SHANGHAI 2010

We heard so much hype about the Shanghai 2010 Expo that we had to visit ourselves to find out what the buzz was all about.  When we (Ms Gucci with Mr Ferragamo) got there during the last 10 days of the expo ... mayhem!  There were over 1,000,000 visitors per day on the 5 hectare exhibit area.  In general, it was an international travel show which highlights art works and images from different participating countries.  There weren't much products available (only China-made ones) which was quite disappointing from a business perspective.

From the entrance, you have to pass through the x-ray area and take a train to the desired pavilion you want to visit (of which there were plenty - most popular are:  Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia).  Sounds easy?  Not a chance.  The queue was horrendous.  On average, before you get inside ONE pavillion, you have to stand in line for approximately 2.5 - 3.5 hours.  Once you are inside, you finish the viewing of an entire pavillion in approximately 15 minutes.  The crowd was more local, such as busloads of mainland farmers from all over China's provinces.  There were old and young people who waited for the pavillions to open, some even brought their kids - many of whom were screaming and crying.  Two men behind us started fighting and almost came to blows for God knows what reason.  We should have guessed from the various food bags and large containers of water the people brought that it was going to be a loooong wait.  Strangely enough we even saw a man eating a raw cucumber in line (what the?) and hard boiled eggs.

On the second day we were there (yes, we went back despite the first day of torturous wait), it was windy and it rained heavily.  As an added bonus - we got soaked (greaaaat).

On the upside, we enjoyed some retail therapy at Plaza 66, which was a high-end mall at Shanghai.  There were many designer brands available although the prices are way too high as compared to anywhere else in the world (we heard the reason for that was that their taxes were quite steep).  We also visited Chinatown and did some sight-seeing.

In general, we always heard how progressive Shanghai was so we had high expectations when we got there.  And we were kind of disappointed with the trip.

Shown below are the photos that we had taken.  Enjoy! 

Entrance Ticket to the Expo

The Long Queue Outside the Thai Pavillion

 What's for breakfast?

Hard Boiled Egg

Bread

 And cucumber??

Funny Signs:

"Waste Sorting and No Littering"

"Polite Language and No Noising"

"Polite Sharing and No Challenging"

Japanese Pavillion

Display of Robotic Technology from Japan:

 

CRYSTAL JADE LA MIAN XIAO LONG BAO RESTAURANT – VMall, Greenhills

Since this restaurant opened, there had always been the longest queue known to mankind during lunch and dinner hours.  About a week ago, we were (finally!) able to get a table inside but out first dining experience was disappointing.  Nevertheless, we decided to give it another try which was why we set out to have lunch there as early as 11:00 am to avoid having to wait.

FYI the regular Chinese Oolong tea was not served for free as other Chinese restaurants do, they charge you P50.00 per pot.  Also, only one of us ordered tea but they still gave 3 (not paying attention...).  There were also no napkins on the table, when you ask for it they give you like 3 pieces.

Note:  Just to make it clear, there were 3 of us having lunch at the time (we're not exactly gluttons, you know).   The third person shall henceforth to be referred to as Mr Ferragamo - albeit grudgingly.  haha

For appetisers, we had Shredded Beef with Mushrooms and Soupy Pork Dumplings (aka Xiao Long Bao) which were soooo good.  With the Crispy Eel, we had mixed.  IF you like flour-y and a bit sweet tasting eel (more flour than eel in this dish), then you'd like this.  What not to order - Pork with Sliced Cucumber.  It is indeed a strange combination.

For the main course - Noodle with Spicy Chicken, Noodle with Minced Meat, Noodle with Dried Shrimp and Peanut in Spicy Sauce.  We all agreed our respective dishes were all goooood, especially the last one which would be perfect for cold and rainy days ...

 
For dessert, Mr Ferragamo had the Mango Cream with Sago and he said it was good so we'll take his word for it.  Ms Gucci's dessert was Longgan Fungus Dessert.  She said the fungus was tough and the combination sucked.

In general, the service was good and the waiters were attentive.  Although the waiters were a bit rough around the edges - meaning they were not the usual well-trained 'finesse' type.  For example, as Zara was struggling to eat with the rather long noodles, the waiter quickly ran to get a pair of scissors and offered to cut the noodles in half right there and then.   We're sure it was well-intentioned but ... Ew?  You never know where those scissors had been, man.

