The subway system in Shanghai has always bee pretty good, but since taxis are relatively inexpensive at 12RMB starting price, I tend to opt for the taxi if the destination is requiring more than one transfer on the subway.  This month (December 2009), three additional subway lines or segments (Line 7, 2nd phase of Line 9, and Line 11) have opened and made taking the subway from the city center much more attractive.  These new line currently operating from 9am to 4pm, and gradually expanding service to 5:30am to 11pm in the next three months.

New airport route:  Visitors coming from Pudong Airport can now change from the maglev train to Line 7 and arrive directly at the ChangShu Rd station, which is closer to Quintet than Line 2’s JingAn Temple station.  You’d have an easier time walking with your luggage.

Fabric market: we used to recommend that guests take a taxi to South Bund Fabric Market, but now you can also take Line 7 to transfer to Line 4 at DongAn Rd and get off at Nanpu Bridge station.  The fabric market is within 5 minute walking distance from the station.

Expo site: go one station south on Line 7 from Changshu Rd Station and change to Line 9 at Zhaojiabang Rd Station.  Then at the Madang Rd station, change to the soon to be open Line 13 directly to the Expo site.

Shanghai F1 Race Track:  With the opening of Line 11 to Jiading, F1 race goers will be able to take the subway to the race track.  Change from Line 2 Jiangsu Rd station to Line 11, and then continue on the west branch of Line 11 at Jiading Xincheng to reach the race track.  The train’s top speed reaches 100KM/hour, the fastest in the Shanghai metro area.

As there will be more lines coming on-line in the next few months, keep an eye on the development by checking this very nicely done English subway map site here.

For our first anniversary, I though we’d make a Christmas keepsake for guests who come to stay with us around the holiday time.  If everyone likes it, we can potentially do a version every year!

While brainstorming on what the gift should be, I was inspired by the recent “Tiny Feet” exhibition at the Plum Gallery.  Why not make a Christmas stocking with a Chinese flavor?  For those who know a bit about Chinese history, women, especially in the royal and wealthy families, used to have their feet bound to about only 3 inches long starting in their childhood.  Women with tiny feet supposedly looked delicate and attractive to men when they walked and swayed from the imbalance.  While the feet finding custom is now seen as an evil, sexist tradition that kept Chinese women subdued for centuries, some of the design and crafts that went into making the tiny shoes that covered those feet were exquisite.

I brought up this stocking idea to my guest-friend Hiroko and she also thought this ideas was interesting.  So when she came to Shanghai a few weeks ago, she helped sketched out a design for the stocking and then we went to the fabric market to pick out the fabrics together.  We chose four different patterns and colors for the stocking to give it a luxurious look and feel; the fabrics we used are also the same fabrics that people make “qipao” dresses and “mian-ao” jackets out of.

Each of the stockings is sewn by my housekeeper’s neighbor so each one looks a bit different and unique!  For a limited time only, we will sneak these little stockings into the guest rooms as parting gifts.  If you want one, come stay with us soon!

TripAdvisor traveler rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is quite a pleasant hotel in a good part of Shanghai. Staff are very helpful but not all speak English. Decor is nice. A tight squeeze up stairs if that is an issue for you. Unlike other…

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TripAdvisor traveler rating: 4 of 5 stars

We stayed for 4 nights at Quintet during one of Shanghai’s rainiest periods, which added to the coziness and comfort that we enjoyed at Quintet. I echo the comments made by njttravelling earlier, and…

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When you are visiting Shanghai, be sure to try both of these local snacks.  Both of them are types of “bao”, or dumplings, which are typically meat wrapped in flour dough.

Xiao Long Bao 小笼包, or soup dumpling, got its name from the small, round bamboo steam that the dumpling is always served in.  The well-made ones have very thin shells, almost translucent after steaming.  These little pouches are able to hold soup inside because soup jello made of chicken and pork stock is mixed in with fresh ground meat or seafood as filling, so when steamed, the jello transforms into juice.

The most expensive type of xiao long bao is that made with pure crab meat/roe filling.  I have to say they really taste completely different from the pork type.  If you like crab and seafood, you should splurge and try it out.  The taste of xiao long bao is enhanced when you dipped it in Zhejiang black vinegar with sliced ginger.

Places to try them:

Jia Jia Tang Bao 佳家汤包 - 黄河路90号(近凤阳路)  The original shop is on Huang He Rd near the People’s  Park (across from the Shanghai Art Museum off of Nanjing Rd).  They sell only xiao long baos and a couple simple soups.  The line is long everyday around noon and the shop closes when the baos are sold out (which is usually around 5-6pm).

Din Tai Fung 鼎泰丰 - 兴业路123弄新天地南里6号楼2楼(近马当路) Multiple locations in Shanghai with 3 in convenient locations:  Xintiandi’s cineplex builing, near Yu Garden, and Superbrand Mall in Pudong near the Oriental Pearl Tower. Xiao long baos go luxury at this Taiwanese establishment.  If you’re looking for nicer environment and service, and more delicate food and presenation, this is the place.  The prices of the baos are 2x-3x the price at Jia Jia.  This is a full-menu restaurant with noodles, wontons, and rice dishes.

There are also many neighborhood eateries that sell them but most of the time the look and taste are run-of-the-mill.  Another famous place is the Nanxiang Man Tou 南翔馒头 shop in the Yu Garden - constantly mobbed by tourists but I’d say both the baos and service are mediocre.  Go with the above 2 places if you will only try xiao long bao once.

