These days, it seems as if fast food dining is elevating itself to a whole new level... and not the kind that involves mediocre "low-cal" options being added to the standard menu.
On the forefront of changing this "fast food environment" in China is Burger King, who is teaming up with Shanghai-based production company House Films to create BK's very own in-store web-based TV network, aptly titled BKTV.
The project will feature original BK branded content programs (as well as customer generated films...[read more]
Proving that he can indeed cook, Chef Martin Yan showcased his culinary skills for an intimate audience in the kitchen of City Super last night. I was joined by a of number journalists, long time fans and curious shoppers, who all crammed themselves into City Super’s kitchen just to get a glimpse, whiff and taste of the master’s new recipes.
Yan was joined by right hand woman and City Super’s executive Chef, Charmaine Cheung. Between Yan’s expertise and...[read more]Posted: Thursday, September 29, 2011 under General
You guys have read my nightlife articles, but now it's time to give you an inside look into how I get down on a Friday night in Shanghai. Last Monday, Mattia Visconti, one of Shanghai's top promoters, asked me if I would like to help promote his upcoming Flower Power party at Bar Rouge. I spent the next few days going out wearing my signature panda hat getting numbers and inviting people to the party. By the time...[read more]
This week we celebrate our 201st issue of EnjoyShanghai Weekly, the magazine. Four years ago we published issue number one - a larger newsprint style publication with fewer pages that focused entirely on classifieds. We called it EnjoyClassifieds, "the only classifieds you'll ever need", and it succeeded astonishingly quickly in setting the standard for Job, Property, Buy & Sell, and of course Personal classified ads in Shanghai.
EnjoyClassifieds started on the premise that the website was the engine that would drive...[read more]
Ok, I am officially putting the call out for hot tips on shopping in Shanghai. Not just any kind of shopping of course, any fool can see that Shanghai is a shopping Mecca - or I should say it's the place to shop if you are petite. I am an average-sized Western woman who is utterly desperate to find some unique, hidden away, shopping gems that are more suited to my northern European frame - in other words anything bigger...[read more]
Written in 1944 by German play write Bertolt Brecht, The Caucasian Chalk Circle was, at the time, a modern interpretation of an ancient Chinese play - with a twist. Adapted from the original version to WWII Soviet Georgia it tells the tale of the value that intentions have in decision making. Though it can no longer be considered modern, Brecht's work has become a classic performance piece; a rigorous example of Epic Theater. As their last production of the autumn...[read more]
Being first-time parents is no doubt one of the most exciting and wonderful experiences in life, but it can also be daunting and nerve wrecking, especially when you are far from friends and family. It is even more overwhelming and scary when your little bundle turns out to be two little bundles!
Victoria Scott and her husband Don know all about those challenges. When Victoria fell pregnant with twins she decided to have the babies in the UK where she could...[read more]
CocoRosie are the monikers of sisters Bianca and Sierra, modern nomads with an appetite to engage with the Spirits of Creativity and Imagination. Influences from numerous cultures and types of music fuel their own, melding and building a beautiful chaos that can be unraveled to a string of complexities. It is the style of CocoRosie to, what seems, effortlessly fuse genres like classical opera to hip hop. Bianca (Coco)...[read more]
One of the most recommended experiences from my travels is the traditional bathhouse found throughout Seoul and possibly South Korea. These bathhouses are communal and best for the overly self-conscious to help rid yourself of stupid anxieties. Worried about your saggy breasts, ass, or tummy? I'm sure someone at the jimjilbong will have it worse, yet continue to parade around flaunting her goodies.
Centrally located in Seoul, the jimjilbong we went to was small, homey and filled with the requisites: shower...[read more]
There's no surfing involved in this trip for numerous reasons: First, I'm too clumsy to balance on anything. Second, Seoul is far and stormy. Third, surfing may be more expensive than the plane ticket I bought. I mean, I'll need to buy some trees and plant them to offset my carbon footprint, but the two-hour journey cost >200USD. Enough of those rambles.
