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SHEX Reviews: New Age Veggie 2012-02-04 16:21

I must confess that I am not a vegetarian and much less a vegan, although I've dabbled with the thought. As a vegan proprietor, New Age Veggie does not use any animal products: No eggs in the cakes. No meat in the salmon sashimi. No preservatives as far as the eye can see. No pungent plants. No smoking. No alcohol. My gentle coaxing and promise to pay a corking fee were no match for this dedicated vegan establishment.

This is going to be a trip. Like many, I didn't think a vegetarian option was even a possibility in China. Avoiding pork in its various forms would be exhausting. New Age Veggie is the vegan's dream restaurant, but it's good for the rest of us too!

Initial entry to the restaurant leaves a bit to be desired. First you take a rather cramped, cold metallic elevator to the 5th floor. The restaurant itself: large round tables in the center, and a row along the wall overlooking Huaihai, conjures the feeling of so many local hotspots.
SHEX Reviews: Itsuki Teppanyaki 2012-02-01 13:50

Japanese Teppanyaki restaurants are not only delicious, they're also quite fun. So I decided to head out to the French Concession to experience what Itsuki Teppanyaki had to offer. Located on the second floor in Donghu Hotel near South Shanxi Road Metro Station, Itsuki Teppanyaki is one of the longest-tenured Japanese restaurants in Shanghai, opening in 1994. In 1994 it was only one of a handful of other Japanese restaurants in Shanghai, and it has been running strong ever since.

This family-owned restaurant team includes a brother and sister, a wife, and my favorite, a daughter who was our chef. It is most definitely a family affair at Itsuki Teppanyaki. Obviously, the teppanyaki is the shining star at this restaurant, and features your choice of a large variety of meats and seafood that will be cooked right in front of you. If that is not enough, it is only 180 RMB for the all-you-can-eat deal which makes Itsuki Teppanyaki high on quality but easy on your wallet. Make sure to make a reservation on the weekends as it can get very busy.
SHEX Reviews: Pizza Marzano (Xintiandi) 2012-01-27 09:22

On the corner of Shanghai's premier shopping center, Xintiandi, is also one of the city's best pizza shops. Pizza Marzano is the kind of place you'll find top-quality ingredients put on top of everyone's favorite finger food. Ingredients like spiced pomodoro sauce, smoky pancetta, and aromatic Peking Duck. It's a thin pizza, light sauce. But like Picasso artwork in your living room, there really isn't a need for any other decoration, just feature the best ingredients.

And that's exactly what Pizza Marzano does. The restaurant is a spin-off of a British company, called Pizza Express, which wanted to bring authentic Italian pizza to London. The oven in the first Pizza Express wa imported straight from Rome, and a global pizza chain began. Pizza Marzano does it just as well in here in the Far East, which is one reason they are about to open their third location in Shanghai (Surpass Court, Unit 111, 570 Yongjia Road, 200031). The SHEX crew went down to Xintiandi to find out how Pizza Marzano stacks up against heavy competition in the city, and we've compiled a few menu items that are worth a try. Let us know what you think!
SHEX Reviews: Marriott Shanghai City Center 2012-01-21 11:11

There is just something wonderful about staying in a hotel. All your needs are catered to with a smile. "Mr. Colin" rings in your ears like a sweet symphony when inquiring about coffee, pool, the best place to enjoy a Hendricks Gin (with a slice of cucumber obviously). Hotel stays are the perfect departure for a change of scenery and an inflated sense of importance. Choosing the right hotel for a business trip, family visit or simply an escape from your apartment, however, is no easy task. Enter Marriott Shanghai City Center.

The Look and Feel

Night manager, Ben, checked us into one of the 500 deluxe rooms available. Another 120 rooms complete the set in this Marriott behemoth. A few moments earlier we'd barely hit the pavement leading to the main entrance when two attendants with outstretched hands asked to carry our bags while guiding us to the hotel lobby. Time to sit back and be pampered. The main lobby is bright with soft yellow light brightening the similarly colored marble floor and accents. Noticing an extra sparkle in the air the eye is drawn up to behold two exquisite teardrop chandeliers. The gentle sound of cascading water from the central fountain serves as back up for the aforementioned and now repeated symphony. "Right this way Mr. Colin. May I take your bag to your room Mr. Colin. If you need anything at all Mr. Colin…" This could get addictive!
Chun Yun in Shanghai 2012 2012-01-22 18:10

China’s population is the largest in the world, estimated at 1.4 billion people, and the ramifications of this number constantly ripple through every part of daily life. There are always lines at every turn, transportation is crowded, and of course, there is limited personal space. Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, falls on January 23rd this year, and is a time when many Chinese return to their hometowns to be with their families and friends. During this time an impossibly large amount of people board planes, trains, busses, and boats in what is known as Chun Yun. Chun Yun is often referred to as, “the largest annual human migration in the world.” It is estimated that some 700 million Chinese people will travel making an estimated 3.1 billion trips over the 40 day travel period. Trains are running around the clock and still overcrowded. Highways have increases in volume of 20-30% during this time. And airports are packed to the brim.

