Oven Roasting Red Peppers

When perusing the Internet for recipes that are simple and easy, some of the ingredients that are cheap at your local market in the States are Europe cost about ten-fold in China, especially in Shanghai. I wanted more than to just cut thin strips of red peppers and throw it in the pan. There is a smokey flavor carried by red peppers from roasting and that should be going into my dish. Roasting also intensifies the flavors of the red peppers. Unfortunately, I am not willing to fork out all that renminbi to go to an expensive expat-oriented supermarket to buy (fire)roasted red peppers preserved in oil with some garlic or herbs. The Food Network showed one of its chefs or cooks doing it at home, bringing you to the mantra of "If [Yan] can cook, so can you!" Hear, hear.

My kitchen in China is ill-equipped. There are no tongs; only chopsticks. Trying to fire the exterior of red peppers over a gas-flame using wooden chopsticks seemed risky to me. There is also no built-in oven, but a glorified toaster oven of relatively large size. Produce is often tricky because a lot of it has been bred and engineered to look good, not taste good (e.g. tomatoes). I ended up at the Avocado Lady and bought a couple unblemished red peppers. Now to hope for the best.

The red peppers went on a piece of aluminum foil on a small pan and was placed in a pre-heated oven (mine ranged between 400-450°F). About every 15 minutes, after the skins formed dark splotches, the red peppers were turned using chopsticks. After every side of the red peppers were a bit black, I took them out of the oven, put them in a bowl, and covered the bowl to steam the red peppers. This allows the skins to separate from the flesh so it is easy to remove. The red peppers generally held its original shape coming out, but quickly deflated. When the red peppers are cool enough to handle, the skins slip right off with a bit of rubbing. And you never want to rinse the red peppers after they come out of the oven because you will just wash away the smokey quality. These peppers looked, smelled, and tasted just as good as the imported ones. They can be preserved in extra-virgin olive oil with some herbs and garlic, if desired. Save yourself the cash and do it yourself.

Red peppers straight from the oven, red peppers steaming in a bowl
Oven Roasted Red Peppers
Red Peppers

Pre-heat oven to 450°F / 230°C. Arrange red peppers on a cookie sheet lined with foil and roast in the oven, turning about every 15 minutes or when dark splotches form. Do this until the red peppers are roasted all the way through, about 30-40 minutes. When the peppers are done, remove them from the oven and place in a covered bowl to steam to make the skins easier to peel off. Once peppers are cooled, remove the skins and discard with your hands or a paring knife. Pull the top of the red pepper off and remove the seeds. Remember to never rinse or wash the peppers at this point.

Xindalu China Kitchen Dim Sum Special

Xindalu China Kitchen Restaurant at Hyatt on the Bund was having a dim sum promotion for 180RMB (plus 15% service charge) for a steady stream of these small dishes for lunch. Only tea or juice was included with the deal, which ended on June 16 after running daily during lunch hours for about two weeks. So, sorry in advance if you were expecting to go and take advantage of this promotion. The 180RMB price tag may be daunting for some, especially with cheaper all-you-can-eat dim sum deals being offered in Shanghai, but Xindalu has made a reputation for itself as a fine dining experience in an upscale hotel. Most know of Xindalu for the way its Peking duck that is cooked in a special wood oven or so the Hyatt website claims. The flavor of Xindalu's Peking duck is supposed to rival or best that of the popular chain, Quanjude. The dim sum promotion allows diners to sample another region of China for a fine dining lunch experience, though you could surely supplement the meal with other items off the menu. The menu for the dim sum lunch was not particularly extensive, most likely to maintain control of the quality of the dishes, some of which may have been created specially for this promotion. Upon arrival, diners are given a pen to check off which dishes or how many of them they want on a paper menu. If you want to order more, the server will bring out another of the same menu where you can re-order your favorites. Of course, we tried as much as a pair possibly could.


The restaurant is located on the ground floor of Hyatt on the Bund and adjacent to the lobby with no significant views to admire, though you could easily see who is rolling up the main driveway of the hotel. (Check out Vue bar upstairs). The main dining area is dark with the seats by the window reserved for smoking. The kitchen is open although partitioned with glass that fogs up from steam giving diners access to the action while waiting for dishes to be served.




From top, left to right: Pan-fried turnip cake, Barbecue pork puff-pastry with sesame, Fried goose liver taro dumplings, inside of goose liver dumplings, Steamed shrimp dumplings, Steamed scallop vegetable dumplings, Fried mango rice paper roll, Fried mushroom bean curd skin roll
The plates came out as quickly as the order was put in and there was barely enough room for our individual pots of tea and towers of steamers. The fried goose liver taro dumplings were particularly decadent, savory, and heavy despite the lightness of its fried interior. The fried mushroom bean curd skin roll was crispy, light, and not at all oily. The puff pastry around the barbecue pork was more densely packed than light imparting a solid crust than flaky exterior. The small filling was slightly sweet.




From top, left to right: Steamed chiu chow dumplings, Baked Barbecue Pork Buns, Mini baked chicken meat pies, Steamed beef balls with bean curd sheet, Steamed traditional Cantonese sponge cake, Fried custard glutinous dumplings, Steamed Sesame Buns, Black sesame interior of sesame buns
The baked dim sum items had a very dense crust encasing the moist, salty, and savory meat in the center. There were a few items on the steamed and fried section of the menu that were more sweet than savory: steamed traditional Cantonese sponge cake, fried custard glutinous dumplings, and the steamed buns filled with black sesame. The latter of the two were more memorable for a tongue conditioned by Western sweets.

