Gran Melia's Acqua Pizza and Beer Promotion

Acqua Italian Restaurant's Pizza Salami and Pizza Proscuitto e Funghi
Acqua Italian Restaurant at the Gran Melia Shanghai in Pudong has an unlimited pizza and draught Tiger beer promotion for 88RMB or 101RMB after a 15% service charge on Fridays from 18:00-22:30 (until September 1, as advertised on CityWeekend). Restaurants in luxury hotels in Asia have a reputation of particularly good fare. Unfortunately, this was not the case at Acqua. The service was impeccable, however. The host promptly escorted us to our table and beer was immediately served. During the entire stay, the beer level in each glass never went below the halfway point as the draught Tiger was stealthily poured so as not to interrupt the conversation. The Tiger beer kept flowing until the restaurant ran out of beer an hour before the promotion ended. Other tables were also wondering why the restaurant was not supplied enough beer to last the duration of the promotion. The host informed us that beer was being brought from the 30th floor, but it was only bottles of Tsing Tao beer, which were poured into our empty glasses. The selected pizzas for the promotion were: margherita, salami (sausage), vegetariano (black olives with red and yellow peppers), prosciutto e funghi, and marinara (shrimp and tuna). The crust of the pizza was not super thin, but had great blackened blisters on its underside. The toppings were horrendous. The pizzas looked and tasted like meat or no meat in yellow, red, and brown, regardless of the variety chosen. Intead of pork sausage, it appeared to be pieces of pork. Pizza prosciutto e funghi was the best one, but in place of paper-thin slivers of prosciutto were thick slices of ham. The upside is the pizzas were not greasy and the kitchen obliged requests for tobasco, Chinese chili sauce, balsamic vinegar (in the form of a sweet, thick balsamic reduction), and dried oregano or basically anything to add complexity to an otherwise flat-tasting pizza. After drinking all the beer in the restaurant does the pizza start to really taste good. The only worthy part of this promotion is the unlimited Tiger draught beer (while supplies last). Maybe the regular menu at Acqua Italian Restaurant at Gran Melia Shanghai is inversely better as the pizza was poor?

Acqua. Gran Melia Shanghai, 2/F, 1288 Lujiazui Huan Lu (near Dongyuan Lu). 陆家嘴环路1288号2楼 (近东园路), Shanghai, China. Tel: 86 (021) 3867 8888. www.gran-melia-shanghai.com

glo London Shanghai Gastro Grill

After spending some time in London and appreciating its gastropub culture, I was curious to see what glo London would bring to China with its ambitious plans of a bakery cafe, gastro grill, lounge bar, rooftop barbecue, and pizza delivery all under one roof. I managed to get in on an invite to sample the food from the gastro grill before the soft opening (Shanghai loves soft openings). The tables were barely arranged and the bakery cafe on the first floor was still being put together. glo London was barely open and being so new, there should be some understanding that the wait staff may still need a little extra training and the kitchen is still working out a few kinks.




The starters had the most international flair out of all the sections on the menu. However, its size and portion were not very impressive, especially compared to the price. The Satay Chicken (60RMB) made from char-grilled chicken breast marinated in spicy peanut, chilli, and coconut sauce was tender and moist with a hint of sweet flavor. The lovely marinated taste was reflected in its equally appealing yellow color. The Chargrilled Lemon Honey Tiger Prawns (85RMB) marinated in special honey marinade was the most disappointing out of all the starters. The prawns were not even tiger prawns! Maybe the kitchen ran out of tiger prawns and neglected to tell its patrons that the tiger prawn species would be substituted for another that evening? Who knows. The grand opening should at least see real tiger prawns. The marinade on the prawns was good, but the prawns were a tad dry as if left on the grill for a few seconds too long. The Duck Confit Samosas (65RMB), a trio of spiced duck samosas served with apple ginger chutney, were also very flavorful and moist. The accompanying apple ginger chutney added a soft and sweet bite to the spiced duck. The wrapper was a bit limp and could have been a touch crispier though. The Chilli and Corriander Calamari (65RMB) lightly-dusted and pan-fried with fresh chilli, garlic, corriander, and soy sauce served with lime and sweet chilli sauce was of average quality. The calamari came out hot and only featured rings cut from the mantle. The dish would have been more interesting if the tentacles were also used. A good squeeze of lemon made the calamari that much better. The Crab Croquettes (70RMB) was made from hand-picked crab meat mixed with freshly chopped herbs, onions, garlic, chilli, and creamy potato accompanied with lime and sweet chilli sauce. It easily could have been the best starter from the meal as the bulk of the croquette was crab meat instead of filler. The onions, galric, chilli, and potato in the croquette were not overpowering the main feature of the dish - the crab meat.




