Dining in Shanghai can be a bewildering adventure. The sheer number of restaurants in this megacity is intimidating! Add to this that Chinese food here often bears little relation to the Chinese food you may have grown up eating in Australia. And that’s all before you’ve even started trying to interpret the menu! Some Shanghai menus are not very well translated. Some Shanghai menus are not translated at all. Luckily, the photographic menu is very popular...



As in most cities, there are dining options at all price points.  You’ll find everything from impossibly cheap street food cooked on grills the back of motorbikes, to foie gras and truffles in more decadent arrangements than you’ve probably ever seen. I mean, Shanghai is where I ate my first ever truffle sandwich! To work out approximate prices, you can divide any Yuan mention by six for approximate Australian dollars.

Breakfast

For the crucial first meal of the day, I was pretty happy easing my stomach into things with breakfast at Quay on the sixth floor of my hotel, the Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund. On top of the well-appointed breakfast buffet boasting everything from local fruit to pastries, to congee with exciting condiments, to daily smoothies, they also have an international menu of hot breakfasts.



Being that you are in Shanghai, you should probably try the Shanghai set breakfast (150 Yuan) with traditional noodle soup, steamed xiao long bao (soup dumplings) and tea-smoked egg. It will get your tummy ready for the decadence that is to come.



Now as I mentioned, I was happy with breakfast at the hotel, well I was happy until I read the three-course weekend brunch menu at Cuivre in the former French concession! Firstly, the menu arrives via an ipad; secondly, you get to choose three courses (188 Yuan with a beverage) for breakfast; and thirdly, one of those courses can be a grilled truffle sandwich with brie cheese, coppa and arugula! Be still my defibrillating heart!



Did I mention they also do breakfast cocktails like The Hulk (20 Yuan) featuring cucumber and celery juice mixed with rum, and Maple Leaf (20 Yuan) blending orange and carrot juice, mint leaves and tequila? Add to this the ouef Benedict here has about the best hollandaise sauce I’ve ever tried…

Dumplings



If there’s one part of Shanghainese food that will be familiar to most Aussies, it’s dumplings, so they are definitely a good place to begin. While I was intrigued by the endless queue of Chinese waiting for steamed soup dumplings at Nanxiang Mantou Dian in Yu Garden; I’m not all that great at waiting. Meaning I actually ate at the neighbouring Din Tai Fung.  Best thing I ate was black truffle and pork xiao long bao (88 Yuan), which clued me in that truffles (there were five slices in each dumpling) are certainly cheaper here in China.



Another spot you’ll find dumplings that you might recognise is New Shanghai. Yes, that’s the same restaurant group who have also done a lot toward popularising them in Sydney, with restaurants in Chatswood, Ashfield and Bondi Junction. While it is a little difficult to find on the fourth floor of a circular shopping centre full of restaurants, it is worth the trip.



You should expect staff with little English but great sign language, and a picture menu offering up dishes like braised pork in brown sauce (58 Yuan)...



...sauteed diced beef with goose liver (58 Yuan) and special pork xiao long bao (22 Yuan). They all taste great with the locally produced TsingTao beer (15 Yuan/580ml).

After ticking off breakfast and dumplings, my next mission was to get a bit of a handle on Chinese cuisine. It might surprise you to hear there are Eight Great Traditions (Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan and Zhejiang). Add to this a whole range of regional variations, and it's hard to know where to begin! As I only had six and a half days, I just tried what I could fit in...

Yunnan Cuisine

My first taste of China's regional cuisine came from Yunnan, which is a province in the southwest of China that's bordered by Tibet, Burma and Vietnam. The restaurant to eat it is called Lost Heaven, and I'd highly recommend you try it!

It has two outlets, one on The Bund and one in the former French concession; I dined in the latter - a hugely popular deep red womb-like affair. (You'll definitely need a reservation.)



To enjoy Yunnan food you need to be able to eat spicy; as pretty much everything, down to the signature cocktail Thai Zeed (60 Yuan) is hot.



As one Yunnan specialty is ham, I tried the Yunnanese Ham Pancake (68 Yuan); it's tasty and a nice relief from spice in dishes like the Dai Tribe Chicken with Seven Spices (68 Yuan).



While it is spicy, the Yunnan Eggplant and Tofu Salad (50 Yuan) provides beautiful relief when you bite into each slippery slice of tofu. It's probably my favourite dish, though I liked the decadence of the Yunnan Truffle Steamed Eggs (160 Yuan) which gave my  tingling lips another break.

