Italian food experience in Shanghai

Hi everyone!
Let's continue with our food serie/review of Shanghai.
Today's let's talk about Italy.
In such a big city like Shanghai there are a lot of places pretending to serve true and authentic italian food but the risk to run into "fakes" is really high.
Luckily there are some exceptions and one of those is the restaurant "Bella Napoli". Actually the restaurants are three,managed by an italian owner with a high concern about ingredients and quality.
One of the restaurants is located in Changle lu, next to Wulumuqi lu, in a small hidden street. Warm atmosphere inside which reminds you of a typical trattoria and also a nice small area to dine outside in the warm days, brightened by candle lights in the evenings.
The menu presents a quite variety of dishes, from the appetizers to the desserts including a good choice of pizza (Naples'style), always customizable: just ask the owner and he'll do his best to fulfill your requests.
Pizza, pasta, meat and fish: great taste and conforting food.
Suggested appetizers: rice suppli served on fresh tomato sauce, the "antipasto all'italiana" including a good choice of salumi as prosciutto crudo, mortadella and salame plus mozzarella cheese, pecorino served with slices of warm focaccia (pizza base with extra virgin olive oil and salt),fried squids, fish carpaccio and seafood bruschetta.
When it comes to pasta, for fish lovers (I would say also for garlic lovers) try "Linguine ai frutti di mare", "Spaghetti alle vongole" (served in an iron pot); for a vegetarian choice "Pasta alla norma" (eggplants, tomatoes and ricotta cheese) is one of my favourites.
Main courses: again fish is highly recommended (try their "orata") and for dessert a fresh lemon sorbet.
Good food, good service, good atmosphere to be enjoyed with friends or for a romantic dinner, Lady and the Tramp style (without meatballs).

Salmon tuna and swordfish carpaccio

Seafood Bruschetta

Capellini with prawns and porcini mushrooms

Spaghetti with clams

Lemon sorbet

Shanghai food serie

Hi everyone!
It's been a long time since I last posted on my blog. I finished my exams at University and I moved to Shanghai.
New life, new working experiences, new friends and a lot of new food experiences I can't wait to share with you. Shanghai is absolutely a foodie place and if you are willing to find some special places to eat the best you can do is to google www.timeoutshanghai.com : deals, restaurant descriptions for every type of food and budget.
From the typical chinese street food to the five stars cuisine, it's impossible not to find something you really like.
But let's start with the basics: THAT'S THE RULE "早饭吃的早,午饭吃的包,晚饭车得少" (Have  breakfast early in the morning, eat till you're full at lunchtime but don't eat too much at dinnertime).
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so go on with rice, noodles, dumplings, baozi (steamed buns filled with vegetables, meat, mushrooms...) and hard boiled eggs (cooked using tea instead of water).

Every morning people are quequing to buy the best and most tasteful baozi ino those small steaming shops.
My favourites? Xiangu caibao (香菇菜包), stuffed with tofu and vegetables, Congyou huajuan (葱油花卷) steamed bun with leek falvour, and mantou (馒头) the simplest one steamed bun.
Friend's favourites? Redbeans stuffed bun and mushrooms stuffed bun.
For those more interested in western food, Shanghai offers a wide range of bakeries and restaurants with bruch menus to be enjoyed.
Higly recommended: breakfast set at Big Bamboo, big-americanstyle portions and watch the main sport events on tv (latest one: UFC fights). Try there: wrap stuffed with scrambled eggs served with a roasted tomato, potatoes and a portion of fresh fruit. Not so hungry and looking for something to sweeten your life? Then the chocolate milkshake is a good choice.
Brunch at Element Fresh is also remarkable: scrambled eggs, grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes, wholegrain bread and fresh fruit.

 
For italians like me that are madly in love with a sweet breakfast: Illy cappuccino at Sunflour, Croissant de France (my favourite? Mokaccino...) or Essecaffé next to Wulumuqi lu, wonderful espresso and cakes for more than reasonable price.
Enjoy your breakfast foodies! 


 

Primo post del 2013...Eat Parade!

Buon anno cari e care bloggers e lettori (pochi ma buoni)!!
Avete festeggiato, mangiato, ballato, cantato e dato un bel calcio al 2012? Dove siete stati? Famiglia, con gli amici, immersi in piazze super affollate, dall'altra parte del mondo?
Dal canto mio ho passato un capodanno tranquillo, con gli amici al calore del fuoco scoppiettante con una bella cena ed un grosso sospirone di sollievo alla mezzanotte. Il 2012 se n'è andato spero portandosi via tanta negatività. Ora, piena di speranze per questo 2013 riparto!
Riparto con una raccolta, quella proposta da Serena Mazzieri, Eat parade!

La mia ricetta più cliccata è stata la mia Girella alla crema di cacao e nocciole...golosissima direi, un dolce che va sempre a ruba oltre che di una facilità estrema...vi copio qui la ricetta che si presta ovviamente ad una miriade di varianti. Buon 2013 in dolcezza!!

Ingredienti:
75 gr di farina manitoba
75 gr di zucchero
4 uova (4 rossi e 3 albumi)
20 gr di burro nutella
rum per bagnare

Procedimento: Ho diviso i tuorli dagli albumi e li ho montati benissimo con lo zucchero fino a frali diventare spumosi (non si sentivano più i granelli di zucchero). Ho quindi incorporato delicatamente la farina con un cucchiaio di legno con movimenti dal basso verso l'alto. Ho montato poi gli albumi a neve ben ferma con due cucchiaini di zucchero. Ho aggiunto al composto di tuorli zucchero e farina il burro fuso raffreddato e poi gli albumi mescolando sempre delicatamente dal basso verdo l'alto. In una teglia coperta di carta forno ho versato il composto livellandolo delicatamente per ottenere una forma regolare e di uguale spessore. Ho infornato a 180° (forno caldo) per non più di 7 minuti quindi ho sfornato coperto la pasta con un canovaccio pulito. Stando attenta a non scottarmi ho rovesciato la teglia e tolto delicatamente la carta da forno e arrotolato la pasta su se stessa . Il rotolo va fatto raffreddare compleatmente a temperatura ambiente. Una volta freddo l'ho srotolato delicatamente e bagnato con il rum e ricoperto con tanta nutella. Ho riarrotolato e spolverizzato con lo zucchero a velo. Et voilà, buonissimo!