Weekend Recap

We made the most of our weekend in Shanghai by taking full advantage of what was happening around town.

Just kidding! (Although  it would have been interesting to see what kind of fan base Kenny G has here in Shanghai; do you think he's big in China?) We did happen upon an art show, which featured pieces marketed as affordable art. Some were better than others, but none, we didn't think, were affordable or remarkable enough to make a purchase.

On our anniversary, we decided to explore a new part of town, the claimed birthplace of soup dumplings (Nanxiang on Line 11). We lunched on the tasty bites then walked them off in the lovely Guyi Park, next door to the restaurant.

Dinner at Otto e Mezzo Bombana did not disappoint. Surroundings were classy, service was on point, and food was delicious.

 To many more! (Anniversaries, that is, not dinners at Otto; ours kinda broke the bank.)

Zhoumo kuaile!

We have a guest in town! It's been fun showing him the city and sharing our experiences with him, including eating soup dumplings and getting shirts made at the fabric market. Tonight, a new experience is in store for all of us: a Shanghai Sharks game. The Shanghai Sharks are a professional basketball team, known for developing Yao Ming before he crossed over to the NBA. And Gilbert Arenas is part of the team (if you know who that is; I didn't, but learned from the husband). Mike had mentioned wanting to become what Jack Nicholson is to the Lakers (buying court-side seats and season tickets, and doing what Jack does at Laker games). Maybe next season... We'll start with this one game.  

Enjoy the weekend! 

Zhoumo kuaile!

We have our first visitor this weekend! A cousin of mine from LA is here in Shanghai for business and will be staying with us tonight. The plan? Food. Tonight, it's Guyi for spice-rubbed pork ribs and tomorrow morning, it's crepurritos. We'll also fit in "xiaolongboa," or soup dumplings, before he leaves for the airport. 

I can't believe I haven't told you about soup dumplings yet. Shanghai is known for them, and the dish is one of my favorites. It's essentially a pork meatball and broth wrapped in a thin flour skin. But beware of the broth. You don't want to order these when you're starving, or when you're likely to just pop one in your mouth. Trust me, I learned the hard way. To prevent burning your tongue, follow these fun instructions and you'll find that these delicious little things are so worth the extra steps --

Source: stevengoh.com via Alexis on Pinterest