Shanghai Eats: Dolar Shop

Yes, the name of the restaurant I'm going to feature today only has one L in its name. I have no idea why. And whenever Matthew suggests we eat there, he is subjected to a serenade from me in which I sing about hot pot to the tune of Macklemore's Thrift Shop.

So what exactly is hot pot? It's China's version of fondue where you cook your own food table side.

To start, a simmering pot of soup base is placed on your table. At many restaurants, the soup is served in one pot for the entire table to share. At Dolar Shop, you are given individual pots to allow everyone to enjoy their own creations (a big plus when dining with people who like entrails in their soup). I usually go for the mushroom broth while Matthew opts for spicy mala.

You then add raw ingredients like meat, tofu, vegetables, and noodles to the soup, allowing them to cook in the broth. When the items are done to your likeness, you simply remove them and eat plain or dip into an accompanying sauce. The make your own sauce bar is one of my favorite things about Dolar Shop.

The staff at Dolar Shop generally do not speak English, but they will be happy to dust off provide you with an English menu if you ask. While this hot pot location doesn't boast the free manicures of Hai Di Lao, I do enjoy that we are given bibs (which I highly recommend wearing) as well as cell phone covers to keep ourselves and our things clean. 

The steamy atmosphere of Dolar Shop is the perfect spot to warm up as Shanghai enters its colder months. There are numerous locations around Shanghai, including my local branch at:

3F, 323 Tianyaoqiao Rd., near Nandan Rd
天钥桥路323号3楼(近南丹东路)

A Look Back at 2013

If 2012 was about learning to survive in Shanghai, 2013 was all about thriving. Here's a look back at a year that was filled with more friends, fun, and adventure than I ever thought possible.

January
After a relaxing holiday in the US, we arrived back in Shanghai just in time to celebrate New Year's Eve. We went to our friends' Stag and Hens parties (those photos are not approved for this blog). We steered clear of overpriced imported food and instead let you all in on our favorite not so secret shopping spot.

February
February brought our first Chinese New Year celebration which included fireworks, yuán zi, and fried nerves for the the cat and me. We also feasted on Hunan food and late night eats while learning about proper laundry techniques and Chinese cooking.

March
This month brought about warmer weather, we declared our love for delivery, and witnessed midnight marketing. We also had a visit from long time friends which had me conquering (or at least trying to) my fear of heights as well as jetting off to Hong Kong for a few days.

Our friend K came to visit and despite a delayed flight, we made our way to Sichuan Province where we visited the Leshan Giant Buddah, saw a Sichuan Opera, and climbed Mount Emei. We also learned more about rabies than I ever hoped I would have to.

More importantly, I held a panda at the Chengdu Panda Research Base and we rounded out the month with a visit to Zhujiajiao which was rather anticlimactic after HOLDING A PANDA.

April
April brought another round of visitors and we ventured to Guangxi Province to visit the Longji Rice Terraces, boated down the Li River, went mountain biking in rural China, saw a cheesy light show, and floated along the Yulong River in the rain.

May
May was my birthday month which we celebrated with a joint birthday for me and my friend S at a local tapas restaurant. We ran a 5k and competed in a BBQ cook-off. We also witnessed some uncomfortable sitting, napping, and cat wrangling. I finished out the month by reliving my middle school years at a Backstreet Boys concert.

June
I got a new pair of kicks which I wore on a visit to the Old City Wall. I developed a profound love for sesame paste noodles and we were privileged to take part in the 30 day birthday of our dear friend's adorable little one.

July
July was hot. Thankfully, we escaped the heat for a few weeks to the USA after I ate my weight in dumplings. Sadly, I also ate stinky tofu for the first time. Not a fan. But I am a fan of foot rubs and indulged in quite a few over the summer.

August
August was still hot. In fact, the hottest day ever recorded in Shanghai happened. I learned about eating baked goods, shared my favorite pet suppliers, spent a weekend running around Shanghai with Bean, and learned that even my iPhone is adapting to life in China. I also sang karaoke. A lot.

September
September was spent figuring out what "real China" meant, eating Yunnan food, taking creepy photos of people, and buying insane amounts of cheese. I also indulged in juice during the much too fast pomegranate season. We once again competed in the Chili Cookoff and even found time for a few games of laser tag.

October
October was a fabulous month. My parents arrived from the States and we headed on a family vacation to Thailand. We took a cooking class, sailed around Phang Nga bay, went sightseeing in Karon, and indulged in some rainy day activities. We also cheered our way through a Muay Thai match and ate copious amount of Thai food.

My mom declared xiaolongbao her favorite Chinese food, so I shared some tips on how and where to eat this delicious treat.