Sichuan

After a few days in Shanghai I decided I was ready to dip my toes into real Sichuan cuisine.

The restaurant I headed to was called Sichuan Citizen. It's a funky space, buzzing with diners even at lunchtime.



For a bit of Dutch courage while I chose between the one, two and three chilli rated dishes on the extensive menu, I ordered a Sichuan ice tea (55 Yuan) with a TsingTao Gold (30 Yuan) chaser. It took both of them to get me through the heat of my meal, which started reasonably gently with a one-chilli plate of needle mushrooms salad with lime and cilantro (22 Yuan).



This dish was provided welcome relief throughout the meal which included a much hotter (yet still one-chilli rated) dry sauteed cauliflower with Sichuan bacon (32 Yuan). It's a great. meaty dish that I'd love to eat again. I also had a plate of three-chilli rated diced chicken with chilli (58 Yuan) that where numbing Sichuan peppers disguised how hot it really was.

The near-addictive bamboo shoots in the two-chilli rated beer braised duck with soy bean and chilli (68 Yuan) made it my winner.

Xinjiang

After surviving Sichuan, I moved on to the northwest of China, their largest region called Xinjiang. It borders Russia, Mongolia, India and five of the 'stans. It is home to a number of ethnic groups, including the Uygher people.



The restaurant I try Xinjian at is called Xibo. I start with a plate of Xibo Tapas (58 Yuan) which includes pickles, cold meats, Xibonese grilled eggplant & pepper with grilled Xibonese bread plus a traditional Xinjiang salad.



They're also renowned for fried bread stuffed with lamb, onions, mushroom and cheese (48 Yuan), and...



...BBQ meat skewers (6 Yuan/each) which taste almost Middle Eastern to me. Both of these dishes go down particularly well with a refreshing TsingTao beer.

Shanghainese

Of course no visit to Shanghai would be complete without trying the local cuisine.

The restaurant I chose to do it in, Lynn, was pretty fancy. It's next door to Christian Louboutin, just one of a gleaming golden array of high end brandshttps://www.tsingtaobeer.com/.

My Chinese work colleague had sent me on a mission to try Shanghai smoked fish (45 Yuan) which turns out to be sweet, sticky and easy to eat - like the BBQ pork of the fish world. I also tried another local speciality, hairy crab (18 Yuan/piece) braised with rice cake and bean paste. While the sauce is addictive, I'm not a huge fan of the hairy crab.

I did however love the sheer decadence of a crab shell filled with baked crab meat and topped with a slice of goose liver (88 Yuan).



I wrapped up my decadent meal with roast leg of lamb with pancake (188 Yuan) which was again a very Middle Eastern style of dish done Peking pancake style with the staff wrapping at the table. A meal this good requires a range of beverages. With wine still turning me off with the price, I settled for a vivid green apple mojito; and even my staple TsingTao beer came in a fancy curved glass.

Cantonese

Hold over Cantonese for when you start to get overwhelmed by the constant newness and explosions of chilli and flavour. It's gentler and more familiar to Westerners, coming from the Guangdong province which is a trading port.



Now that's not to say you'll be eating lemon chicken and honey prawns; though at the first restaurant I tried, Canton (admittedly mostly chosen for its location on the 55th floor of the Jin Mao tower in Pudong) it was pretty familar stuff.



I took in the (amazing) view with a barbequed platter (198 Yuan) boasting suckling pig, roasted goose, chicken and honey glazed pork, beautifully accompanied by TsingTao beer and some black fungus with mountain chilli (48 Yuan) for good measure.

To my tastebuds, a better example of Cantonese can be found across the Huangpu River at Dragon Phoenix in the Fairmont Peace Hotel. It's a highly ornate space with the window tables offering decent river views offset slightly by how bright the lighting is.



My choices included a local specialty, kung pao river shrimp (188 Yuan).



I threw in a minced pork and eggplant clay pot (68 Yuan) because Cantonese is renowned for clay pot cooking; but my surprisingly delicate winner was a double boiled wild mushroom and bamboo fungus broth (78 Yuan). Yep, it's a long way from lemon chicken but still a nice way to give your tummy a break.

French

Now if you really can't handle another Chinese meal, recall that Shanghai has some pretty amazing French cooking too. The former French concession is a treasure trove of French language, cooking, fashion and style.

