Shanghai, China’s business district is the most sought after destination for globetrotters. I had also dreamt of visiting this lively, thriving place sometime in future. I was finally seeing my dreams come true as I had been able to spare some time and visit the second biggest city and a major financial hub of China. I contacted a well-known travel company Fare Buzz to buy airline tickets at best fares. I was fortunate to get cheap tickets deals as the promotional offer had been launched and finally booked Air China flights to Shanghai.
I was now in the exciting city of Shanghai, which is also known as Asian Paris. The city is greatly frequented by tourists from world over. I had heard that visitors here shouldn't miss out on the traditional street-food. So, my priority was obviously to savor on street delicacies. This was, in fact, the important highlight about my visit to Shanghai.
It was exciting to see the traditional street food being sold from the back doors of people living in the 1930s-built Jing’an Villas neighborhood, just minutes from the hi-tech business district of modern Shanghai. Jing'an Villas (at 1025 Nanjing Xi Lu) was built in 1932 and comprises of 183 subdivided three-story units. The area’s architecture was partly modeled on European-style terraced housing and also had Chinese concepts of common space, resulting in a unique hybrid style of houses found only in Shanghai incorporated.
Think of visiting stall #107 here for a bowl of midday noodles. A small army of ayis, or "aunties" are ready to greet you and ready to serve bowl after bowl of noodles. Do remember to come early for the soup wantons. If you come at lunch a bowl of scallion oil noodles are likely to be offered. To get a great taste, ask the ayis to have your noodles topped off with a veggie "chicken" filet made from tofu, a stewed, hard-boiled egg, or a fried pork chop (zhupái).
It was exciting to see the traditional street food being sold from the back doors of people living in the 1930s-built Jing’an Villas neighborhood, just minutes from the hi-tech business district of modern Shanghai. Jing'an Villas (at 1025 Nanjing Xi Lu) was built in 1932 and comprises of 183 subdivided three-story units. The area’s architecture was partly modeled on European-style terraced housing and also had Chinese concepts of common space, resulting in a unique hybrid style of houses found only in Shanghai incorporated.
Think of visiting stall #107 here for a bowl of midday noodles. A small army of ayis, or "aunties" are ready to greet you and ready to serve bowl after bowl of noodles. Do remember to come early for the soup wantons. If you come at lunch a bowl of scallion oil noodles are likely to be offered. To get a great taste, ask the ayis to have your noodles topped off with a veggie "chicken" filet made from tofu, a stewed, hard-boiled egg, or a fried pork chop (zhupái).
Checking out stall #15 near the entrance at Nanjing Xi Lu would just be great for a taste of classics. Here you’ll have to write down your order yourself. This was really exciting for me as I got a crash course in writing by copying Chinese characters from the red display menu. The Shanghai classics – everything from pork wontons to fried rice, fried noodles and sliced stir-fried glutinous rice with greens (chao niángao) – are displayed on the menu. You just need to order your favorite.
Stop by stall #128 or Denny House, named after its owner Denny Wong, for the perfect cup of Hong Kong-style milk tea. It’s great favorites with Shanghai residents. There’s lot more to explore here. I would again be visiting this beautiful city to spend more time here. A visit to Shanghai is strongly recommended.
Stop by stall #128 or Denny House, named after its owner Denny Wong, for the perfect cup of Hong Kong-style milk tea. It’s great favorites with Shanghai residents. There’s lot more to explore here. I would again be visiting this beautiful city to spend more time here. A visit to Shanghai is strongly recommended.
