Eat Like A Shanghainese

by Terri @ A Daily Obsession

Again, another restaurant recommended by Sugared & Spiced, my food guide on my recent trip to Shanghai.

I was tempted by the post on Organ, a homey Japanese cafe that served Japanese dishes with a modern twist. However, the restaurant had moved to another place and is now renamed Trip. We were to meet relatives for dinner that night but with our tight schedule, we had to squeeze in Trip that same evening or miss it altogether. I insisted, telling Hub that I just wanted a light snack. Yi had no idea where Hongmei Lu was, even though she had been in SH for a year so the three of us took a taxi out to the Hongmei Lu area, which is also where Korea Town is. It turned out to be a 40-minute drive and cost us RMB45/MYR23/USD7.70 which is costly considering that the normal taxi fare we usually incurred was RMB20/MYR10/USD3.30 or less.

Trip is hidden behind an entrance beyond which is an enclave of new international restaurants. Yi said the area is residence to many expats, which explains the existence of such a good selection of restaurants. She recognized the area when we got there because that was where "the other airport" is.

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Trip didn't look as fun and comfy as Organ. It is comfy and simple but nothing like the photos I saw of Organ. We were early (4 pm), and the kitchen wasn't opened yet. The pretty Japanese girl made up for the disappointment; she was friendly, soft spoken and had big bright eyes. She spoke in Mandarin. She went into the kitchen and started on the soy milk cake. I watched her make it. It's chiffon cake made with soybean milk instead of regular milk or water. She said our order will take 8 minutes. I've never baked a chiffon cake in 8 minutes but who knows what people can do now.

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The black curry with rice (RMB40/MYR20/USD6.70) was the only savory item available. It was good Japanese curry but the half-raw egg was kind of messed up.

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I made a change to our order, choosing the offer of three small pieces of cake and one coffee/tea (RMB70 something). The trio are Trip's best cakes, including the soy milk cake. This change was a bad choice. The soy milk cake was not the one the pretty girl had just baked. It came cold and within 8 minutes so I realized that had I not changed my order, I would have had the freshest baked soy milk cake. This piece of cake was a disappointment because the chiffon was not a success. The texture was that of a compressed chiffon; you can tell from the photo too (extreme left). The choc brownie was good but I prefer the one I ate back home in KK, at a cafe called La Fetta in Lintas (next to Party Play). It depends I suppose how you like your brownie--cakey or fudgy, with nuts or without, very sweet or less sweet.

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Ah, but then this came. Honey toast (RMB40/MYR20/USD6.70).

Beautifully described by Sugared & Spiced as "...smoking hot and smelling like heaven, it was half a loaf of bread, with the soft center first carved out, spread with butter, baked till the both the base and the loose pieces are golden brown, drizzled with honey, pieced back together, drizzled with more honey, then topped with scoops of vanilla ice-cream, fresh strawberries and banana slices, and a flurry of powdered sugar and cinnamon powder."

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Someone please make this for me!

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Can you imagine the sight and taste of a loaf of crusty bread (could be even better if more toasted) with super fluffy soft bread inside soaked with delicious melted butter, sweetened by yummy vanilla ice cream and flavored by strawberries and bananas?! The best thing is, I didn't feel as guilty eating it as I would if I ate cake or pastry. It's just bread right. Right.

We walked to the metro. It was bitterly cold and the wind made it unbearable. It cost us RMB3 each to our next destination, another restaurant, back into the city. I think the honey toast was awesome but honestly, I don't think that I'd go all the way out to Hongmei Lu just for Trip. I'm sure there are other restaurants in the city where I can get similar dishes.

Trip
1F, No. 4 Lane 3911, Hongmei Road / 虹梅路3911弄SOHO3911 4号别墅1楼
[Mon-Fri] 11:00am~12:00am, [Sat-Sun] 11:00am~2:00am
Website: http://blog.goo.ne.jp/trip3911

And there is a lot more out there: -

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