November

November was a busy month. We spent a lot of time running outdoors which meant I could indulge in egg tarts on a regular basis. We feasted on three (yes three) Thanksgiving dinners, celebrated a few birthdays, and laughed our way through Urban Aphrodite's production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. 

December

We ran the Shanghai half marathon, battled with poor air quality, and rode around in a few nice rides. We also gave you some holiday shopping tips before jetting off to the US for Christmas.

2013 was a phenomenal year and I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to share it with all of you. I hope you have enjoyed watching our adventures and will continue to come along for the fun in 2014.

D2D Holiday Gift Guide

It's the most wonderful time of the year and we at D2D (see that, I gave myself a nickname) wanted to give you a cheat sheet for presents to give your loved ones this holiday season. So here are our top five Shanghai gifts to spoil your loved ones with.

1) A tea set from Spin Ceramics

I featured this store earlier in the week because frankly, I'm obsessed with it. I've made three trips here in the last two weeks and have a long wish list just for myself. Their tea sets are high quality as well as affordable and would make the perfect gift for the tea lover in your life.

2) A set of pearls

I owe you a full post on the Pearl Market at some point in the near future. Just know that you can score a set of pearls here for 80-100 rmb (depending on your bargaining skills). That's $13-16 USD for genuine fresh water pearls. Cathy at G-012 is my personal favorite.

3) A hand hammered wok

Matt bought one of these woks when visiting Shanghai in 2011 and we have treasured it ever since. I thought the shop was long gone but Nancy over at jamjnr was able to recently visit the workshop. Any foodie will simply melt when opening one of these babies.

 

4) A Shanghai Calendar Girl Advertisement 

Used in the 1920's and 30's to sell cigarettes, gum, and perfume, these advertisements featured perfectly coifed, modern, beautiful women. Though the ads were meant to sell products, the pictures themselves were works of art. You can find prints for the art or history lover in your family at the Dongtai Antique Market or the Shanghai Propaganda Museum.

5) A pair of Feiyues

These iconic Shanghai shoes sell for 60 rmb (less than $10 USD) and come in various colors. Matthew and I can often be seen wearing these retro kicks around Shanghai. A pair of these shoes will make your family and friends feel like Shanghai insiders.

I hope I've inspired you to gift a few Shanghai themed presents to your loved ones this holiday season. We will be taking a break from blogging for the next two weeks to celebrate and spend time with our families and friends. We look forward to seeing you all in 2014. From our computer to yours, we wish you all a happy holiday!

Shanghai Shopping: Spin Ceramics

Upon entering Spin, you may think you have stumbled into an art gallery rather than a retail shop. Founded in 2004, Spin features reasonably priced, contemporary Chinese ceramics. Many of the products draw inspirations from Chinese culture with new designs being introduced every few months. 

The pieces themselves are manufactured in Jingdezhen, the ancient porcelain capital of China with traditional techniques dated from Ming dynasty. 

Every time I visit this shop, I walk away with a few pieces and plans to come back and buy more. Some of my family members may even find a few things from Spin under their Christmas tree this year.

To visit Spin, head to:

360 Kangding Lu, near Shanxi Bei Lu
 康定路360号, 近陕西北路

Shanghai (half) Marathon

I'm not a runner. I enjoy working out but running is something that simply does not come naturally to me. Which is why I was shocked when I found myself finishing the Shanghai Half Marathon.

Let me back up a little. A few months ago, Matthew mentioned he was interested in running a half marathon. Being a supportive wife, I figured I would run with him for a few weeks until his mileage was too much for me. When he headed off on a 10K training run, I told him to wait for me as I would probably end up walking the last few kilometers. But then something funny happened. I felt great after 6 km and better still at 8. I ran the full 10km and promptly signed up for the half marathon with Matthew the following week. Apparently the only person who thought I couldn't do it was me.

The half marathon itself was a lot of fun. We started our race around 7am on the iconic Bund, watching the sun rise as we braved the cold. The course then wove its way past some of Shanghai's premier tourist locations like Nanjing Pedestrian street, Jing'an Temple and the busy shopping mecca of Huaihai Lu. It was a beautiful way to see my city from a different perspective.

There were over 35,000 runners participating which meant it took us over 15 minutes to even reach the starting line after the race started. While there were obviously a lot of people, the running lanes were wide enough throughout that I didn't find myself shoving people to get through as I have in other races I've done in China.

Costumes are a big part of the event. I saw numerous outfits including Captain America, a woman in a full pleather Catwoman suit, Sumo wrestlers, and men in animals onesies. My friend Lesley captured this photo of a group dressed as Imperial soldiers.

