I was in Da Marco yesterday, the one which isnt far from Jing An temple, in some sort of service apartment building. The place looks very old fashioned, perhaps the whole building is like this. Its packed with expats and upscale locals. Now comes the funny part: filipino staff who can't speak Chinese. WTF! Why do we need these people? Ok some of the girls are cute and some guys are gay, but still. Did not even see a ladyboy among them...Food is so so, though not bad, far below my favorite Italian (Pasta Fresca di Salvatore). Service is slow, but I guess its also because business is so good. Prices are low, even cheap I would say. I guess the way those restaurants are run reflects the changes in the expat community here. Just some thoughts, no conclusion really.

Is there such a thing as "expat" restaurants in other places? In the States we just have restaurants. Some of them cater to a certain ethnic crowd with the menu in Spanish or Chinese but I don't think anyone would think of them as "expat" restaurants. I guess there are touristy restaurants in places like New York or San Francisco but they tend to be places that the local residents (native or not) try to avoid. It seems like such a strange concept.

These things are everywhere. From Sandwich shops in Hanoi to an Irish pub in Dubai.

Cambronne wrote: Now comes the funny part: filipino staff who can't speak Chinese. WTF! Why do we need these people? Ok some of the girls are cute and some guys are gay, but still.

They can only sing at night so i guess they need something to pass the time during the day!

I skimmed the first post and saw ladyboy, so I basically stopped reading it.

However.

Responding to the title of the thread, the main problem with expat resturants is the prices.

I also find the Filipino staff ridiculous. WTF? I'd be scratching my head about it if I was a local.

But I guess the owners of these restaurants know that their target customers will not be locals, and they know filipino staff can provide better quality service and are easier to train and quicker than chinese staff, have better english, etc etc...i don't really see a problem with that AT ALL...

On the contrary if you were managing a restaurant you may well scratch your head at the chinese staff 'service' staff.. who for the most part... are shhiiiaaat

Kiwi wrote:I also find the Filipino staff ridiculous. WTF? I'd be scratching my head about it if I was a local.

Kiwi if you were a local I guess you would be punching yourself in the face all the time

Anyway, DaMarco is good. Solid food, always packed with Italians so I presume their food is the real deal, which it is. filipino staff know there stuff. In fact we had and have good IT filipino guys working for us and they kick ass. Great people.

Anyway, DaMarco is good. Solid food, always packed with Italians so I presume their food is the real deal, which it is

Its not bad but not great either - just a solid place to relax and see some friends. I dont mind it...fine dining it aint but they have never claimed to be.

Slightly off topic.. but good example of the dim witted stupidity, and illogical BS that can be found far too regularly..

Yesterday I ordered from Macdonalds delivery (Shocking and unhealthy I know.. but I felt like a cheeseburger)

When my housemate calls from his phone they tell him we are are of the delivery zone, he explains that I always get delivery no problem and to double check the address "Sorry Sir.. out of zone", he then gives them my cell number and they pull up my account, IT IS EXACTLY the same address.. they then take the order. Not once have they ever realised there is something very stupid about this. Nor will they change anything on there system.. so we go through this EVERY time we order.

Yesterday.. "Can I also have some mayo" As I have asked a million times before. Yesterday it was a flat no.. they cannot deliver mayo. Why can't you deliver mayo.. "I don't know"

Think outside the box you numpties

How about this....

I was eating lunch the other day and there was this guy eating at the next table. He calls the waiter and says 'Can I have mayonnaise and mustard?' and the waiter replied 'Pleased to meet you mustard, my name is John'.

Demarco's also has some chinese waitstaff, for the locals. And their food is great! Demarco is a nice guy too

Of course service and food are the things each restaurant has to get right to survive. But one of the big problems is the rent.. its just crazy and they have to sell how many table of food a month just to pay the rent.. more than I would want to get into.

@ the guy called "Mustard"

The other day I was in one of these so-called ex-pat restaurants, a french place. I ordered Coq au vin but when I got it, the meat was tough and really chewy. I called the waiter over- chinese guy of course:

Me "Excuse me, this chicken is rubbery"
Waiter "Oh thank you very much sir!".

Humph.

"I ordered Coq au vin"

Ordering coq in a restaurant, writing for ShiattyWeekend, ....