If you have never seen Chun Yun, there are many ways to see this in action. For example, you can go down to your local train ticket office to see the lines that wrap around the corner. Or better yet, ask about train ticket availability, and you will probably hear, “mei you,” which translates in English to “there are none.” Yet, to really understand how crowded the trains will be during this time, imagine a packed subway at rush hour, and this is approximately the amount of standing room in a train car during Chun Yun. The trains are absolutely packed, from standing room cars all the way up to soft sleeper cars. People are sleeping on the floor, luggage and personal belongings are squeezed into every possible nook and cranny, and millions of instant noodles will be consumed as surrogate meals. Frank Yang, who has made the trip from Shanghai to his home in Anhui province twice during Chun Yun, echoed these sentiments. He says, “because there are so many people who buy standing room only tickets, they often have to sleep on newspaper laid over the floor.” This year he had a great trip home, though, because he bought a soft bed ticket compared to his hard seat ticket of the year before.
The Final Stretch of an Emotional Tour: "Can I Have Some Mohanik?!?" 2012-01-18 11:49

Last Sunday night, 150 rock fans shook off their umbrellas and entered the smoky, dark and cavernous Yuyintang with a look of anticipation in their eyes. Purple and red lighting exposed the porthole windows and the splattered paint along the walls. Framed black and white photographs of musicians and two large colorful paintings resembling a god chicken adorned the venue. The dungy, hip atmosphere of Yuyintang gives one the impression of a basement meets submarine, serving as the perfect setting for the final show in the "Can I have Some Mohanik" 2012 tour.

Shanghai's legendary DJ B.O. arranged the Trash A-Go-Go tour that began on January 12th and that spanned four cities in China. Three acts from Shanghai, 'The Horde', 'The Moon Tyrant' and 'Banana Monkey' opened the stage for Mohanik, a garage rock band hailing from Ulaanbataar, Mongolia. The three opening bands greatly differed in sound and style, creating a diverse, euphonically pleasing show. The beat-folk duo, The Horde consisted of a mandolin and guitar player who serenaded the audience with soothing, whimsical sounds. Moon Tyrant took the stage with a shirtless singer and barefoot bassist. Each of their songs varied in style, ranging from screamo to eerie vocals, consistent in its command over the audience.
SHEX Reviews: Chuan Spa at the Langham, Yangtze Boutique 2012-01-16 15:25

A Little History
When you first walk into the lobby of the Langham, Yangtze Boutique Hotel the word opulence springs to mind. Tony Wang, the Director of Communications dispenses Yangtze Boutique trivia on a short tour before the spa treatment begins. First opened in 1934, you are immediately transported back to the highfalutin-era of Shanghai's golden age. Restored Art Deco furniture and architecture as far as the eye can see draw you to the main stair well. Above a predominantly yellow stained glass ceiling enhanced with pinks, blues and greens the feeling is epic to say the least.
SHEX Reviews: Blue Heart 2012-01-11 16:35

Grannie To Us All

On a tip from my local friend Dimi we're checking out "Blue Heart". This tiny restaurant on JingXian Lu near South Shaanxi Station on line 1 is surprisingly easy to find. It's also extremely famous in the local community. The matriarch of the establishment is a gray haired woman you could only wish was your grandmother. Grannie Li, when translated, visits every table and brightens every hungry and happy customer.

Mind you, it doesn't take to long. Five tables on the first floor seat a maximum of 32 people. I later learned if you just can't wait a little used but ever present option is just upstairs. A second floor room with overlooking window above the main dining hall has one more table. If you really want to feel like one of this woman's visiting relatives, you and friends can scuttle up the stairs to a room complete with table, chairs and a bed. Who doesn't love a nap after dinner?
Red Dirt and White Sand: A New Year's Escape to Phu Quoc, Vietnam 2012-01-09 17:41

The plane glided into the tiny airport at around 9am. I sauntered off the plane and down the road to my hotel, enjoying the luxury of waving off taxi drivers even if my accommodation was not to be one of the five star wonders that flank the waves. Having picked my way around a pungent wet market and a rickety wooden bridge, by 10am I was at the beach.

Phu Quoc is a small island in the Gulf of Thailand, off the coasts of Vietnam and Cambodia, the latter which you can see most days from Gành Dầu Beach in the north. Shaped a little like a lamb chop, the main island covers around 570 square kilometres but there are 21 smaller islets too. Ninety-nine peaks, the highest of which is Mount Chúa, stretch down the middle like the knobbly undulations of a spine. An island of modest and unsung proportions, the clean, natural beauty of Phu Quoc makes it the perfect escape from Shanghai's biting winter gloom.
New Year's Eve 2012 with the SHEXpats 2012-01-04 16:54

With so many options to celebrate one of the biggest party nights of the year, ShanghaiExpat asked a few of our socially tuned-in members to share their experiences on New Year's Eve. You know, so you can compare notes and figure out if you hit or missed the party of the year. Here is what went down with four expats in Shanghai on NYE 2012.

Masked Pétillante Night 6^th at Belloco with Lasse Gebbers