I'm really aching for live music since the last show was Abigail Washburn's two weeks ago. Regretfully I missed...[read more]
I never thought I'd be the one to have a cautionary tale, a message to impart about something that happened and not just to someone I know or had heard about, because these things happen to other people, not me. The story goes that two weeks ago I was admitted to hospital with severe abdominal pain, after three days of trying to convince myself that it didn't hurt that much because I had no idea...[read more]
From this cautionary tale, my advice is this: you need insurance. If you're somewhere where you'd need to pay for anything medical, and I'm guessing for most expatriates in Shanghai this would be the case, then you need to be insured; there's no two ways about it. Chances are you won't ever need it, and in hindsight it's easy to come back from a trip overseas and wish you could somehow get a refund...[read more]
King Khan spent some time setting up the environment of the stage, putting up a gold background with an under-the-sea colorful fabric covering it. A hand drawn octopus floated on it. The two characters wore sequined disco pants and King Khan a stunning purple sequined top. I’m convinced that the show’s energy stems from how bedazzled the clothing was. Other possibilities for magical accents? King Khan had a few of his nails also painted purple, to match his top I...[read more]
My evening with Marnie began with an unexpected surprise of babe-alicious students from an international school in Shanghai. The high school band's female bassist and vocalist, plus a male guitarist, emerged wearing casual attire with the bassist wearing patterned pajama pants. Vogue magazine would have covered their impeccable style had they been in attendance. Skillful at rousing the crowd, many of which were their peers, the trio knocked out a few tunes before The Fever Machine came to the stage....[read more]
Jean Georges is heading back to the Bund for a week-long stay, indulging the taste buds of Shanghai's gourmets. In honor of Expo - as is anything and everything produced in Shanghai for at least the next month - he'll be featuring a special menu of goodies to savor. Perhaps a Chinese Pavilion assembled from rhubarb sticks or a British Pavilion sculpted from hedgehog spines. A truly British specialty, the Telegraph even has a suggestion for how best to...[read more]
From about midnight, technicians began toying with my heart with flashing lights and a dissemination of unnecessary fog. I could feel the two giant “woos” from the crowd causing emotional distress on my heart. Then finally, as if God sent a messenger, a silhouette of Sasquatch faced the crowd. Lowered slowly, millimeter by millimeter, as she rocked down with “Mud” (Anyone can confirm? I’ve forgotten.), stripped off her clothing into this brilliant pink plastic mess, and off with each song...[read more]
1. (Day before) Invite people whose company you enjoy. Cross your fingers that a fight won’t break out among the strangers.
2. (Day before) Call Egghead Bagels and place an order for bagels. I can’t tell you how heavenly it is living one block away from the sweetest bagel joint in Shanghai. Seriously, a carbalicious morning is the foundation of a...[read more]
Catching a 9am flight after a handful of hours of sleep is tough. Rolling out of bed, attempting to dress and deciding the path to the airport with time to groom at the airport’s restroom can cause a frustrating amount of anxiety. Quickly, I decided that a taxi to Hongqiao can’t be too harsh regardless of the morning traffic, and just as quickly, I realized that this was the worst decision in life. (Dramatized.)
