Tag: review

thai house

me and paulo made a list of all the places we want to go before we leave shanghai – i guess we’re now in official count down mode (though i still feel a bit in denial…)
one of the places in that list was thai house, which was one of the first restaurants we visited in shanghai. it was introduced to me by my first colleague in the company i work (in the beginning, it was just the 2 of us, now we’re more than 16 in the office…) who has meanwhile got married and had a baby… yup, china is fast.

anyway, thai house. it’s a little restaurant tucked away inside an apartment building (really!) on wuding road/xikang road. it has the feeling of a hidden treasure that you can brag about to your friends, as if you were a city connoisseur :)
the pictures:

they have a new menu and it is much less confusing than their previous menu with hundreds of choices! :D

the shrimp crisps, they’re so addictive! i almost ate them all before i remembered to take a picture!

i always have pad thai in this place, i can’t help it, it’s delicious!

paulo had the beef and mango dish, and luis had chicken and mango. they were both happy with their choices.

and this coconut jelly dessert is so good! i really like bite-sized desserts, and they get bonus points if they have coconut :)

that’s it! i definitely recommend it, it’s not an expensive thai restaurant (which seems to be the rule in shanghai) and the waiters are all nice and smiley, very thai-like!

Post author By ana
Post date May 17, 2009
1 Comment on thai house

foooood in china in shanghai

marienbad café

i always have trouble spelling cappuccino. 2 sequences of 2 p’s and 2 c’s? that’s just asking for trouble. plus, i don’t know of many decent cappuccinos in shanghai (it’s not you, mr. barista, it’s the coffee you use).

now, meet this cappuccino:

a real work of beauty, isn’t it? look, look:

*happy sigh*

also, there are milkshakes, some pastas, paninis and other simple things. and a cat. oh, and pizzas. with carrots in it.

all mingled in a strange bohemian/cozy decoration, that you don’t see too often around here. the ceiling is wallpapered with newspapers that have gone yellow, the cat has scratched all the sofas…

and yet, it feels right. i believe i could spend my days here, marveling at the photography books and magazines they have, working quietly, enjoying the soft brazilian music, patting the cat and sipping cappuccinos.

tired of the sterile cafés in shanghai too? the marienbad is on 55 wukang road (but really, it’s on the beginning of anfu road). enjoy!

Post author By ana
Post date May 9, 2009
3 Comments on marienbad café

foooood

haya’s mediterranean cuisine

mediterranean food has a soft spot in our hearts, since it can bring up the nostalgy of discovering “home away from home”, through food. being portuguese, we lean towards the western side of the mediterranean style (say olive oil, tomatos, fish) whereas haya’s food is more of the eastern-mediterranean variety (turkish style, falafels, hummus, kebabs). and that’s ok – i have yet to meet a southern european dish that i didn’t like. :)

we had latkes (which i had been meaning to try since seeing matt’s yummylicious pictures), two kinds of kebab and their mini-apple pie. all very yummy. oh, and the peach juice they have there reminds me of our portuguese compal, which is more than enough to keep this girl happy.

anyway, some the pictures:

the only thing i don’t like at haya’s is the service. i’m not very picky about these things, but the waiters seem to always forget something and then pretend we’re not there… a bit annoying.

the reason we keep crossing half the city to come here? just the food. it’s good, and you should definitely give it a go, if you’re into mediterranean cuisine.

info:
haya’s mediterranean cuisine + bakery
415 Dagu Lu
near Chengdu Nan Lu
shanghai

Post author By ana
Post date February 26, 2008
3 Comments on haya’s mediterranean cuisine

foooood in china

ginger café

today was my second time on ginger café, a little cozy place tucked away on the end of a little tunnel on fuxing road.

the drinks in this place are quite something. i had a lemongrass, orange and mint tea which was delicious, and i’ve had their ginger and honey tea before – strong, but oh so good!

the menu has a wide range of dishes and a quite a few are vegetarian. my little portion of spinach and pumpkin quiche looked a bit disappointing though, but p.’s spicy chouriço pasta was well served. both tasted good.

overall, i feel this is more the kind of place that you go for mid-afternoon drinks, or to read a book while sipping on a latte. the bright walls and the decoration have a sort of “asian treasure-chest” ambience to it, quite inviting for a nice chat on a rainy sunday…

info:
Ginger
299 Fuxing Xi Lu, No. 1
near Huashan Lu
(there’s free wi-fi, but we didn’t get the chance to take our laptops out – it was quite crowded).

music

wear it on

mr. bolinhos suggested i did a review of my ipod shuffle, and here it goes. :)
for those of you that haven’t seen it yet, here’s the ad from apple.

i got mine on xmas, and before i owned one, i used to think shuffles were… well, weird. i thought i needed to choose what i wanted to hear or to see what was playing at the moment. i wanted control.
but as i found out, i don’t need it. some things are just meant to be enjoyed and with the shuffle you can do just that: relax and listen. i love it precisely because they made it compact and light, and nonetheless, easy easy.

anyway, there’s continuous and shuffle mode, and you can always skip songs, or go back to the beggining of your playlist. or fill it with another playlist when you get bored of feel like shaking your bootie. with 1gb there’s plenty of room for many songs or audiobooks and the battery holds plenty morning jogs or train trips.

then there’s the apple details, the simplicity that makes a difference. there is a little dock, which you plug through a usb cable to your mac/pc. the shuffle fits the dock through the headphones hole (one plug less) and there it is, charging, or ready to take some more music (just itunes required).

but what i love the most about it is the clip. bigger ipods or other music players are usually heavy or otherwise noticeable. you have to be careful in which pocket you put it and you cannot take off your jacket with your headphones on. impossible to wear on your pijama while you vaccum clean.
no problem for the shuffle. clip it on your tshirt (or pijama) and do everything without having to notice it. it’s just so portable and easy to carry around that you feel like you never need to take it out or otherwise worry about it. and now they even have it in 5 different colors.

two not-so-pleasant points though. if you’re a last.fm fan, the shuffle won’t scrobble your tunes (hardware incompatibility) and also, if you wear it on your belt or trousers, careful not to bump against other surfaces, you might scratch it. it’s not exactly fragile, it won’t break, but you tend to forget it is there quite easily.

truth is, i love mine. it feels urban and very very “me”. :)

Post author By ana
Post date March 9, 2007
2 Comments on wear it on