The 4-worst foreign restaurants in Shanghai

One of the great things about living in Shanghai is being able to experience authentic Chinese cuisine for incredibly low price. However, there are times when your palates simply need a break from the oil and spice. The good news is that Shanghai is a very international cosmopolitan - the bad news is that not only are they overpriced, they can also be disappointing. Here are top 4 worst foreign restaurants that you should shun away in Shanghai:

1) Watami - One of my ultimate cravings is Japanese food and I thought since there are so many Japanese in Shanghai then finding a decent restaurant would be easy. I was wrong. In Shanghai, sushi and sashimi is twice the price as in Japan and regular rice is substituted for Japanese rice. We have ventured a couple of places and we were never satisfied. But the biggest disappointment for me is Watami.

Location: Superbrand Mall, Luijiazui

2) TGIFridays - There is no need to thank God with the size of the servings nor the service. When I was a student in Tokyo I usually eat in TGIF once-a-week and order the appetizer for my lunch. In Shanghai, the appetizer is really good for only a few bites. Plus the taste is worst than my own cooking-slash-frying.

Location: Diplomatic Circle, #10 Hengshan Road

3. Greek Taverna (O Milos)- The first time I have ever tried Greek food in my life and I could not have been more disappointed. Carbs and flour without flavor (hey that rhymes!). The worst part is that the lamb meat tastes like goat.

Location: The Thumb Plaza, #199 Fangdian Lu

4. Baan Thai - One day, Mos was searching for the Iran consulate when he accidentally saw this restaurant and got intrigued with its ambience and architecture looking from the outside. Hence, a month after, he invited me for dinner and taste Thai food in Shanghai for the first time. We ordered Tom Ka Gai, Green Curry, Crab Cake, and two fruit shakes. The verdict - BAD!! The servings are small, the taste is not spicy enough, and the crab cakes does not taste like crab. Worst, the service is terrible, 5 women chattering while we were eating and gave us boiled tap water.

Location: 1479 Fuxing Zhong Lu

Beijing vs. Shanghai

I may not be the most qualified person to write about this topic but I'll give it a shot. I have been living in Shanghai for almost a year whereas I've only stayed a mere 48 hours in Beijing. Whenever I go to a new city, I always evaluate how "livable" the place is.

Instead of focusing on the tourist spots, I focus my attention on the transport system, convenience, infrastructures, cleanliness, "foreigner-friendliness", and overall safety. (In fact, with these factors considered I have Zurich, Tokyo, and Toronto topping the list out of the cities I've been to.)
Here's how Shanghai and Beijing fare out against each other:

• Transport System - Because of last year's Olympics, Beijing has renovated their subway system by adding new lines from the downtown to tourists spots of the city. You pay a standard fare of 2RMB compared to Shanghai's fare which ranges from 3-5RMB, however this price difference probably is the reason why all of the transfer points are 2 km away and platforms are at the center of the world. (RESULT: Shanghai)

• Convenience - By convenience, I mean availability of stores and restaurants in a given neighborhood. We are lucky to stay in a hotel near Tiananmen Square and hence we were fortunate to find a restaurant at 9:30pm. In Pudong, Shanghai it would be quite difficult to find an open place at that time. (RESULT: Not enough info)

• Infrastructures - Ok, a bit of tourist guide here. The Bird's Nest is quite bedazzling but Shanghai also prides itself of SWFC and the Pudong Tower, and let's not forget the EXPO is still coming next year. (RESULT: Shanghai)
  
  

• Cleanliness - This is one of the aspects that Beijing gets hands-down. (RESULT: Beijing)

• Foreigner-Friendliness - The only foreigners in Beijing are either tourists or language students. Hence, 2 words (RESULT: Shanghai)
  

• Safety - In downtown Beijing, there are uniformed guards roaming all over the place. (Unfortunately, when I approached one of them for directions, he said that he's also new in town) Anyway, after my electronic dictionary was stolen from me while commuting in Shanghai, I guess I have no choice but to hand it to Beijing. (RESULT: Beijing)

Final Score:
Beijing - 2 Shanghai - 3

So, I guess it's SHANGHAI after all.

Must-try Chinese Food in Shanghai

Home-made Crab.

Incredibly cheap at 50 RMB ($7) for 3 pieces including spices and pumpkin.

Wanton Noodles with Real Soft Beef Tenderloins.

Restaurant located in Zhangjiang High Tech Station, 2nd floor of the complex.

Shanghai Black Chicken.

Yes!! It's black! And it's healthy -- that is Korean Ginseng floating out there.

Restaurant near DaMuZhi GuangChang on Century Park Station.

Carrefour - Grocery in Shanghai

One of the best things about living in Shanghai is that dining out is relatively cheap. For less than $50, you can have a sumptous meal with your family of 4 in a decent restaurant. There are plenty of choices and you might want to try authentic Chinese food.

But after some time of doing this, you probably would want to cook your own dishes. Here is the bad news -- go to your nearby local Chinese supermarket and be amazed that there are no edible fresh. meat available. Well, unless you dig chicken's head and feet, or would be contented with frozen dumplings, then you know that this is definitely what you are looking for.

If you are lucky then someone may have told you where to find Carrefour. But if not, then you have to learn two things.

First, you have to know how to say it in Chinese, and make sure that you say it correctly. The characters are 家乐福 which is (Jia Le Fu) in Pinyin. I advise that you use stress the first tones on the "le" and "fu".

Next thing is to find the nearest one in your neighborhood. I know two branches in Pudong, one in 高科中路

(GaokeZhong Lu), which is 25 minutes by cab from Zhangjiang High Tech Station and the other one in 大拇指广场

(Da Muzhi Guangchang), which is a 10 minutes walk from Century Park Station.

I also know one branch in Northern Puxi which is 5 minutes by cab from 赤峰路 (Chifeng Lu Station Line 3).

Another option for shopping is Hisamitsu in the mall near Jing'an Temple. The quality of food here is very good but expect to pay 3 times the amount as in Japan.

Try SICHUAN FOOD in SHANGHAI

For our 3rd monthsary, M and I went back to a Sichuanese restaurant called Spicy Storm near BaBaiYang along Century Avenue (take Metro Line 2). It was called recommended by my language exchange partner V but last time we were there, we didn't order the hotpot fish, which is the staple of that place. This time, we made sure we get what everyone else is having.

First of all, the fish boiled in oil is so darn good, a bit hot but rather good! We asked the waiter to remove most of the red pepper floating on the soup so we can eat it better. The soup also has some bamboo shoots which perfectly complements the soft fish.

We also ordered mushroom wrapped in bacon

and cold chicken on chestnuts but we were just so full that we cannot finish them. For drinks, we got a picther of melon shake. They offer a big plate of fresh watermelon as a service complement after burning your tastebuds with the pepper.

The total price: 180 RMB approximately $25 or ￥2500 which is quite affordable considering that it is good for 3-4 people.

Overall rating: 8/10.