My pick of the lot is Cuivre and the dish you must eat is soupe a la truffe (118 Yuan) - an airy white bean and truffle soup. You'll also find the best pomme de terre (48 Yuan) (aka potato gratin) I've tried.

Despite all this eating, I feel like I barely scratched the surface of Chinese cuisine. There are plenty of amazing meals I'd have liked to eat, and many (including this inexpensive banquet we had at the airport) that I didn't include here. If I had one more meal, I would have liked to have visited one of Paul Pairet's restaurants - despite trying for two months before I left, I couldn't get a reservation for love or money at his newly opened Ultraviolet; and didn't end up having a spare meal for Mr & Mrs Bund. I think it's nice to leave a city still wanting more...

Stay tuned for the final part of my Shanghai adventure. I would be remiss here if I did not thank Hotel Indigo’s Thomas Milazzo. Thomas provided invaluable advice on what’s currently hot in Shanghai, including the it-restaurants and bars. His suggestions formed no small part of my itinerary, and even when I did get intrepid, his advice nearly always worked out better than anything I found on my own. I would also like to thank New Shanghai, for without them I may not have found myself visiting Shanghai at all.

Please also see: Shanghai, Shanghai Bars & Shanghai Sights.

Published in the City Hub, Inner West Independent and City News.



Last Monday morning I got up with the sparrows and headed to the launch of National Bacon Week (12–19 May). I had good reason - the smiling 4Fourteen, all-girl kitchen brigade lead by Head Chef Carla Jones was dishing up Australia’s most expensive bacon and egg roll - and I had to try one! It costs $120 and contains the national bacon winner (the full rasher from Slade Point Meats in Mackay) as well as a duck egg cooked in truffle butter, roasted foie gras, 18-month cave-aged cheddar, shaved truffle, smoked truss tomatoes and a crème fraîche and caviar dressing, all bundled up into a brioche bun. It’s mighty fine, but I don’t think I’ll be going back for a heart-stopping second roll...

The other national winner, Stapleton’s Meats, is a Gymea butcher. Lauren Murdoch is putting his short rasher to the test in the 3 Weeds kitchen, coming up a more reasonably priced fifteen-buck roll. My money’s on Paul Cooper from Bishop Sessa who has made his own Wessex Saddleback maple bacon, teaming it with a slow cooked duck egg, house-made brown sauce and shaved black truffles on brioche. It’ll set you back $35. Now while we’re talking crisp, tasty rashers did you know two thirds of the bacon we consume here in Australia is made from imported, foreign pig? If you’d like to make sure you’re supporting Aussie farmers, buy bacon with the pink PorkMark label.
www.porkstar.com.au
www.4fourteen.com.au



Despite starting to bemoan the ‘sliderisation’ of Sydney, I did rate the Rainford Burger Throwdown as one of the better three-bite burgers to hit this city. You can now eat it in combination with another bite from the Rainford Street Social bar snack menu accompanied by a jug of beer or sangria for just twenty bucks. The offer runs until the end of May for those dining between 5pm and 8pm any Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening.
www.rainfordstreetsocial.com.au



It’s festival season in Sydney with the Pyrmont Festival in full swing until the 26th May, and Vivid Sydney lighting up the town from 6pm-midnight each evening between the 24th May and the 10th June. At the Pyrmont Festival I’m recommending the Progressive Dinners on Friday 24th and Sunday 26th May ($150/head) as the best way to get a glimpse of what Pyrmont has to offer, with venues like Black by Ezard, Sokyo, Blue Eyed Dragon and Flying Fish all involved. As for Vivid, I’d take in the Vivid Degustation ($150/head) at Altitude Restaurant (you can see the lights from the table) or, if you want to go all out and make a night of it, book the Shangri-La Sydney’s all-inclusive package ($385-$425/night). There’s also the Citibank Pop-Up Bar if you’re seeing Vivid Aquatique at Darling Harbour, with the Meat & Wine Co. providing all the snacks.
www.pyrmontfestival.com
www.vividsydney.com
www.36levelsabove.com.au
www.shangri-la.com

Busting out the best kid-friendly, women-friendly and traditional-pub-goer-friendly beer garden in the inner west...



...the Riverview Hotel crew have put the former West End Hotel back on the map!



It’s themed Pasifika with bright colours, thatched-roof cabanas, hanging macramé baskets and Astroturf; but keeps a local edge with...