Jesus, Jimbo, what's going on here...

Next you will tell us you have a blog or something!

Tried to order one of the specialty sundaes at Hagen Dazs but with one of the flavors substituted. Sorry no substitutions. Ordered a scoop instead - that was 40 rmb in sales they lost. Wonder how many times they do that each night?

I dont recall in which book I read that but they were talking about how much extra money McDonald's does worldwide by simply asking "Fries with that?"

(Millions of transactions) x (few percentage points of conversion rate) x (couple of dollars) x 365 and they had hundreds of millions of dollars every year just for teaching their staff for asking this simple question.

I wonder how does Starbucks is able to accommodate specific requirements while Haagen Dazs isn't.

Finished "Pour your heart into it" by Howard Schultz by the way. I'd give it 6/10. Starbucks is a fascinating business. Book was written in early 2000 I guess so not a lot of info on expansion to China.

Ok some of the girls are cute and some guys are gay

how cheap is cheap?

does that mean guys are good looking or just gay looking...

not big on Italian food.... pasta and pizza..... eehhh...

I was eating lunch the other day and there was this guy eating at the next table. He calls the waiter and says 'Can I have mayonnaise and mustard?' and the waiter replied 'Pleased to meet you mustard, my name is John'.

I know Mustard, he is a really nicer guy. He used to cut my hair in Xujiahui near the electricnally market.

Hi Mustard, hope you are Ok and your leg is better, and saye "hi" to your sister for me's. bye

hc wrote:"I ordered Coq au vin"

Ordering coq in a restaurant, writing for ShiattyWeekend, ....

Jesus, Jimbo, what's going on here...

Next you will tell us you have a blog or something!

It was a hilarious joke about the way Chinese people are meant to pronounce- ah never mind!

Here's a tip for you guys - if you go to Blue Frog they have a glitch in their computer menu. Order two glasses of house wine at X amount, order a third and it's just 15 rmb more.


Try it.

@Cambronne

WTF! do you prefer chinese staff in an EXPAT restaurant that cannot speak even a single english word? WTF!!!! then why do they call it an expat restaurant???? WTF!!!!

xricx wrote:@Cambronne

WTF! do you prefer chinese staff in an EXPAT restaurant that cannot speak even a single english word? WTF!!!! then why do they call it an expat restaurant???? WTF!!!!

Actually they don't call it an expat restaurant. OMGWTFBBQ

What's wrong with them? Simple. They offer "name of country" style food, but since they don't cater EXCLUSIVELY to expats, they need to localize the food for local tastes.

So, therefore, almost all the meat will be cut with the traditional "technique" (I use this term LOOSELY, since there is not much technique involved with attacking a carcass with a cleaver like it's going to fight back and hacking it into tiny pieces. Nothing says "delicious" like jagged, throat ripping bone splinters...), and since this is Shanghai, bread will have custard powder in it, and everything else will have sugar, low quality diesel engine oil and MSG in it.

I'm seriously going to market my own "Shanghai Sauce". 1/3 sugar, 1/3 used fryolator oil, and 1/3 MSG with a splash of soy sauce and a handful of crushed chili.

Sorry, tangent.

genghis wrote:So, therefore, almost all the meat will be cut with the traditional "technique" (I use this term LOOSELY, since there is not much technique involved with attacking a carcass with a cleaver like it's going to fight back and hacking it into tiny pieces. Nothing says "delicious" like jagged, throat ripping bone splinters...)

China! The only country I've ever been to where the butchers only tool is a hammer.

dfoo wrote:Demarco is a nice guy too

I disagree. just cause the guy sometimes walks around and plays host doesn't make him a nice guy.

genghis wrote: I'm seriously going to market my own "Shanghai Sauce". 1/3 sugar, 1/3 used fryolator oil, and 1/3 MSG with a splash of soy sauce and a handful of crushed chili.

No. You've gone and westernized it. You need to lose the chili.

expat restaurant??upscale locals????

next time i'm gonna wear a pair of 5 kuai slippers to eat there.

niubi wrote:

dfoo wrote:Demarco is a nice guy too

I disagree. just cause the guy sometimes walks around and plays host doesn't make him a nice guy.

WTF do you know? I know him personally, and he is a nice guy!