Sheng Jian Bao 生煎包, or fried dumpling, has a thicker and chewier shell than xiao long bao.  Ground pork, chopped cabbage, and/or crab roe are also the usual filling (pork is used A LOT in Chinese dishes).  The dumplings are cooked a batch at a time in a big, round greased pan.  Several rounds of water is added and evaporated as the dumplings are getting cooked, creating a golden, crispy bottom.  Scallion and sesame seeds are usually added to enhance the aroma and look.  When eating the dumpling, you can dip it black vinegar for taste.

Places to try them:

Yang’s Fried Dumpling 吴江路54-60号(近南京西路) - the original shop is on Wujiang Rd near Nanjing W Rd subway station.  There’s always a long line of people waiting outside.  They also opened a newer shop inside the InPoint Mall, which is also on Wujiang Rd but in the new building on the next block where KFC is located.  There’s also one branch across the street from Jia Jia on Huanghe Rd but you might not have the stomach to eat all these dumplings at the same time!

Shanghainese restaurants also do good rendition of fried dumpling, two good places to try are Baoluo Restaurant 保罗酒楼 on Fumin Rd and Nanling Restaurant 南伶酒家 on Yueyang Rd, both of which are close to Quintet.

Coming to Quintet to celebrate a honeymoon, anniversary, birthday, or a special occasion? Ask about our special add-on packages below when you book your room. We can also customize to your request and event.

The Adagio Package: $300RMB

-Romantically decorated room with flower petals and candles

-Candlelight milk bath prepared with a scent of your choice

-Bottle of sparkling wine or red wine with chocolates

-Mood music played on Quintet house ipod (you can bring your own ipod also)

The Passionato Package: $800RMB

-Romantically decorated room with flower petals and candles

-In-room massage for two (one hour per person, choice of Oil or Traditional Chinese style)

-Candlelight milk bath prepared before massage with a scent of your choice

-Bottle of sparkling wine or red wine with chocolates

-Mood music played on Quintet house ipod (you can bring your own ipod also)

-Breakfast served in-bed

TripAdvisor traveler rating: 5 of 5 stars

My siser and i stayed attic room at the quintet for 2 nights in september. The location was in a quiet area with metro stop a short (15min)walk away. The room was compact and small so sharing for more…

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The speed with which restaurants open and close in Shanghai is unbelievably high that even residents like ourselves have a hard time keeping up.  Each week, I have to bike around our neighborhood streets to check out if there are any new store signs put up or constructions started. No wonder every time I went back to my hometown San Jose, California, I was often shocked to see venerable restaurants from my younger days still standing.

This is not to say that new shops are always better than old, but it does speak to the unprecedented number of entrepreneurs who are seizing the opportunity to make it out here in Shanghai. These aren’t the big corporate restaurant chains you see in more matured markets; these are the small guys who started with one concept/location. As the capital to start something in China is still relatively lower than in western countries, many foreigners also jump into the fray. As a result, we witnessed many experiments — some succeeded with flying colors and some crashed and burned. The consumers are (more?) fickle in Shanghai so the businesses have to work extra hard to stay relevant.

Four new additions to our neighborhood show promise and I’d like to introduce to our guests:

1. La Strada - sister cafe of Amokka on Anfu Rd and serves excellent Italian-style thin crust pizzas.  You can also order their pizzas from Amokka, which has a nice upstairs dining lounge.

2. Pho Real - deserves a mention even though it replaced our favorite hole-in-the-wall Xinjiang restaurant.  They serve a set menu which includes light appetizers like spring rolls followed by a bowl of Vietnamese beef noodle soup.

3. Bistro Burger - promises gourmet burgers and fancy milkshakes.  Putting a plug in for our Closed Cafe partner Eduardo and tried out the food at the soft opening.  Reasonable priced and tasty burgers are always welcomed by all

4. Lapis Thai on Hunan Rd - housed in an ambient villa on Hunan Rd and serving consistent quality food with nice presentation.  I personally think the setting is more beautiful than Coconut Paradise.  Lapis also has another location in Taiking Rd’s Tianzifang.

Judging from the mix, we can use more tasty and stylish Chinese restaurants too~

See more neighborhood restaurants on our Neighborhood Map here.

TripAdvisor traveler rating: 5 of 5 stars

I recently stayed for four nights in one of Quintet’s five rooms. My whole stay in Shanghai was fantastic and Quintet was a big reason why. The information pack provided at check-in was detailed and…

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Yesterday, a friend who’s visiting Shanghai showed up at the B&B and told me that her cell phone has just been stolen at the Shanghai Train Station. This is one of the several theft incidences that have happened to people I know in the last month in Shanghai — including myself.

I got my wallet stolen on our very own ChangLe Rd two weekends ago while talking on the phone. Only the week before that, a guy tried to open my backpack but I found out before he was able to take anything. Sadly, this ill attempt didn’t make me more cautious so I ended up paying the price. The shocking thing is that I’ve been living in the neighborhood for almost 4 years and I can say it’s been one of the safest neighborhoods in Shanghai.

Another guest of the B&B told me that she had “lost” her camera at the subway station on the last day of their stay. I gently told her that she probably didn’t lose the camera - it was probably stolen. Photos of her entire trip were on the camera so needless to say, it was a big loss for her.

We’re not sure if the theft figures have gone up for Shanghai in recent weeks, but would like to warn everyone coming here to really be careful with their bags etc when they’re out and about. It’s wise to not put valuables in front pockets of your backpack or leave bags unbuttons or unzipped. keep bags in front of your body at all times. If you feel that someone is walking too close to you, beware. A lot of times they also travel in a group, and can be mom/babe, teenager, etc.

Petty theft is a problem that plagues most big cities around the world, and I guess Shanghai is not an exception. My bet is that things will get under control for the Expo next year ;-p