...murals from a Balmain artist and six Balmain Rugby boys living upstairs!



Chef Brad Sloane walks the line between healthy eating and Sydney’s North American fixation.



His compromise menu even includes marked gluten-free options, like a Crispy Raw Salmon Taco ($15).



For the (mostly unrenovated) front bar crew, there’s updated pub favourites like BBQ Texas Sirloin Steak with Fried Potatoes, Bacon and Jalapeno ($24).



For the Yank-o-philes: Fried Chook with Sweetcorn Succotash ($24) and...



...the ubiquitous pub slider - Wagyu, Cheddar and Green Tomato Chutney ($6).



The Asian-inspired street food like fluffy Steamed Buns with Hoi Sin Glazed Duck, Cucumber and Green Onion ($18/2) and Chicken Larb ($16) lettuce cups scrub up best.



Drink one of sixteen on-tap beers (including White Rabbit and Kirin) or delve into bartender Istvan Orosz’s cracker cocktails.



His frothy topped Cane Colada ($18) is better than the original; and the Smokey Maple Old Fashioned ($18) also hits the spot.



Don’t forget to check out their dedicated retro pinball room.

The Balmain Hotel
74 Mullens Street, Balmain
Ph: (02) 9810 7500

The grandfather clock strikes three as I cross the stately wood-panelled room, and sink into a comfy, upholstered chair.



It’s luxurious, but in a not-flamboyant way that my own Grandmother probably would have liked.



I think she’d also have enjoyed taking her tea from Langham Rose, the hotel’s own custom-made Wedgwood china.



What she might not have been quite so keen on, are the flat scones presented on our three-tiered Tiffin Afternoon Tea ($49/head).



Despite the offering here stemming from London’s Langham Hotel – the spot credited with starting the whole afternoon tea phenomenon back in 1865 – the scones don’t match up to the light, airy beauties I’ve enjoyed courtesy of our Country Women’s Association.



With Nanna not actually here to frown, I take my afternoon tea with Laurent-Perrier Champagne ($64/head).



The platter’s highlight – a freshly baked strawberry tart housed in perfectly square pastry casing – makes me wish I’d paired it with the slightly pricier strawberry note of Laurent-Perrier Rosé Champagne ($69/head).



The rest of my afternoon passes in a whirlwind of cucumber sandwiches, smoked salmon rolls and fancy (but not unfamiliar) pastries, including little pots of crème brûlée. It’s delivered with silver service finesse that ensures you don’t even lift a finger to pour your own tea.

Globe Bar
The Langham, 89-113 Kent Street, Sydney
Ph: (02) 9256 2222

The pub where you can meet your Prince has made a permanent change from pizzas and Thai to Mexican: Executive Chef Dan Hong’s (Merivale) pop-up ‘El Loco’ Mexican menu is here to stay.



Skip the stuffier upstairs and head straight down to the Mexican-themed beer garden with yuccas, palm trees, bamboo awnings and...



...party lights with bar boys sporting sombreros, and girls done up Frida Kahlo-style with flowers in their hair.



Since I happened to walk in on their inaugural taco eating competition (the record being 16 tacos in 15 minutes) that’s what I craved.



They’re palm-sized, messy explosions; with Ali Pastor ($6) of spit-roasted pork with pineapple salsa, and...



...Camaron ($6) prawns with pico de gallo and salsa verde, scrubbing up best.



The Cobia Ceviche ($15) is even better, with slices of black kingfish, Vietnamese mint, apple and coriander, served in a stack with corn chips.



Throw in a zingy side of Chipotle Fries ($7) for good measure; they’re great against cocktails in biodynamic cups.



The earthy beetroot and lime Loco Rojo Margarita ($14.50) drinks best with a lick of the salty rim; or there’s Jalisco Colada ($14.50) - a clever Pina Colada update that swaps creamy coconut for coconut water.



Save space for Churros ($8) with dulce de leche...

El Loco at Slip Inn
111 Sussex Street, Sydney
Ph: (02) 8295 9999

This morning I got up with the sparrows and headed to the launch of National Bacon Week (12–19 May).



I had good reason - the smiling 4Fourteen, all-girl kitchen brigade lead by Head Chef Carla Jones was dishing up Australia’s most expensive bacon and egg roll - and I had to try one!