The mains were significantly better in terms of price compared to size and quality. The selection leaned more toward an American menu with a few popular English choices such as the curries. The half slab of Hickory BBQ Baby Back Ribs (145RMB) is slow-cooked in a hickory oak burning smoke pit and finished on the chargrill before getting smothered with homemade bbq sauce. The ribs were actually full-sized pork ribs and was a massive portion. The meat was incredibly tender and slipped easily off the bone. There was great caramelization on the meat underneath that sweet barbecue sauce. Like most of the mains, it was served with hand-cut steak chips, battered onion rings, roasted cherry tomatoes, chargrilled mushrooms, and crisp mixed leaves. With the size of the mains, the steak chips and onion rings were almost unnecessary filler. The texture and taste of the mushrooms was more marinated than grilled. Half of these sides (the mushrooms and juicy cherry tomatoes) almost did give me the impression of an English breakfast. One diner was disappointed with the size of the Chargrilled Honey and Coriander whole Sea Bass (180RMB) marinated in coriander, cumin, ginger, Manuka honey, and fresh chillies. The fish was small, but tasty, especially with the marinade creating a barely there crust on the skin of the fish. The beef fillet (238RMB) raised some eyebrows because it did not taste like a solid beef cut, but rather marinated in soy sauce (manuka honey marinade), which masked the flavor of the beef. Also disappointing was the London-Style Chicken Tikka Curry (110RMB) with tender chicken pieces in tikka sauce flavored with fresh garlic, cardamom, coriander and fresh chilli. The curry was put in a bread bowl and served as a platter with poppadoms, kal cucumber, toasted coconut, and apple ginger chutney. There were too many grain products to go with the curry so you were getting more full from the papadoms and bread than the actual curry. The Parma Ham Pizza (115RMB) had tomato, torn buffalo mozzarella, olives, and marinated mushrooms slow-roasted in garlic and herb oil finished with slices of Parma ham, fresh rocket leaves, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. The crust of the pizza is thin, crispy and oval-shaped barely fitting the board it came on (with accompanying pizza cutter for a more hands-on experience). The marinated mushrooms were the same as the ones served as sides on the grilled mains and fell off the thin slices too easily. The Parma ham and rocket was abundant in every bite. When glo London rolls out its pizza delivery service, this would be something to look forward to. After all these mains, our party of five was absolutely stuffed.


And then came out the desserts. With all the food from the first two courses, it was a surprise there was any room for dessert at all. The Jam Roly-Poly (50RMB) is labeled as "an old-time favorite" traditionally hand-rolled sponge cake smothered in raspberry jam and covered in custard. The custard really came in a gravy boat instead of covering the layered sponge cake. It was light, the sponge cake a tad dry, and the jam flavor barely there. The Hot Chocolate Brownie (60RMB) referred to as the "ultimate pudding for chocolate lovers with a fudgy texture" and chocolate chip topping served with honeycomb ice cream and fresh whipped cream was more a dry cake than brownie. The brownie fell apart for the lack of any fudgy texture to hold it together. The chocolate flavor was actually more on the bittersweet side than too sweet, but the consistency of the brownie destroyed the whole dessert. More familiar to an English dessert palate is the Bread and Butter Pudding (50RMB) mae from baked bread pudding with raisins (none of which were present), nutmeg, and vanilla pod served warm covered with strawberry jam and custard. The bread pudding was dense and too dry as if the moist quality of a good bread pudding would soak into the bread by the custard alone. It was not. The bread pudding was baked to a golden brown and the light custard could barely hold on to its gleaming surface.

