A Big Adventure

(this happened on 14^th November 2010)

Yet again we arose a little late, I went out and got some coffee and fresh fruit salad and we ate this in the room.

Then it’s time to head off to the tourist bus again, the plan to take it to the temple with the Jade Buddha. This turned out to be a more interesting expedition than expected. Instead of a temple with a Jade Buddha inside we were met with a functioning Buddhist temple with advocates burning incense and dovaning in front of various Buddha’s. In fact there were so many Buddha’s of various types we lost count. The Jade Buddha was quite something, but so were many of the others including the Marble reclining Buddha.

Of course we were dragged around tourist shops too, and expected to part with our cash for all kinds of Chinese bric-a-brac. As usual I felt everything was overpriced, but we did fall in love with a rather pretty silk screen of a cherry tree in blossom; after some bargaining over the price. Apparently, everything goes to charity… hmmm?

(Later in our trip, at Shanghai Pudong International Airport I discovered that I had made a great bargain as the exact same silk screen was on sale for over double the price)

We awaited our Bus again, whilst being accosted by various people trying to sell us this and that and persuade us to look at silk etc. Now I don’t have a problem with people making a living, and I understand that tourists are a good source of income, however, they really don’t seem to take no for an answer here; this has been a constant theme in Shanghai, and I have taken to say “NO! Thank You” in a stern voice before they have even started their sales pitch, this seems to work in most cases.

We took our bus back to the Hotel and decided to try a little steak bar nearby (evidently we had still had enough of Chinese food).

Now this was quite a surreal experience, it was like going back to steak restaurants in the 70’s (for those of you old enough to remember). What had attracted me to this restaurant was the advertisement of steak with fois gras; something I love and have found is relatively inexpensive in Asia as compared to Europe.

-       Pate de Fois Gras & Caviar

-       Mushrooms Gratine

-       Filet Mignon with pan fried Fois Gras

-       Veal Chop

Washed down with some red wine

The Fois Gras starter was delicious and the portion sumptuous by western standards. The Fois Gras was good if a little bland, which is probably a good thing given how rich it can be. The Caviar came with chopped onions, capers and soured cream. I am not certain but I think it was not Caviar but Lump Fish roe, or at least a very low grade Savruga, lets just say it was OK, but the Fois Gras stole the show.

The Mushrooms were superb, they were served in an escargot dish, with six neat holes for the escargot shells, again something I have not seen for decades. It was a simple dish but well made and delicious with a hint of bacon.

My Veal chop was good, it came on a sizzling plate on a bed of onions with a small amount of vegetables. Cooked to perfection, but nothing special. The vegetables were nicely presented, if not too few, however, to my massive disappointment the mash potatoes were packet (smash). Now this was an expensive meal, surely the chef could have managed to peel a few potatoes instead of resorting to packet food… truly upsetting in what was actually a great meal.

Tes’s Filet Mignon was the best part however, I had asked for it medium and it had arrived medium rare. Tes eat the better cooked parts and I dug into the bloody meat, passing her some of my Veal in return. The tournedos was around 7oz, but the fois gras on top was at least 4oz, and I have to tell you that a mouth full of the meat and liver together just melted in the mouth complimenting each other, Lord knows what large chunks of Fois Gras would have cost in a Restaurant in the West; I know we can get this in the Philippines, but the portions of Fois Gras are usually tiny. Tes said her vegetables were excellent but had the same complaint on the Fake Mash… Please, you restaurateurs out there, leave smash to low grade fast food stores.

After this we return to our room; Tes was complaining of stiff muscles after so much walking the day before, so I persuaded her that she should have a massage in the Hotel… no such luck, they only seemed to be able to manage a shiatsu foot massage, in spite of their literature and TV presentation professing differently.

We had seen a massage place nearby, and I persuaded Tes she should try this… Now this is quite brave in Shanghai on your own. Off Tes trotted return two hours later looking far more refreshed. With a big tin of fruit tea in hand she babbled about her experience and seemed all the better for it.

A light snack and bed…

Where I watched the final round of the Formula 1 Championship in Chinese… quite amusing