It costs $120 and contains the national bacon winner (the full rasher from Slade Point Meats in Mackay) as well as a duck egg cooked in truffle butter, roasted foie gras, 18-month cave-aged cheddar, shaved truffle, smoked truss tomatoes and a crème fraîche and caviar dressing, all bundled up into a brioche bun.



It’s mighty fine, but I don’t think I’ll be going back for a heart-stopping second roll...



The other national winner, Stapleton’s Meats, is a Gymea butcher. Lauren Murdoch is putting his short rasher to the test in the 3 Weeds kitchen, coming up a more reasonably priced fifteen-buck roll. My money’s on Paul Cooper from Bishop Sessa who has made his own Wessex Saddleback maple bacon, teaming it with a slow cooked duck egg, house-made brown sauce and shaved black truffles on brioche. It’ll set you back $35.



Now while we’re talking crisp, tasty rashers did you know two thirds of the bacon we consume here in Australia is made from imported, foreign pig? If you’d like to make sure you’re supporting Aussie farmers, buy bacon with the pink PorkMark label.



www.porkstar.com.au

4Fourteen
414 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
Ph: 9331 5399

Shanghai cocktail bars are plentiful and stylish; and show a marked tendency to use premium spirits in their cocktails. You could drink all day long and still not scratch the surface of the swathe of bars this mega-city has to offer. I took in as many as I could (in six and a half days) and still feel like I barely scratched the surface. However I did manage to find the perfect martini…

Bars for: The Location



Location is often a big part of why we choose bars, and there are a couple of Shanghai bars worth going to for the location alone. Cloud 9 on the 87th floor of Pudong’s Jinmao Tower is one such bar, although you’d be better to go on a clearer day than I chose.



Nonetheless sitting up in the clouds, looking down on the construction of the neighbouring tower (without safety fences) is a worthwhile experience. Do it with a Frozen Cucumber Martini (90 Yuan) of premium tequila, Grand Marnier, cucumber and lime juice in your hand…



On the top deck of the Fairmont Peace Hotel The Cathay Room has a great balcony with Huangpu River views – shame you can’t easily see over the edge when you’re sitting down though!



An Oriental Iced Tea (98 Yuan) and an Apple Martini (128 Yuan) were the most interesting items on the mostly staid list, though I did rate the trio of wagyu sliders we chose to accompany them…

Bars for: The Crowd



While I was in Shanghai, the current it-bar was without a doubt Glamour Bar. It’s convenient location on The Bund makes it easy to find, and affords it great views both through the windows and on the popular balcony. The cocktails are interesting and inventive; I drank Glamourous By Night (118 Yuan) a strong, clear chocolate martini made on Wyborowa ‘Exquisite’ Vodka, white Crème de Cacao and Martini Bianco. With food by M on the Bund, some bar snacks should also be part of your plan…



Whilst the former bar is definitely attracting the city’s hipsters, the previous it-bar down the road, Bar Rouge, is showing no signs of their popularity abating any time soon. The light-up outdoor furniture offers great Oriental Pearl Tower views (when it’s not raining and cloudy). It is a great space to while away the hours with a pungent Wasabi Martini or a gentler blackberry flavoured Diablo in your hand. Gets busy late…

Bars for: The Décor



With the Shanghainese obsession with lights, you’ve got to expect they’re going to use them well in bar fit-outs too.



While I didn’t rate either cocktail I tried - a Seasonal Fruit Martini (75 Yuan) and a Moscow Mule - at TMSK, their lit-up bar and bar stools were very funky. I found the fragmented bathroom mirror entertaining; but I don’t know how I’d feel about it once I was drunk…



Brutal raw concrete, chequerplate and a Lara Croft style entry with no signage (just a set of nine glowing lights that you have to punch the correct entry code into) makes People 7 a hit.



Being daytime I drank Around The World (70 Yuan), a pretty gin and pineapple combination and Sea Waves, which looked radioactive, but drank nicely. A platter of People’s Finger Food (60 Yuan) made me wish I had time to return for dinner…



Over in Pudong, Camelia in the luxury Four Seasons Hotel has an outdoor courtyard that’s really worth a peek. The décor includes a beautiful fire pit, concrete stepping-stones to their outdoor island, and thousands of silver pieces strung to create a wildly intricate backdrop.



Their version of ‘outdoor’ furniture is deeply comfortable – so it’s worth having a Sake‘o’Martini (90 Yuan) or an Espresso Martini while you take it all in.