BLUE WATER DAY SPA FUN RUN - SM Mall of Asia Grounds

Went to a Fun Run so early in the morning of October 17th,  even before the sun was up!  Good thing the expected super typhoon changed its course.  When we registered, we were expecting the usual ‘blah’ fun run routine for 3K, 5K & 10K and not much else afterwards. 

Thousands of people turned up.  The BIG difference?  Talk about free massages, photo and video booths, various other exhibit-like booths PLUS Sam Milby, Karylle, Daniel Matsunaga, Fabio Ide and Mikaela Lagdameo running with the crowd and actually finishing the race!  It was so funny to hear the collective shriek of girls – young and old – that went ‘EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!’ when Sam went up onstage.  (Cue in blinding flash bulbs from various cameras) hahaha

We also saw JC Tiuseco, Kiko Rustia (of GMA 7’s Born to be Wild), Coach Alfrancis Chua, JC Buendia and Boom Labrusca plus several models in the mix.  Plus, there was a super entertaining program after the actual run with fun and games with the celebrities.  First time we ever saw runners stay around for that long after a race.

Our rating?  EXCELLENT!

THE STOCK MARKET - Bonifacio High Street, The Fort

The Cream of Asparagus Soup with Shaved Chorizo Pamplona Soup was gooood.  The pizza-like Flat Bread with Neapolitan Sauce as appetiser was also tasty especially with the hot sauce.

For the main course, we had the Garlic Lemon Fetuccine Alfredo with Grilled Prawns.  The sauce was creamy with the right amount of cheese, however, as there were only 3 pieces of prawns in it and nothing else (what the ... not even bell peppers??) - after a few mouthfuls, the 'sawa' factor quickly sets in and you lose your enthusiasm for the dish.

The Herb Roasted Chicken was a disappointment.  Firstly, there was nothing special about it - it tasted like it was bought from an ordinary supermarket rotisserie.  Secondly, it was really 'dry.'  Not even the olive oil-based sauce helped.  Plus, that yellow bit in there was supposed to be accompanying pastry - it was also incredibly dry and crusty.

Overall, the service was leaning on the 'poor' side  The waiters were attentive only at the start of the evening, after that it was so difficult to get hold of them.  It was also probably because we had to sit outside (due to lack of indoor seating) and that there were plenty of other guests - hey we're paying the same amount as everyone else so that shouldn't be an excuse, right?  But for us to have to ask for the bill 4x from 4 different waiters that took 30 minutes before it was finally handed over to us?  Unacceptable.  

Total mosquito bites gained from the experience?  THREE.  Total number of scary persistent stray cats shamelessly staring at us from within 1 foot of our legs?  ONE.

THAI AT SILK - Serendra, The Fort

The ambiance at this fine dining restaurant was superb and the presentation of the food was excellent.  We recommend the Deep Fried Prawns wrapped in egg noodles, it was gooooood - if you like fried stuff, that is.  The Thai Iced Tea tasted refreshing although a bit too syrupy sweet (definitely not for diabetics) and it helps to have a glass of water at hand.  The Shrimp Paste Fried Rice was okay - but a bit on the salty side and there were some mysterious dried meat chunks  in  it (beef?  pork?) which did not complement the rice at all.  The Chicken Pandan was typical although some end bits were burnt. 

For dessert, Ms. Gucci ordered Sticky Rice with Mango.  In her own tactful words - she said it was like fried rice dipped in muddy milk.  There were also uncooked bits of grains mixed inside (Ew?) - warning:  it sucks.  I, on the other hand, thought the Tapioca was to die for! (only if you're into coconut-based desserts like us) 

The waiters were not too attentive and it seems like there was never any around when you needed them.  However, while we were taking photos of the dishes as they were served (strictly for blogging purposes), they suddenly acted paranoid and defensive - keeping a close eye on our every move, mixing up the Shrimp Paste Rice with a spoon and fork before serving it to us  ... possibly thinking we were spies out to copy their dishes. Hilarious!  Hahahahaha