunch spot

I have been a big fan of banh mi, a Vietnamese-style sandwich, for years. And I'm so glad there's a great eatery in Shanghai that produces an amazing version. It's called B Real on Fumin Lu in Shanghai and it's one of my favourite spots for a quick lunch. There are only seven seats, so the place can get cramped, but you can take away. I love the counter with a streetside view. I try and count the crazy bicycle loads going past. I was too slow to take a shot of the old man today who was cycling with about 14 car tyres strapped to his bicycle. Crazy.

There are a lot of variations to a banh mi, but essentially it's a crunchy baguette filled with a heap of delicious fillings: pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber, coriander, red chilis, mayonnaise and some kind of meat. I usually prefer grilled chicken but over time, I've seen versions with roast pork, grilled pork, BBQ pork, steamed pork, pork belly, Vietnamese sausage or the super traditional version of cold cuts and a meat terrine (not my fave).

I used to eat at least once a week at my favourite place in Singapore (Baguette in the Market Street car park near Raffles Place) and at one stage, I ate it every day for lunch for a year when I lived in Sydney (Little Devil on Broadway in Glebe) but for my money, B Real comes up trumps. I think it's due to their deliciously crunchy-but-not-too-crunchy bread. They mix up the fillings a bit (Korean chicken, etc) but you can stay relatively traditional too if you want.  That said, their serves are huge. You could easily share one sandwich between two.

B Real
185 Fumin Lu (near Changle Lu)
Open 11am-9pm

While I was chomping away at lunch, I thought about all the other delicious Asian dishes I love, so watch out for my next post: my Top 20 favourite Asian dishes....

An appetite for Hong Kong

On our recent trip to Hong Kong we hit up a few different restaurants and eateries.

On Saturday night, I nabbed two seats at Liberty Private Works. It used to be a test kitchen for the Liberty Exchange restaurant, but now it's a stand-alone restaurant. With only 15 seats at the chef's counter with a set eight-course menu, you're in Canadian executive chef Vicky Cheng's hands. Having worked in Toronto and New York (under Daniel Boulud and Jean-George Vongerichten) before moving to Hong Kong, he knows his stuff.

This was one filling meal!  The menu is changed every month and consists of eight courses, plus two amuse bouches and a petit four. And there was no scrimping on the serving size nor the quality of ingredients - caviar, truffles, fois gras. At HK$1400 for two people, it was pretty great value. And even better, it was BYO!

With just one waiter, two sous chefs and 15 guests, the mood was intimate and very relaxed. And actually very theatrical. We watched each dish being plated. Some of the dishes took so long to plate up that I was almost sorry to eat them. I'm glad I did though. There were some pretty amazing flavours on offer.

Chef Vicky Cheng stands in front of the blackboard that gave a simplistic teaser for the ingredients in each course.

The amuse bouche. The one on the far right was my favourite: a fiery bite of pomelo, lobster and chili.

The first course was delicious. Raw tuna with radishes and caviar surrounded by dehydrated rice (a texture not unlike some fancy Rice Bubbles) which added a crunch. To the far right is a fruit I'd never encountered before, called a bayberry, which acted as a palate cleanser. It was like a blackberry mixed with a boysenberry and strawberry. Delicious.

The second course was abalone with white asparagus and leeks. Very tasty.

I loved this third course. The stick-thin model seated next to me asked for the creamy parmesan foam to be left off the plate. (WTF?!) It was rich, but man oh man. Yum. Whole egg ravioli with truffles and caviar. Heaven.

Grouper with crab, chili and lemon. I'm having trouble remembering this course but I do recall that the lemon sauce was very tart and lifted the dish considerably.

Then the rich ingredients really started coming thick and fast. Duck with a fois gras foam. I loved this.

I loved the next course too, but was fit to bursting by this stage. The presentation was very whimsical, what with a daikon pretending to be a bone (back right) and filled with slow-braised oxtail.

This dessert was a surprise package. The blackboard said "coconut, pineapple, hazelnut and rum". If I hadn't watched this plated up in front of me, I wouldn't have known what to expect. But hidden under that coconut foam was roasted pineapple with hazelnuts. It tasted exactly like a Coconut Rough, a chocolate I often ate as a kid, but Chef Chen had never heard of it. I told him to run out and buy one when he was next in Australia.

And who doesn't love a chocolate fondant with vanilla ice-cream? This was elevated a notch with caramel and smoked salt. A. Ma. Zing. Sweet and deliciously salty at the same time.

Then I rolled home and fasted for a month. Not.

FIND IT:

Liberty Private Works

3/F 12 Wellington Street, Central

Tel: +852 5186 3282

www.libertypw.com

As it was close by our hotel, we visited Classified Cheese Shop twice. It's a great spot to park for a while and sip wine, nibble on cheese or order something more substantial. And it's always packed. You can sit inside or outside (curiously, due to local regulations the staff cannot serve customers outside so you need to pop inside and pick up your wine and plated meals). I prefer sitting outside. It's a lovely spot when the sun is shining and the wine is flowing.

Ricotta and spinach ravioli with a burnt butter sauce with sage and walnuts. Come to mama.

Delicious lasagne! So cheesy.

I love the Virginia Woolf quote they have on their fabric bags: "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." Amen to that.

We only had a snack the first day. Goat's cheese and radicchio salad.

FIND IT:

Classified (Sheung Wan) 

108 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong 
T 852-2525 3454 F 852-2525 3455

www.classifiedfoodshops.com.hk

I also ate a great woodfired pizza at 208 Duecento Otto (just around the corner from Classified).

My favourite pizza: Diavola but with ricotta instead of mozzarella.

FIND IT:

208 Duecento Otto

208 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan

Tel: 2549 0208

www.208.com.hk

Saturday morning, we caught a taxi to the seaside town of Stanley for brunch/early lunch. We ate at Rocksalt which is right on the promenade next to the markets.

I'm going to try to make this salad at home. It was so tasty and healthy. Beetroot cured salmon with mixed greens and a quail egg.

FIND IT:

Rocksalt

25 Stanley Market Road

Tel: +856 2899 0818

www.chiram.com.hk