Bars for: The Drinks



Walking into Bar Constellation in the former French Concession, I immediately start to grin – they have a black-footed pig leg on a stand behind the bar! It’s intimate, and they’re very serious about cocktails and whiskey. The extensive list is full of well-made classics. The bartenders have all adopted a particular shaking rhythm that starts and finishes slowly: nothing’s bruised here.



I loved watching them use tweezers to extract (and separately rehydrate) sakura blossoms for my Sakura Sakura (90 Yuan) and their Beefeater 24 Martini is the absolute bomb.



While we’re talking ‘tinis if you like flavoured ones, I’ll also point you at another former French Concesssion entry, Citizen Bar & Café. Not only do they offer a warm cozy spot with free-WiFi during the day, they also do a great range of cocktails.



I’d switch my breakfast coffee for a Martini Espresso (50 Yuan) any day, and the juice for the Mint Martini. And should you arrive in Shanghai with a cold, the Ginger Martini here is so pungent it’s pretty much guaranteed to cure all ills.

Stay tuned for the next part of my Shanghai adventure. I would be remiss here if I did not thank Hotel Indigo’s Thomas Milazzo. Thomas provided invaluable advice on what’s currently hot in Shanghai, including the it-restaurants and bars. His suggestions formed no small part of my itinerary, and even when I did get intrepid, his advice nearly always worked out better than anything I found on my own. I would also like to thank New Shanghai, for without them I may not have found myself visiting Shanghai at all.

Please also see: Shanghai, Shanghai Eats & Shanghai Attractions.

Cloud 9
http://www.best-shanghai.com/shanghai-guide-categories/shanghai-bars/cloud9.html

The Cathay Room
http://www.fairmont.com/peace-hotel-shanghai/dining/cathay-room/

Glamour Bar
https://www.facebook.com/m.glamourbar

Bar Rouge
https://www.facebook.com/barrougeshanghai

TMSK
http://www.tmsk.com/

People 7
http://www.best-shanghai.com/shanghai-guide-categories/shanghai-bars/people7.html

Camelia
http://www.fourseasons.com/pudong/dining/restaurants/camelia/

Bar Constellation
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bar-Constellation/159017757466121

Citizen Bar & Cafe
http://www.citizenshanghai.com/

Shanghai – the first thing that strikes you about this city is the scale. The population of China’s biggest city is greater than the whole population of Australia. In practical terms, that means high-rise buildings in every direction, as far as the eye can see.



Coming in from Sydney on a late night Air China flight, you get your first real glimpse of the city from the back of a car – in my case an indigo blue e-class Mercedes - as you spiral down from the amazing Shanghai Yangtze River Bridge.



(It makes our Anzac Bridge look like a tiny replica).



I’m living the high life and staying at the boutique Hotel Indigo Shanghai on The Bund for the first half of my week-long stay.



The lobby is a riot of colour, sculpture, art and greenery (something that you might find yourself missing during your Shanghai sojourn).



The suites are nicely appointed with décor that blends both young and old Shanghai, though it’s tough to drag your eyes away from the amazing view, especially if your room (#2708) is located on the 27th floor!



With the hotel being positioned at the south end of The Bund, my room allowed me to see the whole length of The Bund, and across the river to Pudong and the futuristic Oriental Pearl Tower.



With free Wi-Fi, and excellent facilities - from a stylish library; to cool media pods with daily international newspapers; to large-screen Macs for planning your day; to a heated pool and vibrating massage chairs to unwind from it – there are plenty of reasons to remain in-house.



The best three are the pool at sunset (which is kind of post-apocalyptic courtesy of Shanghai's air pollution), the excellent modern grill, Char Dining, on the 29th floor, and the cocktail bar with the sublime view, Char Bar on the 31st floor.



At the former you will undoubtedly notice the penetration of Australian products into China, with the menu boasting items like David Blackmore’s excellent wagyu and Coffin Bay’s standout bivalves.



So yes, it is possible to travel to China and eat totally Western food (though why you would want to, I’ll never quite understand).



The highlight of my meal at Char Dining was one of the restaurant’s signature dishes: a painterly plate of black cod with baby carrots, star anise and lime syrup (280 Yuan). (When I travelled one Australian dollar was equal to approximately six Yuan, so to get a sense of prices, divide any Yuan mention by six for Australian dollars.) The foie gras parfait crumble with apple and red onion jam (148 Yuan) was a very close second. As far as drinking goes, Australian wines (and indeed wines in general) don’t really provide great bang for your Aussie buck in Shanghai. On the other hand, cocktails everywhere seem to use premium spirits, and are less expensive than they are in Sydney.  So whilst in Shanghai, I split my time between cocktails and their famous TsingTao Beer (particularly good with hot food).



