Doggie stayover

Tasha never had a friend staying over so this was really her first! She's not very interactive with other dogs (just bochap them) but at least Mojo the shitzu could stir some interest. And being her very sweet self, she even let Mojo sleep in her bed while she took the floor. Cute little ones :)

Having fun with the live lobster bought from our favourite online grocery store fieldschina.com. Life's so much better with Fields. Avid supporters we are.

Settling in (Jul 2013)

Pretty satisfied with our cozy new home. Even the doggie is getting comfortable :) That's the view from our apartment on a really really good day. Blue skies...very appreciated here!

Xi Tang 西塘 (25Jun13)

Day trip out of Shanghai about an hour and a half drive away. One of the numerous ancient water towns on the outskirts of Shanghai, very accessible and not too commercialised in my opinion. Or maybe because I was there on an weekday so the walk-around was rather calming and well appreciated. Apparently a short scene in Mission Impossible was shot here! I'm surprised the vendors here didn't quite capitalise on that. Try taking a ride on the trishaw through the ultra narrow alleyways. Commendable effort from the aged trishaw uncle. Do tip a little more. Lastly, don't miss the cool sculptures hand carved from humongous tree barks.

Starting out...with food

Name: La Pedrera
Address: 33 Sichuan Middle Road 四川中路33号 (延安东路)
Review: Just a normal Spanish place near the Bund. I remember that food here is decent but nothing to shout about. It's been featured quite frequently on various magazines though, so we might just give it another shot.

Name: Mr. and Mrs. Bund
Address: 18 on the Bund 6th floor 中山东一路18号外滩十八号6楼
Review: Firstly, sorry for the badly-taken photos. Night shots from a phone, not haps. Anyway, we've been to this place countless times for their super value lunch and supper. 2 courses 200rmb, 3 courses 250rmb. Unfortunately they've done away with the lunch while late night supper still runs thurs-sat 11pm-2am. Definitely worth a visit as the menu offers many choices and the wine deal is pretty decent too :)

Name: The Whampoa Club
Address: 3 on the Bund 5th floor 中山东一路3号外滩3号5楼
Review: Weekend Chinese dim sum a-la-carte buffet. Pretty good selection and quality. We went on a pay 3 free 1 promo. That price is just about right for me. Request for a window seat if you'd like.

Name: Xin Dou Ji (新斗记）
Address: 47 Xin Le Lu 新乐路47号(近襄阳北路)
Review: Very competent Cantonese restaurant. Excellent roast suckling pig and frog leg with pig liver claypot - our 2 must-orders. If weather is good do request for outdoor seating. Ambience is much better as it's next to a little park at the back of the restaurant.

Name: Smoki Moto 雾山地道韩国料理
Address: Rennaisance Shanghai Caohejing Hotel 田林路397号漕河泾万丽大酒店1楼
Review: Still feeling our way around Shanghai, not knowing where to go for dinner, so used a Chinese app to search for recommendations. Found this Korean place and just headed there without checking the location. Noob mistake. Took around 40mins drive? Just for a normal dinner! Thank goodness we found it to be quite a treasure. We were served pretty high quality beef - though at a price. Been wanting to head back but..just a tad far.

Name: Shintori 新都里无二
Address: 803 Ju Lu Lu in Jing'an 巨鹿路803号(近富民路)
Review: Unassuming entrance with bamboos-lined pathway leading to the restaurant. Minimalist decor with open kitchen concept. The tables upstairs are open for dinner only I think. Have only been to their lunch as they offer a really value-for-money 100rmb set meal. Had a-la-carte before too overall food's good but just a tad pricey. Free sake for every 2 persons (show this Dianping site on your phone, expires 30th Jun 2015).

The Move (Apr~Jun 2013)

Almost felt like we were moving the whole house over

Poor baby in transit. This sweet postcard totally calmed MY nerves!

2-mth stint @Westin while house hunting

Best cocktail hour by far

View from our Puxi apartment

Long process of furnishing

Open toilet

Just the start