Shanghai Gate.

After reading rave reviews about Shanghai Gate's soup dumplings, we finally had the perfect excuse to go there this weekend. Although we are not food critics, my husband and I have very discriminatory taste. There are very few restaurants that we feel are bang for your buck.

I was excited to try this new place (new to us). The decor was very artistic + impressive but it turns out their that soup dumplings fell short of expectations. In so many words, decor is not enough for us to return.

 

Fabric cut chinese characters.

Steamed soup dumplings- originated in Shanghai.

Stir fried Shanghai noodles.

the perfect gift.

I just received a gift that was really perfect- a reusable starbucks clear cup with lid + straw. It resembles that of the clear plastic cups that they actually use to serve their cold drinks in.

There are some things that I can never justify spending money on- one of which is daily starbucks indulgence. Now I can make my favorite drinks + strut it in the original starbucks cup.

I mimicked making iced coffee from this biker/cafe joint that makes super amazing iced coffee. I used to make an entire mug of hot coffee and refrigerate it for hrs until it cools down then add ice to make cold. Now, I can make instant ice coffee in merely a few minutes.

icedcoffee:

I love that the straw has a stopper which prevents it from sliding all the way out.

I am in awe by this invention. Loss straw prevention.

Instant coffee. Nescafe coffee is really yummy, I prefer decaf b/c I am a weakling and cannot handle the effects of a fully caffeinated drink. (this is my version, the cafe obviously used fresh ground beans)

Base on your preference, you can make it as strong and sweet as you like. For me, it's 2 tablespoons of decaf instant coffee + about 3 tablespoons of sugar.

Mix the sugar into the instant coffee.

Add about 3 tablespoons of hot water to make an espresso like concoction. It's really more like coffee syrup.

Basically, this is all the hot water I'm using for my iced coffee drink.

Transfer coffee mixture into cup.

Add ice cubes.

Add cold water.

Add desired amount of creamer. I use half + half - I like mine really creamy!

Voila!

The gift that keeps giving.

simple meal.

I am not by any means a healthy guru. I obsess over popeyes and anything piping hot, spicy + fried. However, there are times when I really crave a simple meal. Maybe just for an internal cleansing once in a while.

I love simple salads with anything grilled in the warmer seasons. Today was perfect for such indulgence. 

Rosemary grilled chicken + mesclun mix salad 

saladingredients:

grape tomatoes

 sliced almonds- a great salad topping

 

homemadecroutons:

combine olive oil, dry herbs, + minced garlic

slice day old/stale french bread into 1/2 inch pieces. dip bread slice into the olive oil/herb mix.

coat both sides. sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt on either side. bake at 200 degrees for about 15 mins or until golden brown

voila! better than store bought.

grilledpotatoes:

 

small purple + yellow potatoes

 

potatoes are seasoned with olive oil, dry herbs, minced garlic, + a dash of salt/peper, wrapped in foil with 2 tablespoons of butter- ready for grilling!

rosemarychicken:

fresh rosemary leaves- these were minced and became the main ingredient for the chicken marinade