Everyone was left with stomachs bursting from all the food that was shared and consumed. Overall, the food came in large portions (aside from the starters) and was incredibly filling. The mains from the grill and especially the pizzas are better choices for eats. The drinks were plentiful as well and ranged around 60RMB, which is average for its location in the former French Concession. While being a London-based chain, the majority of the menu was more reminiscent of an American casual restaurant and respected its serving size as well. The glo London Gastro Grill brought over more the chic atmosphere infiltrating the Square Mile's modern bar scene than a gastropub ideal with more English favorites. A return visit is likely in the future to sample the brunch and Sunday roast. The simple and clean interiors of glo London with its wide dining selection would definitely attract the roving expat in Shanghai.

glo London. 1 Wulumuqi Lu (by Dongping lu) / 乌鲁木齐路1号 (近东平路), Shanghai 200031, China. Tel: +86 21 6466 6565. glolondon.com

Big Bamboo Pizza + Beer Monday Night Promotion

Mondays are becoming the night in Shanghai to get over the workday blues with dining promotions although the work-week is barely 8 hours old. At Big Bamboo, the Monday night special is pizza and a pint of beer for 58RMB from 18:00-02:00. At 20:00, the bar is filled primarily with middle-aged men taking advantage of the deal and already in need of an after-work pint. The servers are quick to seat you and receive your order. The pint of beer is standard Budweiser or Carlsberg on draft. Looking at the regular menu, all the pizzas are listed at the same price, so selecting one pizza over another will not mean that you are getting more value from the pizza through this deal. Thus, there is no feeling of satisfaction from beating the system by ordering a more expensive pizza. Feeling a bit hungry, we ordered the Chicken Pesto (chicken breast, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, feta cheese with tomato pesto sauce and mozzarella cheese) and Mediterranean (spinach, black olives, peppers, onions, tomatoes, feta cheese).

The pizzas promptly arrive and were larger than the server described them (about 12-inches). The crust was extremely thin and crispy, even able to hold the weight of the chicken without folding. The Mediterranean pizza was not impressive. The nobs of feta were generous, but the black olives were sparse. The remainder of the vegetable toppings looked and tasted more like an attempt at pico de gallo. The chicken pesto was slightly better as the chicken was cooked through, seasoned and not dry. There was not as much feta as the Mediterranean though. The pesto tasted non-existent with no hint of extra-virgin olive oil, basil, and pine nuts. The only green splash of color came from the broccoli. The mozzarella cheese on both was just enough to cover the pizza, but almost disappearing in the pizza. Overall, the crust is the best part of the entire pizza. At least a pint was served with this deal.

Big Bamboo. 132 Nanyang Lu (by Xikang Lu), Jing'An District, Shanghai 200040, People's Republic of China. 海市静安区南阳路132号. www.BigBamboo.cn

Golden Boy Pizza

After a couple pints at the local North Beach dive, Northstar Cafe, a friend points out a little pizza shop and says, "They have awesome pizza there, especially after a night of drinking." Outside on a early weekday evening, the queue extended about five deep all waiting for a large square slice (or entire pie). With local beer pumping in our blood, the smell was divine, but not for that night.

San Francisco is full of steep hills and all the going up and down makes thighs burn and stomachs rumble although benefitting your gluts. It's time for a mid-day snack and break before climbing Telegraph Hill to end a day of roaming that started at 08:00. The large sign pointing to Golden Boy Pizza is like a push from divinity telling you this is where you need to go. Taking a peek in the window, there are a few large, rectangular pies to entice the passerby. The crust looks thick and apparently is made of focaccia bread. The pizzas are loaded with toppings to match the girth of the crust.

