Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Due to long working days and small home kitchens, local residents generally prefer to eat
out for most meals. Good restaurants tend to be packed at mealtimes, so book ahead or be
prepared to wait. Food cleanliness and 'fake' ingredients are a genuine concern at some
places, so be sure to stick to the more popular or recommended restaurants and food stalls,
and be aware that you are probably getting what you pay for at very cheap dives.
Café culture
Café culture has a long heritage in Shanghai, and between classical Chinese teahouses and
the European-influenced coffee shops and bakeries, there is a wealth of unique cafés for a
reviving cuppa and people-watching. When you've had your fill of noodles, café chains such
as Wagas and Element Fresh have multiple stores around the city offering fresh salads and
good coffee, plus free WiFi access.
Shanghai's teahouses serve some of the finest teas in the world. Two of the most popular
brews are
longjing
(Dragon Well) green tea from the hills of nearby Hangzhou, and rich black
pu'er
tea from Yunnan province. The
longjing
tea is mild, sweet and refreshing, while
pu'er
is
rich, black and fully fermented, with an intensely smoky taste and a pronounced caffeine
kick.
Local brews
Chinese beer is cheap and popular, with Tsingtao a reliable light pilsner. Sometimes
people in Shanghai will drink
huang jiu
, or yellow wine, a sweet, golden-amber liquid
made from glutinous rice. The best
huang jiu
comes from nearby Shaoxing. A more
lethal beverage is
bai jiu
, or Chinese white liquor. Consumed from small glasses gen-
erally as a shot after a toast of '
gan bei
' (cheers), this transparent distilled grain spirit
has a 40-60 percent alcohol content and is an acquired taste.
Grape wine is rapidly gaining popularity too. China is one of the world's biggest im-
porters of wine, but now a handful of local Chinese wineries, such as Grace Vine-
yards, are producing some excellent home-grown vintages. A good sommelier will be
able to recommend the best Chinese wines - the cheaper bottles are not recommen-
ded. Many upscale restaurants, bars and hotels have truly impressive cellars stocked
with a global selection of wines. In Shanghai, the most expensive grands crus regu-
larly get popped in a show of extravagance.
