Gülmen

Patagonian beer. Traditional. The taste is a bit rough, almost bitter. But surprisingly tasty. A very good surprise from the end of the world.

Stiller's

Let me warn you – this is a posh restaurant. The kind of place where you will be well treated, have good food and wine and pay accordingly. It is also a western restaurant. Meaning you will have little taste of China here. But, it is still a very good restaurant I have visited.

Stiller’s sits in The Bund, the river wall along the Huang Po, the heart of the 1920’s Shanghai, with all its western banks, its stock exchange and vibrancy. It is a most noble location I must say. And, if you understand it when you enter the building and you climb on the elevator to the restaurant room, you sure feel it deeply when you set foot in the hall, with its space neatly and classically disposed, its reds and darks and all the persons to serve you. But, that is not what really strikes you. That role is reserved for the view from the windows. The room faces the Huang Po and, especially, Pu Dong bank, with its skyscrapers (including “the bottle opener” and Jiang Mao) and TV Tower, immediately drawing you to a world of neon as no other, and incredible skyline, a glimpse of the future to come. It is impossible to take your eyes out of that amazing view…

The wine list is fair and good – there are some good reds and whites from Europe, including some German ones we would need to try. There are also other options, if you want to decide for a cocktail for you meal – I must say I looked at the caipirinha for quite a while. But the wine list (back to it) goes on well with the food list. I would definitively hold a place in my heart for the codfish (at the same time rich and soft) and I also liked the tenderloin steak – a classic choice. But there are different options, and, actually, given the quality of the entrees I tried, I would say you can’t go wrong with any of courses – scallops, vegetarian dishes, a good sole and then a variety of different steaks.

Desserts are also a treat on themselves – you a treat for yourselve. A delicious raspberry cheese cake, icecream and some chocolate cakes pose the ultimate temptation – and you will hardly resist one of them.

Stiller’s (and I must tell you I liked the name, though “Ben” was not around…) is a good restaurant for a nice dinner after a business, and competent if you want to impress – especially, because no one can really resist that view!

Where: Shanghai - China

Address: 505 Zhong Shan Nan Road – The Cool Docks – Shanghai, 200060

Phone: +86 (21) 61526501

Website: http://www.stillers-restaurant.cn/

Expensive: Over €80

Wu Tongju

I actually didn’t like a lot of things on this restaurant – but there is a very good reason why I am writing about it.

I was in Tin Xian Di area (a nice place full of restaurants and people) with a group of friends, searching for a Chinese restaurant, and this seemed like a good choice – it was our first dinner in China, and price meant safety. We asked for several smaller dishes (dumplings, noodles,…) and then a whole Beijing duck. The smaller dishes were good but not terrifying. But we definitively had issues – the service was terrible, they didn’t speak English (but one person), things were taking too long. And the duck took more than 1 hour to arrive our table, and only after a very serious threat of going away. But…

When the Beijing duck arrived, it was great. Tender, juicy, incredibly tasty! It seemed like it was melting in our mouths. It was by far the best Beijing duck I ever tried – though I had already had it in Beijing and at an amazing Chinese restaurant in Estoril (mental note: need to go back there and write a review about it). It was really delicious!

So, let me sum it up. The service is terrible, it takes too long, but, just go there and order Beijing duck.

Where: Shanghai - China

Address: Unit 1, No.22-23, North Block, 181 TaiCang Rd – Ti Xian Di

Phone: (86 - 21) 6387-0096 / 6387-0097

Expensive: 200RMBs for person

Last visit: August 2011

Last night's beer

Tsingtao was a good company last dinner. The truth is a beer is a lot better complement for a dinner in the damp and humid Shanghai night than any wine - even a white can't stay fresh for a long time. Tsingtao is the most popular beer around here - a light and soft one, easily drinkable.