Lu Bo Lang 綠波廊 (Shanghai, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Lu Bo Lang (綠波廊, “Green Wave Corridor”) is a historic, highly regarded restaurant in the heart of Shanghai, located right next to the Jiuqu Bridge (九曲橋, “Bridge of Nine Turns”) in the Yuyuan Garden (豫園) and City God Temple (城隍廟) commercial area. The restaurant is known for its Shanghainese dishes, dim sum, and handmade pastries.

Unfortunately, because of our super packed schedule this morning, we didn’t have time for a sit-down meal. So, to enjoy Lu Bo Lang’s specialties, the only way was to grab them from their take-out counter.

All of their soup dumplings were freshly made here right in front of the crowd. 

The City God Temple’s Large soup dumplings (城隍廟特色大湯包) (¥28) — Little nugget wasn’t interested in the sweet pastries, at least not early in the morning. Instead, he was curious about the large steamed dumpling with crab roe.

Thanks to the relatively short lineup, we managed to get our dumplings almost instantly without much of a wait. This was just perfect for our IG accounts. Little one couldn’t wait to get started and in fact, he was so eager that he burned his tongue on the first sip of the piping-hot broth through the paper straw.

I thought it was a great experience for him that he finally got to try the large steamed dumpling he previously saw on TV. To really taste it personally, that was something to tell the grandkids about!

Price: ¥¥

Address: 115 Yuyuan Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, China

上海市黄浦区豫园街道豫园路115号

Closest Metro Station: Yuyuan (豫园)

Tel: +86 (021) 6328-0602

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/af/AMKM

Yuxingji Crab Roe Noodle House The Bund 裕興記麵館 外灘店 (Shanghai, CHINA) ★★★★☆

After a quick and efficient check-in at the hotel, we finally got the chance to take our long-awaited walk towards the Bund. As little nugget kept reminding us that we haven’t had dinner yet, I had no choice but not to lead the team to my preferred destination for tonight’s supper.

Yuxingji Crab Roe Noodle House (裕興記麵館) is a renowned eatery in Shanghai specializing in authentic Suzhou-style crab noodles (蟹黃麵). It is highly popular among locals and tourists for its rich, traditional flavors.

Situated in a prime location on Sichuan Middle Road, just a short walk from the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street and The Bund, Yuxingji is best known for using hand-picked crab meat and roe, ensuring a satisfying, "umami-bomb" experience.

By the time we arrived, it was dinner hour, so it came with little surprise that we ran into a modest lineup (around 20 people) outside the noodle house. As expected, the wait ended up being over 30 minutes.

Sautéed pig’s kidney (生炒花腰) (¥28) — The pig’s kidney was nicely tender and it worked well with the thick and flavorful gravy.

Stir-fried freshwater shrimp (手剝蝦仁) (¥40) — Very tiny in size. Not sure how they managed to remove the shells with their hands. 

Poached choy sum (白灼菜心) (¥22) — Surprisingly long pieces. I didn't think it was the same variety as the late-flowering Chinese Cabbage (高腳菜心) we've been enjoying in Shenzhen.

Pure crab roe xiao long bao (純蟹黃蟹粉小籠包) (¥88) — I love thin-skinned xiao long bao that bursts with flavorful soup but these meatless versions with just crab roe and soup could never quite satisfy my craving for the “real” xiao long bao. To me, you really need the pork to complement the sweetness of the soup. That’s my take.

Jumbo crab roe dumpling (金牌蟹黃大湯包) (¥68) — This was mainly for little nugget’s social media account.

Unlike the previous xiao long bao, this dumpling had a much thicker skin to hold all the soup and crab roe. It was reportedly pretty tasty but definitely not my cup of tea.

Signature crab roes noodles (招牌蟹黃麵) (¥118) — A recipe from this century-old noodle house that originated in Suzhou and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Our server quickly pointed out a very important tip when he delivered our noodles. Pour the crab roes sauce over the noodles and mix everything together quickly so the noodles don't stick together. Interestingly, we were not asked to add any vinegar to the mix like most crab roe noodle houses would instruct us to.

As instructed, generous portions of golden roe were poured over the thin and firm noodles. And I never stopped stirring the noodles with my chopsticks. Not until they were firmly clinging to the sauce.

This was so delicious. The noodles were firm to the bite and the umami-rich sauce brought the dough to life. I thought this tasted genuinely better than what we had at Xie Man Lou Crab Roes Noodles (蟹滿樓 蟹黄面) before.

My team was thrilled with the bright start in Shanghai tonight. To make the evening even more memorable, we were heading to the Bund right after dinner. It’s little nugget’s first-ever Bund visit. Let’s see if he gets totally blown away (but first, we have to beat the crowd). 

Food Rating: 6.7/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: 410 Sichuan Middle Road (near Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street intersection), Huangpu District, Shanghai, China

上海市黄浦区四川中路410号南京路步行街路口50米

Closest Metro Station: East Nanjing Road (南京东路)

Tel: +86 (021) 6888-6981

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 11:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/de/wQhM

Bellagio by MGM Shanghai on the Bund 上海外灘蘇寧寶麗嘉酒店 (Shanghai, CHINA)

After a whirlwind 18 hours in Changzhou, we took the train to Shanghai (上海站) Station for the second leg of our journey. From that point on, everything was on cruise control. The ride took about an hour and as soon as we got off, we caught our pre-arranged hired car at Exit B. Ten minutes later, we already arrived at our hotel.

I didn’t realize it but it's been almost nine years since I last visited Shanghai. My previous trip was during the winter of 2017 and I had an amazing time touring the city as a solo traveler. Knowing that I probably won’t get another chance to return to Shanghai anytime soon, I decided to splurge on our hotel accommodation this time around.

Bellagio by MGM Shanghai on the Bund (上海外灘蘇寧寶麗嘉酒店) is a five-star luxury hotel located on the edge of the North Bund, offering stunning views of the Suzhou River and the Lujiazui skyline. With limited time left on our trip, I thought it was essential to stay close to the action.

The moment we stepped through the doors, I knew I have made the right choice. The Italian white marble and a grand staircase at the lobby set the tone early.

Our corner room was tastefully designed with touches of neoclassical design that effortlessly blend art deco glamour with modern luxury.

The spacious layout (60 square meter) features generous living areas, two comfortable double beds and a plush sofa.

I especially loved the light-flooded space, thanks to the ceiling-to-floor windows positioned across different corners of the room.

Amazingly, our room offers a partial view of Suzhou River (蘇州河) and the Pudong skyline from one of the windows, making it a joy to wake up to every morning.

The closet and dressing room are located in the foyer away from the living area creating more space and extra privacy — an excellent touch from the design team.

The bathroom was just as elegant, with white and black marble throughout as the main theme.

As always, I’m a big fan of the double-basin design.

Shower room

Toilet

One of the nicest things about staying at Bellagio Shanghai was its walking distance to the Bund. I’m not talking just about the North Bund but the Bund in general. It was just steps away from Waibaidu Bridge (外白渡橋), the famous all-steel bridge (from 1856) making it an easy connection to Chen Yi Square (陳毅廣場) and of course, the spectacular view of Huangpu River.

I don’t think anyone will get tired of watching this view over and over again. I know I won’t.

Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

Price: ¥¥¥¥

Address: 188 Beisuzhou Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai, China

上海市虹口区北苏州路188号

Closest Metro Station: Tiantong Road (天潼路)

Tel: +86 (021) 3680-6666

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/5b/sOhM