Clockwise from bottom left: Sweetened sago cream with mango and pomelo, Red bean soup, Almond tea with egg white, Chilled mango pudding (with condensed milk), Baked sago pudding with chestnut paste
Xindalu does particularly well with its dessert (and sweet items as mentioned above) without being sugary. The sweetened sago with mango and bits of pomelo was light and fresh. The red bean soup was cool and subtly sweet. The almond tea with egg white could almost be sipped straight from the bowl and was as light as it looked. The chilled mango pudding apparently came with condensed milk, but it was better used on the baked sago pudding with chestnut paste that was served warm. The meal ended nicely with this touch of sweetness.


The dim sum lunch was extremely filling with a very attentive staff, but classic dim sum dishes like the pork ribs were missing from the selection. Given the limited selection, each dish was on average good for what it was, but still the dim sum at Ye Shanghai is preferred. It was nice to try the dim sum at Xindalu just for the experience. However, I am more inclined to return to sample that wonderful smelling Peking duck. The way that the server would clean the carcass precisely with his skilled hand releasing the aroma of the duck meat was enough to get your appetite going again.

One fun fact: The concierge at Hyatt on the Bund advised me that although they do not valet bicycles nor have a proper bike parking area, they will gladly escort you and your bike to the place where staff park their bicycles, electric bikes, electric scooters, and motos. Just make sure that your bike is not one that is particularly valuable as you are parking at your own risk.

Xindalu. Hyatt on the Bund, 199 Huangpu Road, Shanghai 200080, China. 上海外滩茂悦大酒店 中国上海黄浦路199号 邮政编码：200080. Hours: Lunch 11:30 – 14:30, Dinner 17:30 – 22:30. Reservations: + 86 21 6393 1234 * 6318.

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

Cha's Restaurant with Shanghai Bloggers

Cha's Restaurant for "Cha canting" is the 1950's Hong Kong style diner on Sinan Road. It is a place I have heard many expat friends in Shanghai like to visit because they say the food is good and cheap and the line is worth it.

Instead of taking on the challenge of an epic wait, The Thirsty Pig (Jimmy Chang), Sugared & Spiced (Cindy Wang), and Buzz of Dining Secretary's Dumplings to Donuts met on a rainy Sunday right after opening at 11:30, beating the lunch rush. Actually, there is no actual waiting area in the restaurant, but the small entrance where patrons manage to tuck themselves into in anticipation of a table. We were seated at the back in a tight table where the menu was visible under the glass on the table. Never have being been to a Hong Kong style diner, The Thirsty Pig reassures us it looks exactly like the old diners in Hong Kong. Points for authenticity.

The food came out as quickly as it was ordered. The egg tarts did not come out until last, as is tradition. I will say that I have never tried typical Hong Kongese diner food, so bear with my newbie experience.




The Poached Chicken in Soya Sauce (50RMB) came out first. The meat was incredibly moist, tender, and cooked all the way through. The thin skin of the chicken had a slightly sweet tang to the otherwise salty dish. The chicken flavor was allowed to come clean through. The Homemade Curry with Beef Brisket and Tendon (40RMB) had a vibrant color and a strong, spiced flavor to match. It had large chunks of potato, carrot, and green pepper to compliment the incredibly tender and rich thickly-cut beef brisket. The potato and carrots were cooked all the way through and the green pepper still maintained some of its crunch. The curries at Cha's are supposed to be the household specialty. Cha's Fried Rice (32RMB) had bits of egg, cucumber, and a few shreds of salty cured meat in it. Just pour a bit of the curry sauce or more on a spoonful of fried rice and the curry flavors overpower and are carried by the rice, which simply offers a variety of textures (some crunch from the vegetables, softness from the bits of egg, and fluff from the rice) when eaten with the sauce. The Sweet and Sour Pork (32RMB) also left quite an impression with the exterior of the fried pork still being crunchy even after being on the table for some time. The Pineapple Buns (6RMB each), so named for looking like a pineapple although not containing any trace of it, were served with a giant tab of butter inserted in the middle. Seeing how much butter was put in the middle to give it a soft, buttery center to contrast with the more crunchy topping was kind of gross, but at least the pineapple buns were warm. It made it easy to spread the butter evenly, making them more satisfying.


To end the meal, we each had an egg tart (5RMB each). The crust was dense and baked just the way through tasting bland. The custard filling was bright, but a little runny. More effort was placed into maintaining an aesthetic expectation of bright-yellow custard filling instead of baking the tart the whole way through, even if it means some browning. The egg tarts at KFC are still a lot better, in my opinion.

The final bill came to 243 RMB for four people. Not too bad as we left absolutely stuffed. As we left the restaurant, the queue was taking up most of the entry space. So glad we did not have to wait through that. Cha's Restaurant is a solid choice for Hong Kongese dining and while some dishes were good, I may require a return visit to decide if it is really something I would wait in line for.

Sugared & Spiced and The Thirsty Pig going at it with their cameras
Cha's Restaurant 查餐厅. 30 Sinan Road, 1F (by Huaihai Middle Road) / 思南路30号1楼 (近淮海中路), Shanghai, People's Republic of China. 思南路30号,近淮海中路. +86 21 6093-2062. 11:00-02:00.

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.