Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
G
Eating
F
ood is one of the true attractions of China; eating might not be the
reason you came, but it will be one thing you remember. And Shanghai
can make a convincing claim to be China's culinary hotspot. Upmarket
restaurants starring celebrity chefs are opening every few months - and
they may be good for splashing out - but what any visitor here can really
appreciate is the diversity and superb quality of everyday, white-collar eateries.
It's all a little more expensive than in the rest of China, but still a bargain - it's
not difficult to get a good meal for around ¥50 a head.
Street food
Wujiang Lu (
吴江路小吃街
; wú jiāng lù xi
i off chī jiē), an alley off Nanjing Xi Lu, is the
best place for street snack food, with an earthy atmosphere that's common in the rest
of China but rare in central Shanghai. Yang's Fried Dumplings (
小杨生煎馆
(
i of yáng
shēng jiān gu
n) at no. 54, near the eastern end of the alley, is a tiny takeaway shop
with a huge reputation - you won't miss it because of the long queue for their
shengjian bao dumplings (four for ¥3). Other stalls sell stinky tofu (chou dofu; ¥2 for
a skewer), which tastes a little better than it smells, chicken wings and drumsticks
(¥10 for four), the ubiquitous squid-on-a-stick and oysters (best avoided). There are
also
; xi
some
small
sit-down
places,
and
vendors
won't
generally
overcharge
foreigners.
North of the Suzhou Creek, and just a few minutes' walk west of the Pujiang Hotel,
runs Zhapu Lu (
乍浦路美食街
; zhà p
lù měi shí jiē) - at night it is entirely neon-lit and
easily recognizable. There are a large number of Shanghainese restaurants along
here - you can't go wrong if you pick a busy one and steer clear of the seafood - and
the alleys to the west are full of vendors selling corn on the cob, kebabs, hand-sliced
noodles and the like.
Yunnan Lu (
云南路
; yún nán lù), which leads south from Nanjing Dong Lu a block to
the east of Renmin Park, is perhaps the most interesting of the food streets, though
these days it's more of a restaurant row, with the ingredients, including snakes and
toads, on display on the pavement. Finally, Huanghe Lu (
黄河路
; huáng hé lù), due
north of Renmin Park - in particular the section north of Beijing Xi Lu - contains another
large concentration of restaurants and vendors, many of them open 24 hours.
For an unusual gastronomic experience, head to the wholesale seafood market
at 920 Tongchuan Lu (
铜川路水产市场
; tóng chuān lù shu
ch
n shì ch
ng) in the far
north of the city. You buy live seafood - there's a huge selection on offer, including
turtles and sea snakes - then take the squirming bundle to a restaurant at the side,
where it's cooked for you by weight. It's a warts-and-all kind of place, noisy and
smelly, but memorable, and you won't get fresher fish. It's also the cheapest place
in the city for a crab feast. The market is a little way out, so you'll have to take a taxi
(around ¥25).
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