Saturday, March 30, 2019

McDonald’s Nanjing: Feeling at Home in Shanghai (Getting High in Shanghai Series 17)

McDonald’s Nanjing 
Feeling at Home in Shanghai
Getting High in Shanghai Series 17        

McDonald’s is my family’s favorite burger restaurant
 because Despite of being an American company, 
it is one restaurant makes Filipinos feel at home. 

 

This is understandable as McDonald’s is a very popular and
one of the most endeared fast- food chains in the Philippines.


Seeing a McDonald’s store abroad never fails to bring
a smile in our faces as it assures of a tasty comfort food
       that we have been missing being far away from home.  

                 

So when we saw one in Nanjing Road
in Shanghai, we decided to dine there.



Just like any other McDonalds abroad, this branch
had also caught up with the digital age and they are
already using a fully computerized ordering system.

 


Whole most of our all time favorite
McDonald fares are also available here,




 



What caught our attention are the Jumbo Wing,

 

…and the Chicken Patty Rice Bowl.

 

Both dishes are delicious and crave worthy
pnd we hope that McDonald’s should consider
offering them as regular fares in their menu.

 

Just as we thought we have tried what was unique
in McDonald’s in Shanghai, what we saw in theor
subway ads was totally unexpected- hot noodles.

 

It got us all so excited and gave us a reason to return
to McDonalds, which unfortunately- we failed to do so.

Read my other Getting High in Shanghai Series:






Tuesday, March 26, 2019

East Nanjing Road:The Heart and Soul of Shanghai (Getting High in Shanghai Series 16)


East Nanjing Road
The Heart and Soul of Shanghai
Getting High in Shanghai Series 16        

Nanjing Road is located in the city center
is the main shopping street of Shanghai,



...and one of the world's busiest shopping district.



Nanjing Road is divided to two 
sections, the East Nanjing Road

 

...which is largely pedestrianised, 

 

...and extends from The Bund

 

…to the west, ending at People's Square.



East Nanjing Road is a dedicated commercial zone.

  

 

 

Immediately west of the Bund is a hub
of European-style restaurants,cafes,

 

…and upscale malls.

 

...and pocket parks.

  

 

Close by is the Central Market, a century-old
outdoor market and numerous souvenir shops.

 

 

…an amusing street food stalls.

 

Further west is the Nanjing Road pedestrian mall.

 

Located here are some of Shanghai's
oldest and largest department stores,

 

 

 

…like Shanghai No. 1 Department Store.

 





The East Nanjing Road despite being pedestrianised
can also be explored leisurely by a mini- train. 

 

 

East Nanjing ends at People's Park.

 

...and this is where the West Nanjing Road begins.

Read my other Getting High in Shanghai Series:






Saturday, March 23, 2019

Angels in our Midst: Kindhearted Samaritan in Shanghai (Getting High in Shanghai Series 15 )


Angels in our Midst
Kindhearted Samaritan in Shanghai 
Getting High in Shanghai Series 15        

Shanghai despite its modernity is still
unexpectedly, a cash-based economy.



While we did not have any trouble using our debit and 
credit cards in our hotel, they are however not accepted in
 most shops, supermarkets and local restaurants in the city.



We use our debt card in majority of our expenses and was too late
 when we realized China’s overall aversion and negativity on credit 
and debit cards. Foreign exchange counter are also rare in China
and one had to go to a bank to change money for a local currency.



We were running out of Yuan when we dined in this restaurant,
we inquired at the cashier if they accept card payments. We even
showed our cards to avoid misunderstanding and the answer was yes.



We had a wonderful dinner. The food was delicious and the service
was good, but when we asked for our bill and paid with our debit card,
the waiter rejected it. We offered him other credit cards from MasterCard, 
Visa, Diners, Amex, JCB as we posses almost every card in the planet.





We panicked since we didn’t have enough Yuan.
We offered to pay in dollars but they did not accept
foreign currency. It was during this commotion
that an American and her lady Asian companion
dining next to us came over and saved our day.


He paid our bill in Yuan, we gave him a hundred dollar bill
and gave us a change in Yuan. Our savior came from out of
the blue, as heroes often do. We were thankful as we never
realized that we had an angel our midst, watching us.


PS: We asked for his name and e- mail so we could thank him, wrote it in a small piece of paper but eventually lost it.

Read my other Getting High in Shanghai Series:









Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Shanghai’s Best Chinese Restaurant: The Best and the Worst of Shanghai (Getting High in Shanghai Series 14)


Shanghai’s Best Chinese Restaurant 
The Best and the Worst of Shanghai 
Getting High in Shanghai Series 14 

This restaurant which we could not read, located at the 4th floor
of Imago Mall, represents our best dining experience in Shanghai,
and unfortunately the worst as well as this never happened
to any of our previous travels in the Philippines and abroad.

 

We were running low on Yuan as we didn’t expect
for overall air of negativity credit and debit cards.

 

We still have US dollars but we didn’t have time to buy
local currency in the bank so we inquired at the cashier if 
they accept credit or debit cards and the answer was yes.

 

 We were hungry as we’ve been out all day at touring
and we took our seats as the well designed restaurant-

 

...with an open kitchen.

 



So when they served the very aromatic and piping hot soup starter, 
Boiled Baby Chinese Cabbage and Beancurd in Chicken Soup 



It went well with the Handmade Traditional Steamed Bread.

 

The Chilled Black Fungus with Maggi Seasoning 
as it was flavorful and served as  a perfect appetizer.

 

The Three Kinds of Mushrooms in Olive Oil 
was a flavorful dish where three types of edible
mushrooms was sautéed in olive oil. It tasted like
meat and was a perfect topping for the steamed rice.

 

The Grilled Lamb Leg was cooked the way nature made it-
bone in, skin and fat cap intact. It was sinfully delicious as
it was crunchy on the outside and yet juicy and tender inside.

 

Same thing is true with the Barbecue Fish with Shallot.
it was so perfectly grilled as the flesh was moist and juicy.



The Eight Treasure Glutinous Millet Pudding,

 

...and what appears like Hopia, 



... were perfect conclusions for my family’s supposed  
to be the best dining experience in Shanghai-



…that turned out to be the worst because when we handed our
credit card to pay we were informed in sign language as no one
speaks English that  they on accept certain Chinese credit cards
We didn’t have enough Yuan and they did not accept US Dollars,

 

Were saved from this horrible experience by a young
American couple dining on a table next to us by paying
our bill in Yuan and accepting our dollar payment.

Read my other Getting High in Shanghai Series: