#reel kitchen

[sophiaouyang]

Bipimbap @ Reel Kitchen

Another weekend and another instance where I don’t know what I want to eat. Cue Reel Kitchen. Trying to mix things up a bit, I went for the mushroom bipimbap at the korean stall this time. It comes with meat but I substituted for more veggies in my current attempt to eat healthier (attempt being the key word…).

I’ve become a bit of a bipimbap connoisseur these days. I don’t know what it is about rice in a stone pot, but I never get sick of it, at least yet. Let’s be serious though, my favorite part of bipimbap: the burnt rice on the bottom. YUM. I specifically ask them to leave my stone pot on the fire for longer so the rice gets extra crispy and delicious. I don’t think I ever met a bipimbap that I didn’t like. People really need to eat more korean food because it is straight up delicious! If only they could figure out a way to deliver bipimbap to me…

Fresh veggies, mushrooms, korean spicy sauce and crispy rice = a very satisfying meal. Not to mention the free endless cold dishes they always serve at Korean restaurants. Don’t mind if I do.

[sophiaouyang]

A week of gluttony (no regrets…?)

Too much food, not enough time. Story of my life. When a guest is in town, I let myself forgo my “healthy” diet because let’s be honest, I’m not about to watch my friends eat delicious food and not partake. And so the culinary journey of Shanghai and Chinese food starts. We got up pseudo early one morning so I could take my friend to sample what locals eat for breakfast. A couple of veggie baozis, scallion pancakes, miscellaneous pancakes and a sticky rice contraption (fantuan filled with picked veggies and youtia aka a fried stick of dough) made for a good morning feast. All this came in around 1 US dollar, which blew her mind.

  Onto the next meal. Xiaolongbao aka soup dumplings. I’m fortunate to live within walking distance of a popular xiaolongbao place in Shanghai and so I took her there for a very local and delicious meal (no English and a very limited picture menu- I had to ask the waitress what she recommended and just go with that…). We ordered at the counter, hovered over other customers for a table and then eagerly waited for our food. Pork xiaolongbao, Crab and pork xiaolongbao, a spicy chicken cold dish and noodles were quickly and happily consumed by us. Unfortunately my friend had a bit of a slippery soup dumpling that ended up in her lap, but practice makes perfect, right? All this for 10 USD between the both of us. Yes please.

Continuing on, I find myself at Reel Kitchen, again. A clean setting, easy to understand ordering system and english menus makes for a stress-free meal. We sampled some of Shanghai’s famous Yang’s fry dumplings (shengjian) accompanied with hot and sour vermicelli noodles (suanla fen) and beef noodle soup (niu rou mian). Washed down with a huge cup of lemonade, Reel Kitchen can do no wrong.

[sophiaouyang]

Reel Kitchen: all your food needs in one place

So I know I say a lot of things are amazing, delicious or the best, but this is truly all three! My new obsession is 100% Reel Kitchen in the Jingan Subway Station. I was introduced to the dining venue/food court a couple of weeks ago and have been raving about it since.

The idea of having all your favorite foods in one location at a reasonable price is pure magic. Reel Kitchen has solved so many of those nights where I don’t know what I want to eat but now everyone can get what they want and still enjoy each other’s company- it’s a real win win situation in my opinion.

As for the details, Reel Kitchen has pretty much everything you could imagine. With the entire spectrum of Chinese food from dumplings and hot pot to noodles, Reel Kitchen also offers Wagas, El Mexicano, this fries stand,, Korean, Japanese and much much more. I have such a hard time choosing what to eat at each visit but am never disappointed. They have got lots of dessert options too from Honeymoon Dessert, fresh fruit juice, donuts, etc.

The ordering system is easy and efficient and all outlets accept cash. Though the prices may be a bit more expensive than local Chinese restaurants, you are paying for the convenience and I still consider it a good price (expect to be full for 40rmb at Chinese outlets, a bit more at Western places). Order at the restaurant of choice and wait until your buzzer buzzes! Food is made quickly and freshly, adding to the convenience of the place. Happy eating! If you need me, I’ll be at Reel Kitchen…but really…