Saturday, 14 August 2010

Relaxing with some snacks

On the way back from shopping and lunch, I stopped in at a corner store (it might have been Alldays). Here's what I picked up for 20 RMB or 4.2 NZD.

2010-08-14 - Shanghai - Corner store - 01 - Miscellaneous

You only barely get one of these things for that price at a corner store (or dairy as we call them) back in New Zealand. The carlsberg was pretty nasty and flat tasting, but then it was 20% off, which presumably meant not at its best quality rather than cheaper. The Tsingtao was not bad. I was planning to sit out on the apartment balcony drinking them, but I am pretty exhausted so I am sitting inside watching Survivorman with the air conditioning on.

Brasa Chicken Jing'an

Going by the expat forums I read, Brasa Chicken is a fairly popular food outlet. They've just opened a branch further down the street I live on.

2010-08-14 - Shanghai - Brasa Chicken - 01 - Storefront

I was walking back from a store I needed to pick something up at, and it was lunchtime, so I found myself walking in. Apart from the staff and a Sherpas employee, the place was empty. Sherpas is a food delivery service, which charge you 15 RMB and pick up a food order for you and deliver it cash on delivery. I imagine Brasas do a lot of their business through them. In any case, I sat down at a table and ordered a half combo which is half a chicken, two sauces, a side (garlic fries in my case) and a drink (a can of coke zero) for 68 RMB which is about 15 NZD.

2010-08-14 - Shanghai - Brasa Chicken - 02 - Half combo

The photo does not show how much food there actually was. The two sauces on the left were the ones that came with the chicken, with the green one I guess to be a mint and mayonnaise. The red one, well it tasted familiar and was pleasant enough. Otherwise, on the left are tomato sauce and a weak mayonnaise. When you have mayo, tomato sauce and fries.. then clearly you need to mix the first two and make cocktail sauce to have with the third. The left quarter chicken was nice and moist, and the right quarter chicken was a little dry. But overall, it was a very enjoyable meal in a clean and sharp looking restaurant.

On the downside, the staff sat down at a table behind me and talked and shouted away. They should have a place out back they can loiter so their lolling about doesn't get in the way of customers. And before that, while preparing the food, I could hear someone coughing up phlegm. Even during the meal, I occasionally heard the same. However, I would not hesitate to go back if I wanted a healthy filling meal.

Marks and Spencer junk food

I felt a craving for cheesecake, so I ended up at the food department of Marks and Spencer. They have a wide selection of their custom junk food brands, which are okay, but nothing special. This is what I ended up with..

2010-08-14 - Shanghai - Marks and Spencer - 01 - Chips, biscuits and cheesecake

The chips are pretty greasy and flavourless -- I am tempted to throw out . The dark chocolate jaffa cakes are a pale immitation of the other versions. And the cheesecake, I have yet to eat. It is interesting that often purchasing things in stores in Shanghai involves the attendent faffing around laboriously packing a few simple items into a fancy bag. In the meantime people are queueing and waiting.