Eating in Shanghai

We never realised that eating in Shanghai was going to be so difficult. We wanted breakfast on our first day and we were looking for a cafe. We actually did the walking tour of Shanghai without realising it looking for food.

Eventually we found a cafe called Cafe Mojo that we would visit daily.

On our first night we eat at the Grand Hyatt. We were in the building and thought - 'What the heck?' The restaurant is a place you would go for a special night out and you wanted a view. They have so many different restaurants to choose from. We decided Italian. I had pasta and tiramsu. It was sensational. The red wine was even better. My bill was Y450. I think Barbara's was about Y900. She had a salmon steak.

The miserly teachers income bank balance was already broken we might as well stretch the boundaries and after dinner we went to the Cloud 9 Bar. The Cloud 9 Bar is on the 87th floor of the same building. Another glass of red for me. This time the cost id Y90! That's almost double what you would pay for a glass of red at home.

We did eat breakfast one morning at UBC. Can't go too wrong with Peanut Butter toast. Somehow they did though.

After some shopping we stopped in at Starbucks for a Mango slushy and a scone.

The Big Bamboo Bar also became a regular haunt at which the food was good. One night I cured my craving for Mexican and had Nacho's. It was fantastic.

Whilst we were at Yuyuan Gardens it was lunchtime. The queues were very long. So we opted for something easy and headed to Starbucks. Whilst waiting for my coffee and scone I met a couple who had been travelling around China for the last month and they were from Brisbane. Lutwyche actually. I just wanted to hug them. It's strange but when you met a fellow Aussie it's as if you know them. There is some form of familiarity.

It was the 08/08/08 and the Olympic opening ceremony was tonight. We decided we would go to the Bamboo Bar as it had a good atmosphere the night before. We caught a taxi to the Bar. When we arrived the place was packed. You could not get a seat. So I suggested that we go to Malone's American Cafe. It was only around the corner.

Malone's American Cafe is also a sports bar with a huge expat society. We found a table and ordered dinner. I had the chicken burger. It was sensational. A whole chicken breast with salad on a roll.

When we finished exploring the Jade Buddha Temple it was raining. We had some time to kill. We decided to go to the chocolate shop hoping it might be as good as the one in Qingdao. We were disappointed.

From the chocolate shop it was a short stroll to the Big Bamboo Bar. The football was on again tonight and Australia had to win to stay in. They played against Argentina and were knocked out. After watching the game and having a couple of beers we had dinner here. Food was exceptional. Then it was back to the hotel to get our luggage to catch the train home.