The spectators along the route also kept me entertained throughout the entire 21km. Numerous drumming groups were scattered throughout the course and cheers of jiā yóu could be heard the entire time. Literally translated, the phrase means "add gasoline" but has become the cheer used to encourage athletes to "go for it" or "keep it up". In front of the Nike store and the BMW showroom, both sponsors of the race, a full out party was raging with cheerleaders and a DJ.

We even had a few friends come out to cheer us on as we finished at the Shanghai Stadium.

Overall, it was a great race and one I would highly recommend to others. While the air quality wasn't great, we were lucky to finish before the levels rose to more unhealthy levels. Now that I've run my first half marathon, perhaps the Great Wall half marathon is next on my list. 

Airpocalypse

We had a few days of poor air quality last year that left me whining to my husband about our need to invest in an air purifier. I believe the conversation went something like this:

Me: This pollution is killing me. We need an air purifier.

Matthew: That's probably a good idea.

Me: But what about our cat? Her lungs are sooooo tiny. This pollution could really harm her. Don't you care about our baby?!?!

Matthew: I agree, we should really get one.

Me: cough, cough. I can hardly breathe. cough, cough

Matthew: Kristin, you're being dramatic. I already said we could buy one.

Little did I know how glad I would be for that air purifier and how silly whining about AQI (Air Quality Index) levels in the 300s would seem. This past week, we experienced pollution so intense, it registered over 500. I should mention that 500 happens to be as high as the scale will go. Our numbers were coming in beyond the index.

The smog was thick enough to reduce visibility to 150 feet in some places. These shots from my apartment show our normal view and how hazy our neighborhood became on Friday.

And for a more horrifying comparison, check out this photo my friend Lesley posted on her blog of visibility on the Bund.

Hazardous levels of pollution also meant adding an additional accessory to my outfit on Friday. A face mask. While the mask helped to reduce the amount of particles I was breathing in, it did little to squelch the scent of the pollution. The entire city smelled like it was on fire.

Thankfully, colder air and some wind seem to have decreased the levels today and I'm hoping for clearer air the rest of this week. But just in case, I've purchased this panda Vogmask. If I have to cover my face, I might as well do it with cute pandas.

An Uber Nice Ride

The taxi situation in Shanghai has been a mess lately. I had no issues with cabs during over first year here. But slowly over the past few months, I've gotten yelled at more, was thrown out of two cars, had drivers refuse to take me to my destination, and others who didn't want to use their meters. The consensus among my friends is that this is all thanks to a phone app where you can bid on fares, allowing drivers to be more selective in who they pick up and where they take them.

I refuse to use this new app for two reasons. One, I don't believe in helping to drive up the price of taxi fares which is exactly what this app is doing. And two, and the real reason to be honest, is that the app is in Chinese which I clearly am not able to read.

So what is a cab adverse girl to do when she has to go further than she cares to bike but is too lazy to take the metro? Enter Uber.

Uber is a mobile app that you can use to summon a luxury car to pick you up and take you where you want to go. You simply download the app and sign up for an account. You'll have to enter a credit card number as all transactions are cashless.

I tried out the service last week on my way to Pudong. I selected my pick up location and pressed go.

I quickly received a text message that my driver PengRong was 7 minutes away. I watched the progress of the car as it made its way to me and received a text message when it was nearby.

I waited on the corner and saw a black Audi pass by. Then it stopped and my cell phone rang. The driver informed me he had arrived and I waved from across the street.

The smartly dressed driver hopped out of the front seat to open my door and I settled in for my ride. I was happy to find an immaculate interior, kitted out with a fresh smelling air freshener (much better than the usual stale vomit and smoke taxis tend to favor), bottled water, and more importantly, a cell phone charger. Seriously? I was stoked.

I watched our car move along the route via the in app map as the charge on my cell phone went up.

When we arrived at our destination, the driver pushed a couple of buttons on his phone and I received an email receipt detailing my trip. No cash was exchanged and with a friendly farewell, my driver was off for his next pickup.

So here is the thing. Uber is not as cheap as a taxi. My fare would easily have been half the price if I used a cab. But the big difference here is that the service is incredible and you are riding in style. Will I use Uber for all my transportation needs? No. But I will use it again, especially for special occasions or on days when I simply don't feel like dealing with the poor quality of Shanghai taxis.

I had such a great experience that I asked the kind people at Uber to offer up a discount for my readers. Enter the code donuts to your Uber order and you'll be granted 50 rmb off your ride.

And if all of this isn't enough to convince you that Uber is a pretty cool company, you should know that for National Cat Day in the US, they delivered kittens to your office for snuggles. I die.

Disclaimer: Uber provided me with a voucher for a free ride, however, this review and all the opinions reflected are my own.