The most popular fried dumplings in Shanghai

Have you ever had Shanghai Sheng Jian Bao (生煎包 - Fried Dumplings)?

Together with my classmates, we tried Friend dumplings at a restaurant close to our Mandarin class - Yang's restaurant.

Fried dumplings are similar to the famous Xiao Long Bao (小笼包 - Soup Dumplings). The only major difference is that the bottom of Sheng Jian Bao is pan-fried and crispy. The pork filling adds a salty taste to it while the sesame seeds enhances the taste of the dumplings. Although I have tried Xiao Long Bao numerous times, the crispy bottom of the Sheng Jian Bao adds a whole new dimension to dumplings.

We can actually see how the dumplings were made in the kitchen. They had people making the dumplings and people frying the dumplings.

The lady is making the dumplings

The guy is pan-frying the dumplings in a big pan.

Sheng Jian Bao - Fried Dumplings

The usually way I eat a dumpling is to first drink the soup inside the dumpling at first bite. I believe that the soup must not go to waste as the flavor of the dumplings come from the soup itself. It was a great meal of dumplings.

I strongly recommend anyone who comes to Shanghai to try their Sheng Jian Bao as it's one of the best dumplings in the world!


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On Sunday, Nervado, John, Ebony, Camila, Justine and I took the ferry from Puxi to Pudong to visit Shanghai's largest aquarium. We walked from our hotel to the bund. We were so lucky that day as the weather was clear and the buildings on the Bund could be seen clearly.

The Bund!

And of course, they received lots of attention from the tourist

The Ferry we rode on.

Inside the ferry.

The Shanghai Ocean Aquarium (上海海洋水族馆) is located near the Huangpu river in Pudong close to Lujiazui Metro. If you are traveling with your kids to Shanghai, definitely bring them here. Although it is slightly high-priced, about RMB160 for an adult, the aquarium is huge and well-maintained. Plus, it is completely indoors.

The aquarium is divided into a few exhibits namely, China, South America, Australia, Africa, Cold Water, Polar Zone and Deep Ocean Zone. All these exhibits have descriptions at the side to educate visitors about the species.

Out of all the aquariums I have been to, this aquarium has the world's longest underwater tunnel featuring different kinds of marine species in the final stage of our visit. It is about 120 meters in length. I got to admit that it took a little too long as we got bored towards the end of the tunnel.

The longest tunnel!

Before we head back, we got ice cream outside the aquarium.

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American fast food have entered the Chinese market since a decade ago. Since then, they have been trying to adapt to the consumers in China. Every other corner on the street in Shanghai, you will be greeted by McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Subway and many more American brand shops. They all have striven to adjust to the local taste.

While I was in Shanghai, I observed a few things about these American shops in China.

In KFC, although they have the main dishes like how they were being served in the United States, there are many other new and exotic dishes which cater to the Chinese. The KFC here offer a few traditional dishes alongside with the familiar Western menu items such as porridge, egg tarts, mushrooms, preserved egg and many other. Furthermore, certain American dishes are being changed such as instead of coleslaw, you get to order a bowl of vegetables such as bamboo shoots or lotus root. Same goes to McDonald's where you have a menu that suits the local tastes. Another thing is that in the States, you have to clear your own trays, however in China, a server will come up to clear your own trays. Another big difference is the portion size. Here in China, you have much smaller portion size to cater to the local Chinese whereas in America, the portion size are much bigger. Pizza Hut is considered a restaurant here in China. Instead of the fast food chain where we get a 'to go' back in America, customers actually dine-in in Pizza Hut where waiters and waitresses serve you. Instead of the typical drinks sold in the US, Starbucks, on the other hand, introduced green tea flavored drinks that appeal to the local taste. Starbucks promoted dine-in services too for the Chinese market.

Overall those companies which are successful in the Chinese market adapted its business specifically for the Chinese, rather than trying to bring everything that worked in America into China. These companies understood that the value proposition it was offering Chinese was different than in the US. Therefore, they adapted their business to fit China better than other companies.

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Pasta Fresca Da Salvatore (沙华多利 )

It was one of the best pastas I have eaten in Shanghai. Located close to the exit of Dapuqiao, the restaurant has different pastas to choose from. 

The best Cabonara I have eaten was that Cheese Cabonara they have. I definitely recommend to go to this restaurant. 

The twins enjoying their pasta

Frank and his salad

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The night life in Shanghai is very different from what you will experience in the Western world. Any foreigner who comes to Shanghai has to experience the night life here. The night life here is happening no matter it is during the weekday or the weekend. 

On Thursday, we went to Bar Rouge, a rooftop bar which oversees The Bund. As it was ladies night, the bar was crowded as ladies come and get their free drinks. 

Bar Rouge with them

They had a fire show by some of the bar tenders while we were there. The ladies were all entertained by the highly-skilled bar tenders who juggled bottles of fire.

Fire Juggler

We left the bar quite early to another rooftop bar which was more quiet. It was a great night in Shanghai! 

Nervado and Camila

A group picture of us

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Running along the West bank of the Huang Pu River, The Bund is the symbol of Shanghai. Every tourist who goes to Shanghai has to experience the night view of The Bund. The view of The Bund was breathtaking. Never in my life I have ever see such a beautiful landscape with magnificent skyscrapers. The buildings across the river with is on the Pudong side will light up in every evening.

The best picture I captured while I was there

On The Bund, we see people of all nations trying to get pictures of this picturesque view to bring back to their respective countries. There were camera flashes going in all directions, some towards the buildings and some towards the people.

Look at how crowded it got when I was there

I went with Nervado, John and Ebony to The Bund. Never in my life I have ever seen people trying to get pictures of foreigners especially Blacks. Nervado and Ebony soon became the center of attraction as the Chinese took their turns to take pictures with them as if they were celebrities. Being an Asian myself, I don't quite understand the Chinese culture here. In addition, I also realized that people were staring at them with the 'Wow' expressions on their faces. It was really interesting to see how the Chinese reacts to foreigners.

Ebony posing infront of The Bund

Nervado with two Chinese

I strongly encourage anyone who visits Shanghai to take a look at the night view of The Bund. However, do this before 11pm as the lights will go off to conserve energy!

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