Char Bar is a great place to get acquainted with a beverage or two, especially on the outdoor 31st floor balcony transfixed by those gleaming Shanghai lights…



Stay tuned for the next part of my Shanghai adventure. I would be remiss here if I did not thank Hotel Indigo’s Thomas Milazzo. Thomas provided invaluable advice on what’s currently hot in Shanghai, including the it-restaurants and bars. His suggestions formed no small part of my itinerary, and even when I did get intrepid, his advice nearly always worked out better than anything I found on my own. I would also like to thank New Shanghai, for without them I may not have found myself visiting Shanghai at all.

Please also see: Shanghai Eats, Shanghai Bars & Shanghai Sights.

Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund
http://www.shanghai.hotelindigo.com/

Char Bar & Dining
http://char-thebund.com/

Alex Harmon headed down to check out the team from Brown Sugar's latest venture...

I love a punny name, and while you won’t find two smoking barrels, you will be treated to smoked fish and warm hospitality in this cute Brooklyn-esque deli-diner.



On a weekend it’s packed with hung-over locals and Brown Sugar regulars, checking out the new addition to the family. Breakfast and lunch (dinner coming soon) choices teeter between hefty and healthy – big salads, bagels and cured meats – conjuring up memories of weeknight Seinfeld episodes.



We begin with the eponymous Lox (Smoked Salmon) Bagel ($12), a soft, chewy bagel packed with punch (and cream cheese).



Smoked Mackerel Salad with Apple and Shaved Celery ($17) might not be for everyone, but our European waitress does a stellar job at convincing us. The gamble comes up trumps: the crème fraîche dill dressing, a diplomatic touch to a tricky flavour combo.

The Salted Dulce de Leche Milkshake ($5.50) is dreamy and if it's after midday, I implore you to try the cocktail version with cachaça.



The Brisket Pastrami On Rye ($13) is boss – the salty meat and sweet Russian coleslaw had me territorially elbowing my dining partner away. For four bucks they'll sling you a cup of chicken noodle soup – pass on the flu shot and just head to Lox.

Lox Stock & Barrel
140 Glenayr Avenue, Bondi
Ph: (02) 9300 0368

Wine is stored everywhere in this narrow Paddington terrace – on walls, under banquettes, and above on exposed wooden beams.



Having a 209-strong wine list in a tiny wine bar/restaurant might have disadvantages, but as a leather-apron clad cutie leans over me apologizing because “the wines are not in any order”, I’m not feeling them.



Besides, the chalkboard by-the-glass list is so interesting, you could get drunk before you got bored!



Forgive me for initially thinking that Dan Pepperell’s food was simply a platform for allowing wine to shine.



By way of explanation: I was knee deep in De Moor Bourgogne Chitry 2011 ($15/glass), chuckling over waiter Owen Kemp’s "rip, tear, scrape" description of how to eat the buffalo Mozzarella ($21).



Pepperell’s food is actually very clever. Clams XO Italiano ($25) sees XO sauce Shanghaied and sailed to Sicily. It’s smartly adult and bold, without any sacrificing any briny, clammy goodness, and it goes gangbusters with the pretty (pink) 2010 Pinot Grigio Paraschos ($15/glass).



Citrus-cured Crudo di Bonito ($17) with sour cream and finger lime is about the best use of bonito I’ve seen.



Portion sizes suit the mostly Paddo crowd, with laughs provided by adaptable waiters translating Italian - Short Rib Gorgonzola Panino ($18) - into yuppie: “NY style blue cheese slider”.



PS: Apologies for my truly awful photos (it was incredibly dark).  They don't do the food justice!

PPS. Wine of the night was the Shiraz 'Little Wine #2' Sami-Odi MV Barossa ($13/glass) made by exciting young winemaker Fraser McKinley (Dan Standish's assistant winemaker). Both of these exciting young winemakers trained at Torbrek. This wild beauty is made on the same grapes used in Grange and Hill of Grace. Sadly I couldn't squeeze all of this into my review!

10 William Street
10 William Street, Paddington
Ph: (02) 9360 3310