After a horrendously jerky 45...[read more]
You know that place where you go to buy foreign food? It's nice and shiny and clean and is very popular with expats? City Shop? Or is it City Super? Well in May it'll be both. That's right folks, the first branch of a "premium" and "luxury" store is set to grace the banks of the HuangPu in LuJiaZui. While many of you may sniff and say "PuDong, poo poo to that," if all goes well you may see them...[read more]
Sex tourists take note: the French are considering the legalization of brothels. This may not seem surprising considering their stereotype as propagators of l'amour. What's more surprising is they'd be far from the first European nation to do so. Among nations that have already legalized licensed prostitution and regulate it - in hopes of controlling the illegal trafficking and human rights violations that often occur - are the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, Hungary and Latvia. Considering the...[read more]
Eagerly anticipating watching the Alice in Wonderland film, whether by illicit DVD or an actual trip to the silver screen, I have been Googling the hell out of the film, the cast and all random related trivia. That's when I fell down the rabbit hole and landed smack bang on a page summarizing a lovely little 1970s' porno. That's right folks, Alice goes on her trip through Wonderland, and it's full of phallic interactions, girl-on-girl appreciation - and singing...[read more]
1) What you sometimes need is a child. Heading out to examine Rosso Italiano's brunch and new chef, I enjoyed a thoroughly hearty Italian meal, full of lasagna, cannelloni, polenta, salami and Italian breads. As I was merrily reaching for my glass of wine, I suddenly realized I was completely surrounded by Italians - ‘a very good sign for the food', I thought, ‘I have truly stumbled into a promising little haven'. Only then, food in belly and wine...[read more]
A building suspended mid-mountain, being within 2 meters of a powerful waterfall, 2,000 year old Pingyao City are some of the sights to see in Shanxi Province. Pingyao City is the only Ming-Qing Dynasty style town still standing. The city was the birthplace of China's banking institution and at its height, much of the country's banking business took place here - but there are no longer any banks in the city today.
The City Wall gives you an idea of the...[read more]
1) Mexican food in Shanghai is set to get hot! New restaurant Mi Tierra is entering its soft opening phase and it is a truly opulent Mexican retreat - as well as being the lucky eatery slated to hold court in the Mexican pavilion. Starting out in deliveries and frozen foods, the owners are moving up up up and have rented and renovated a villa that is simply gorgeous. We'll have the full scoop in our review next week.
2) M1NT...[read more]
1) Stray animals will follow you home if you so much as wave at them. Not just strays either - I was almost at my door before I realized a woman was chasing me down the street, yelling "Stop! Stop!" Or some such equivalent. Turning, I saw that an adorable little puppy had trotted happily along behind me. Brave little mite, I resisted the urge to pick him up and make a dash for it.
2) Women killing chickens on the...[read more]
“Watch, looka, bagga lady! Watch looka bagga! Ok, DVD? DVD!”
“But I don’t want a watch, or a bag, or a DVD. I’m ok thanks, I’m just trying to cross the road without being hassled.”
“But looka lady, Gucci! Gucci! Bag!”
“But my Ayi already has that bag, I think she might be offended if I bought the same one as her. And I’m just trying to cross the road, I don’t want to buy...[read more]Posted: Thursday, January 21, 2010 under General | 3 comments
There we sat in the "living room" of Boxing Cat Brewery with beers in hand during the wee hours Monday morning. Only American football playoff season can entice me to wake up at 1am, hail a taxi, and then sit in front of a TV in a room full of testosterone. While I sat trying to wake up the normal boisterous barks of boys bragging about their Boys and Vikings began.
I meanwhile savored my micro-brewed beer and ordered some...[read more]
1) Christmas dinner doesn't have to involve turkey - I've now had two pre-Christmas dinners in Shanghai, one involving a mix of pastries from a local Chinese bakery, chicken from Brasa and homemade salad with a deliciously simple balsamic vinaigrette; the other consisting of wasabi potatoes, garlic aubergine Chinese style, chicken from a corner-shop rotisserie and killer martinis.
2) They definitely do use better quality meat if you're not all-you-can-eat dining - perhaps obvious to some but confirmed...[read more]
Oh dear, after the first Christmas bash of the season with Mrs. Cotton on Xinhua Lu I arrived safe and snug and warmed by mulled wine. After the water man came with the weekly delivery, I forgot to check the door lock and an hour later: “Mei yo mao, mao”; “sans chat!” Oooops. How am I going to explain this one to my friend who lent me her cat to keep me company? I spent the half of...[read more]Posted: Thursday, December 17, 2009 under General | 1 comment
1) Karaoke devotees are not to be trusted - they will inevitably get horribly drunk, alternatively vomiting and spitting the remnants of their vomit onto your face, as they babble excitedly about what they're going to sing next. Try to leave for the bathroom and get partially molested. Get to the bathroom and be confronted by either more vomiting or someone performing unspeakable acts on someone else.
2) Spicy food is delicious - I've spent years avoiding all things resembling chili...[read more]