From the till, the pesto vegetarian looks the best so I get a slice of that (US$3.50). Dinner is too close to get a more filling slice with meat. The server puts the slice in the oven to heat. It seems like most of the service is geared toward take away orders as there is not much space to dine in. My pesto vegetarian comes out hot and I am allowed to sprinkle as much oregano on it as I want (also parmesan cheese and pepper flakes are available) before the server wraps it up in paper. Consuming the slice will distract from the strenous uphill walk I am about to face. On closer inspection, there is a lovely layer of pesto with tomatoes, red onion, zucchini, mushrooms, and olives on top with the right amount of mozzarella. The vegetables are nicely roasted from the oven and not soggy. The paper was getting a little greasy, but at least not dripping in oil. It is decidedly a very California-influenced pizza, more Californian than classic Italian, but still looking really delicious and colorful. The first bite is vegetarian pizza joy. The crust was still crispy though thick, the pesto still present and not competing with either the crust and the toppings, and the vegetables tasted ripe and fresh. The slice is a bit on the heavy side and it was difficult to keep from flopping one way or another walking uphill. At least the paper managed to catch the toppings that fell off so not one shred of this pizza was left behind. The slice from Golden Boy is a great quick bite to walk away with.

Golden Boy Pizza. 542 Green Street, North Beach, San Francisco, CA 94133, United States. Telephone: +1.415.982.9738. Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11:30-23:30, Friday-Saturday 11:30-02:30. www.goldenboypizza.com

The Northstar Cafe. 1560 Powell Street (corner of Powell & Green), San Francisco, CA 94109, United States. Telephone: +1.415.397.0577. Hours: 13:00-02:00. Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 13:00-20:00. www.thenorthstarsf.com

Cucina Urbana

After passing on Laurel Restaurant for its high-priced menu, Cucina Urbana popped up giving those in the down economy a light with its reasonably priced rustic Italian dishes with a Californian touch. Rave reviews and word of mouth contributed to the popularity of the restaurant. Calling in Tuesday morning for reservations that evening, tables were already booked out aside from early and late dinner times. Seeing the packed dining room and bar, there was no way you could get a seating without a reservation.

The wait staff was very personable, friendly, and welcoming even though we were late arrivals and walk-ins were vying for our table. They invite diners to visit their wine retail store / "private" dining room as they only charge US$7.00 corkage fee for bottles purchased at retail. Excellent! The wine selection and menu placed a heavy emphasis on hot catch words like "organic," "local," and "sustainable." The food menu also featured daily specials for those looking for dining deals. The concept of the establishment was well-thought out. Diners help their tummies, their banks accounts, and the world.


The two starters we ordered were the barbecue octopus with salted fingerling potato, endive, radish, chili herb vinaigrette and lemon aioli ($11.00) and stuffed squash blossoms (herb ricotta) with purple basil pesto and cured lemon dressing ($9.50). The barbecue octopus was incredibly tender and not tough at all, especially after expecting a texture somewhat similar to tako from previous octopus experiences. It was meaty, yet very light and had a light smokey flavor from the charring. The salad also had a bit of baby octopus or some other cephalopod, which was a little bit chewier. The endives gave a nice crunch to the otherwise softer textures on the plate. The stuffed blossoms were amazing and light, not over-breaded. The pesto served as a savory compliment to the the saltiness from the ricotta and tang from the lemon dressing. The stuffed blossoms really hit the spot.


Each main course was selected one from each area of the menu: pasta, piatti, and pizza. The crab ravioli seemed promising, but fell flat when it came to the actual crab filling. The crab was a little bit dry and could have benefitted from using chunks instead of whatever was centrifuged from the shells. However, the buttery sauce and cheese in the filling did not overwhelm the crab flavors allowing the crab to be the star of the dish. The tower of thickly sliced aubergine in the eggplant 'parmigiana' with gigante bean and escarole salad and shaved grana ($15.50) was easy to cut into. The eggplant was not bitter had a thick, breaded, crispy crust and layered with fine slices of mozzarella complimented with a light sauce using fresh and flavorful tomatoes. The fig and gorgonzola pizza with caramelized onion, candied pecan, arugula, and aged balsamic ($14.00) had a lovely, charred crust. The toppings were mostly hidden by the forest of arugula, but the peppery green did not overwhelm the entire pizza. Each bite was a surprise of sweet and savory from the ripe, deep-colored figs and the bite of the sweet balsamic acid. This combination was particularly pleasant for warmer summer days.

