Sheng Sushi

With most sushi places in Shanghai being priced out of the budget diner's list, Sheng Sushi (盛寿司 Shèng Shòusī) is a little sushi shack on YongKang Lu welcoming you with open arms. The tiny restaurant has only about 8 seats (4 of which are at the bar) or a tad more if the lone table outside is set up. Extra stools are pulled down from the storage space above the sushi bar to accommodate a couple more people. Most of its business seems to be geared towards home delivery, operating between 10:00-21:00.

Upon arrival, grab a seat if you are so lucky to find one or prepare to queue. Take away is also an option, though there are not many nearby spots favorable for sitting to eat. The menu is listed both in Chinese and English with descriptions and explanations of its rolls, most of which are named after major U.S. cities and some of which are misspelled e.g. "Salt Lack City." The menu could have been copied straight from a Californian sushi joint take away menu that made its way to Shanghai. A lot of the rolls include some aspect that does not require a variety of fresh raw fish like tempura, cooked shrimp, crab, cucumber, or eel, which is broiled right in front of you. Considering this, it may be the reason that the costs at Sheng Sushi are kept down. Also on the menu are ramen, hand rolls, sashimi bowls, maki, and various other sides.

The Phoenix Roll has cucumber and crab and each piece (8 in total) is topped with a generous sliver of salmon, a round of cucumber, and roe. The whole thing barely fits into your mouth. The salmon sashimi (25RMB) was five thick slices of salmon served with raw radish and tasted fresh, not being rubbery or taking on a sheen from fish left out too long. The bulk of the other roll shared had tempura and a heavy drizzling of sauce. The rolls are big and surprisingly filling. Two rolls, salmon sashimi, and draft sake cost a total of 152RMB.


The sushi and its offerings are no frills with several choices of Californian-style rolls that are not commonly offered in other establishments serving sushi (aside from the classic "Californian roll"). While not being exceptionally fancy or amazing, the sushi is great for its price and the quality is a lot better than you would expect for a budget sushi place.

Check out the take away menu below:

Sheng Sushi. 63 Yongkang Lu by Xiangyang Lu / 永康路63号，近嘉善路, Shanghai, 200031, China. Delivery: 10:00-21:00. Tel: 13816418701.

Izumi

Preceding a fateful weekend, I was taken to what is qualified as the best Japanese bar in Shanghai, Mokkos, which serves shochu. Shochu is a distilled beverage from Japan averaging around 25% abv and made from sweet potato, rye, or rice. Mokkos is a lovely, small bar off Wuding Lu north of Jing'an Temple. The bar shelves go straight to the ceiling lined with bottles of shochu and on the lower shelves are even bottles with name tags for the frequent patrons. A pleasant place for conversation and a light, clean-tasting Japanese drink.

Since my initial experience in Shanghai, I have been somewhat fascinated with shochu and shochu culture, which has not really caught on in the Western world except to serve as a trendy drink of the moment favored by young women instead of old Japanese men. It is something I could continue to sip for ages and enjoy.

Shochu bars are popping up all over the place as it has become in fashion to open Japanese-style bars in Shanghai, granted they are often on the more expensive side, even for the expat wallet considering the quantity you get. This should not be confused with the quality of your drink.

Hence, the adventure to Luwan to Izumi, a few doors down from the second Constellation Bar. Izumi is a really small bar with quasi dark interior and red accents of faux cherry blossoms. A passerby would not consider stopping into this empty bar playing mainstream electronic and top 40 music. However, the promise of shochu lured me in.

The bartender did not speak any English, but he suggested to try the Tantakatan, made with shiso leaf (50RMB). This, along with the other shochus, were served on ice in ceramic cups and accompanied by spicy nuts. The taste of the Tantakatan was clean and crisp, though slightly earthy and reminiscent of a light tea. He said they just got it in and the bottel was not listed on the menu. Another tried was Den-En (35RMB) made with rye and tasted more grainy or earthy with an oak quality. Shiso Komachi was another favorite because it also tasted very crisp and light with a taste similar to the light aroma of flowers, but this was due to the shiso leaf (45RMB). The bartender offered a shiso leaf to smell and feel to understand where the flavors were coming from. It was very nice to have the bartender so involved in the selection process. Also on the menu were shochu-based cocktails along with tea and soft drinks.

Mmmm...My foray into the world of shochu is off to an outstanding start.

The hidden-away, neighborhood ambiance of Mokkos is preferred over Izumi, but I would not discount this bar completely out of the loop if you are looking for a quiet, secluded place to enjoy some shochu.

Izumi. 21 Yongjia Lu 永嘉路21号, by Maoming Lu. Shanghai, China.