When L and I started in the organisation, we were both a part of the Food & Beverage team. We worked with wineries, fruit and veg growers, cattle and dairy farms and many, many others, to grow their businesses into overseas markets. L had a background in the wine industry, whereas I had a logistics background, and a BIG LOVE of the good things in life – delicious good, gorgeous wine and great company. We have shared many food adventures together, L and I. From yumcha in Chinatown to 13 course degustation at Vue de monde, laksa in KL, curries in Bangkok, hairy crab in Hangzhou – we’re pretty adventurous and we’re very appreciative. Good food – coupled with a good experience – gets a big tick from us both. Exploring new cultures through cuisine is another big thing I’m into, but after 11-12 weeks, I’m feeling a bit Chinese’d out.
I arrived Shanghai on Sunday evening, and L introduced me to a gorgeous little Italian trattoria she’d just discovered, around the corner from her home. Sharing lots of little plates, we enjoyed buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil, marinated mushrooms and artichokes, yummy smoked salmon, delicious spinach with garlic, all washed down with our bevvie of choice, San Pellegrino. The break from rice and chopsticks that I needed!
The next morning, we walked an hour to our breakfast destination, a little café in the French Concession, where we enjoyed freshly made yoghurt with homemade muesli, freshly squeezed OJ and very. Good. Coffee.
More walking and exploring, chatting and window shopping brought us to the afternoon, where we pondered over what to do for dinner that evening. L is embracing TCM – Traditional Chinese Medicine – while she is here, and has a few TCM cookbooks on her shelf. We went through a selected a couple of dishes that looked to have (reasonably) easy to find ingredients and techniques, that would also treat ailments like dry skin, lack of vital energy, and sluggish digestive systems. We made our list and hit the local Chinese supermarket. It soon became a game of ‘Help the waiguoren’ (foreigner), as we tried to source black sesame seeds, fresh bamboo, Chinese rice wine, shiny asparagus, Dodder seeds and fresh bamboo. With about half of what we needed purchased from the supermarket, we were able to purchase the balance from the wet market and pharmacy a few doors down.
Preparing and cooking a meal with someone is a great thing. You chat about the ingredients, the technique, what it might taste like (or what it should taste like). It is quite therapeutic to go through the motions of preparation, process and then consumption.
The results were perfect – a white turnip herbal soup, a brown rice and bamboo shoot with dodder seeds dish, and black sesame drink to wash it all down. Perhaps not everyone’s idea of a great meal, but what we needed after months (and in L’s case, almost 2 years) of not really doing much cooking for ourselves. The dishes might not look like much, but they were delicious!
Tuesday was a gorgeous day, weather-wise, and perfect for a trip to YuYuan Garden, the Bund and Suzhou Creek neighbourhood. Knowing we would be having a big meal that night, we grazed during the day on tofu and tea snacks, xialongbao (Shanghai dumplings), and street food. It kept us going, and we were nice and hungry by the time we were due to dine at one of Shanghai’s top restaurants, T8. The head chef at T8, a talented young Aussie bloke and friend of L, had created a fabulous Autumn degustation menu and we were committed to trying it. The chef sent us out a Lobster Congee – not on the menu – to whet our appetites. Divine! We then started the 7-course menu…
L had the cod, I had the beef. My highlights were the Salmon Tsunami, beef and the chocolate soufflé.
SO YUM! How I love love LOVE gorgeous food! So happy and thankful to share such an amazing culinary experience with a fellow foodie and friend.
P.S. Check out the Bvlgari San Pell bottle... Fancy pants!
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