Dessert came out and we shared the bittersweet chocolate bundino ($8.00). The chocolate was incredibly rich and you can taste the higher percentage of cacao. The chocolate was creamy and smooth. Two small bites were almost too much, but chocoholics would definitely love this dessert. The espresso ($3.50) rounded off the meal nicely.

Looking around at the end of the early dinner, the dining room and bar were seated primarily by women sipping summer whites and roses and sharing antipasti plates. The occasional male present was claimed by a female counterpart by the looks of the suggestive body language. Regardless, Cucina Urbana definitely has the food and ambiance at a great price to make this a regular spot.

Cucina Urbana. 505 West Laurel Street San Diego, CA 92101-1634, United States. +1.619.239.2222. Open Tue-Thu 5pm-10pm; Fri-Sat 5pm-12am; Sun 5pm-9pm. www.cucinaurbana.com

Pizza ToGo

The comfort of a good Mexican burrito is hard to come by in Shanghai. At the back of a copy shop is a little door with a poster menu proving the existence of Pizza ToGo (or Pizza To Go). There are no tables inside the copy shop. Aside from the poster and small sign on the outside, a passerby would not know of its existence. The "Cal-Mex" burritos get the food chit chat rolling as expats hankering for some cheap Mexican outside of the Chipotle fakery Cantina Agave totes. After an afternoon drink at Cottons, it seemed to be high time to go around the corner and check out what has been raved about.

The prices at Pizza ToGo are cheap. Really cheap. Probably the cheapest burrito in Shanghai with Teotihuacan already being cheap. Although pizza fits its namesake, that day was about the Cal-Mex, "a taste of home without the cost!" Looks good. The burritos range from 18-35RMB depending on if you want the 10 or 12-inch size. Quesadillas were more expensive ranging from 35RMB for the 10-inch cheese to 55RMB for the 12-inch steak (The chorizo quesadilla at Teotihuacan is only 12RMB and quite filling). The menu also displays hot dogs, milk tea, fresh juice, smoothies, chili cheese fries, and other American fast-food treats. After placing the order, the woman tells us in a mixture of Chinese and English

The large chicken burrito is enormous at 30RMB. It is probably better eaten with a fork and knife because of its size. Seeing as the difference between the big and small burritos are 2 inches of tortilla, the small burrito would already be satiating enough. The sight of a real flour tortilla is promising. The first bite reveals seasoned chicken, basic salsa fresca, lima beans, and a lot of rice (you can also get it with cheese, but this was omitted from the order). Actually, the bulk of the burrito is rice, but the rice was good. The chicken was also not too dry. The beans were slightly underdone and the fresh salsa left something to be desired (maybe a jalapeño or two) lacking the spice or punch to give a burrito an extra kick. It would have been better with refried black beans and the option of adding your own hot sauce, salsa verde, or whichever salsa is preferred. This burrito is more of a Cal-Mex quick fix than exciting


The quesadilla was somewhat of a disaster, barely being held together by the fake spray cheese. The texture of the cheese was more gooey than melted, but had a hint of spice to its artificial flavor. It came with bell peppers and mushrooms, which were evenly abundant throughout the quesadilla. The cheese part was just unsatisfying, proving once again how difficult it is to get decent cheese in China.

The woman informed us that there was another location on Wuyi Lu and that Pizza ToGo does free delivery within 2km with a 30RMB order. Pizza ToGo offers a better, cheap option for a Cal-Mex fix, especially if you want to order in.




Pizza ToGo. No. 193 Wulumuqi Nan Lu, Xuhui District. Delivery: 6431-2378 or 15000414787 for English / SMS. 10:30-22:30.