Best hotpot restaurants in Shanghai, China

Shanghai might be considered southern China, but in the depths of winter the chill really sets in. This is when locals make a beeline for hot pot restaurants, where vegetables, thinly-sliced meats and other goodies are cooked in a boiling, soupy brew. Here’s where to find them.

Yan Gege (Yàn gégé, 焱格格)

Prominent Hong Kong actor and animal rights activist Lü Songxian founded this vegetarian Beijing-style hot pot restaurant to show off the beauty of produce and clear vegetable broths. Be sure to try the delicious fresh tofus, and the huge selection of mushrooms that take up a whole portion of the menu and tout various different medicinal curative properties. Also delicious are the crisp lotus roots and egg dumplings.

Hong Chang Xing Mutton Hotpot (Hóng zhǎngxìng, 洪长兴)

It’s impossible to miss the towering blue dome when driving on the Yan’an overpass towards the Bund that marks Shanghai’s oldest halal restaurant. Founded in 1891, this century-old restaurant is a family-owned mutton hot pot restaurant, where you’ll find tables huddled around a bubbling pots of clear broth, heated by a charcoal fire. You’ll dip in an array of thinly-sliced meats, vegetables and tofu for a long and perfectly warming meal. While there are other locations, this is the one where the atmosphere is just as interesting as the food itself.

Elixir Health Pot (Wú lǎo guō, 无老锅)

This hot pot serves soup that you could simply drink straight from the pot, as it’s a bubbling potion touted for its health properties and skin rejuvenation by celebrities across Asia. The white ‘collagen’ pot is particularly wholesome (and delicious), made from pork bones and knuckles that have been simmered for hours, until the resulting soup is thick and fragrant, somewhat akin to tonkatsu ramen broth. Later, Chinese herbs including goji berries, ginseng and other roots are added to impart their curative properties. This is a hot pot that rejuvenates as well as warms the belly. Be sure to order their special house made ‘ice cream’ tofu (bīngqílín dòufu, 冰淇淋豆腐), the light little egg dumplings (dànjiǎo, 蛋饺) and the special mushroom platter (蘑菇拼盘, mógupīnpán) to pair.

Holy Cow

Anthony Zhao, the founder of this hot pot spot, trained in some of Shanghai’s finest dining establishments before he broke off to pay tribute to his native Shanghai cuisine. At Holy Cow, the kitchen serves primo, pesticide-free beef from Dalian and vegetables grown on their own farms. They also serve frozen soup dumplings that go into the hot pot and come out fat and delicious. The soup itself also merits being consumed by itself, as it’s a clear meat consomme that’s bolstered with Chinese herbs. It’s a healthful, flavorful and delicious experience sure to satisfy a crowd.

Hai Di Lao (Hǎidǐ lāo huǒguō, 海底捞火锅)

This particular chain is from Sichuan and has made a killing not only for its spicy hot pot, but also for the service. During peak hours, there will generally be a wait for a table, but the staff will make it worth your while. In the lobby, you’ll find free fruit, manicures, shoe shines and more which will help make the time pass quickly. There are several locations around town – this is one of the more popular.

See more: The signature dishes that define Chinese cuisine

Source: Internet

All about Boun Pi Mai, Lao's New Year Festival

Boun Pi Mai is one of the most important annual festivals to celebrate Lao New Year in the lasting several days in mid-April. It is a time when the entire country stops working and begins to party, and so do you if you visit Laos during Boun Pi Mai.

What is Boun Pi Mai

Boun Pi Mai, the start of the New Year in Laos, is a splashy good time for visitors, although a decidedly more gentle ordeal than its same-day counterpart in Thailand (Songkran).

The Lao New Year takes place in the middle of the hot summer season, in April. The new year celebrations usually last three days – 13-15 or 14-16 – though festivities in major locales can last longer than that (Luang Prabang’s Boun Pi Mai lasts for about 10 days).

During the New Year, the Lao believe that the old spirit of Sangkhan leaves this plane, making way for a new one. This belief – like the rest of Bun Pi Mai – is grounded in the Brahmanic and animistic religions that long preceded Theravada Buddhism, says former Culture Research Institute head Houmphanh Rattanavong.

Three Days of the Laos New Year

“In the Brahmanism religion it was believed that the time from January to the first day of Pi Mai in April is a dark, or bad, period of the year,” explains Mr. Rattanavong. “In Buddhism, the last day of Pi Mai is seen as a bright or prosperous period, so our ancestors chose April as the month of the New Year.”

The first day of Boun Pi Mai, known as Sangkhan Luang, is considered the last day of the old year. Lao will clean their houses and villages on this day, and prepare water, perfume, and flowers for the days ahead.

The second day, the Sangkhan Nao or "day of no day", is neither part of the old year nor of the new year.

The third day, known as Sangkhan Kheun Pi Mai is the official start of the Lao New Year. Locals dress in their finest silk clothes and perform Tak Bat, the traditional offering of alms to Buddhist monks; then climb Mount Phousi to pray at the stupa at its summit.

At family gatherings later in the day, locals hold baci ceremonies for good health, and beg senior family members for forgiveness.

Getting Soaked in Boun Pi Mai

During the New Year, water plays a big part in the festivities – Lao bathe Buddha images in their local temples, pouring jasmine-scented water and flower petals on the sculptures. The faithful will also build sand stupas and decorate these with flowers and string.

At each temple, monks will provide the water, as well as blessings for the devotees flocking to the temples and the white bai sri strings, which they will tie around devotees' wrists.

People also get soaked during Boun Pi Mai – people respectfully pour water on monks and elders, and less reverently on each other! Foreigners are not exempt from this treatment – if you're in Laos during Bun Pi Mai, do expect to be soaked by passing teenagers, who'll give you the wet treatment from buckets of water, hoses, or high-pressure water guns.

Locals sometimes throw flour as well as water, so you’ll feel both wet and doughy at the end of the holiday.

Celebrating Boun Pi Mai in Luang Prabang

While Boun Pi Mai is celebrated throughout Laos, tourists should be at Vientiane or Luang Prabang to see the holiday at its most intense. In Vientiane, families make the rounds of the different temples to bathe the Buddha statues, especially the ones at Wat Phra Kaew, the city's oldest temple.

Luang Prabang is probably the best place to celebrate Boun Pi Mai in Laos, as it is the former royal capital and a present-day UNESCO World Heritage site. In Luang Prabang, the celebrations can stretch out to a full seven days, celebrated in different places around the city.

Tips for Travelers

Boun Pi Mai is considered part of peak tourist season in Laos, so don't expect to make any bookings on the spur of the moment. If you want to be in Luang Prabang or Vang Vieng during the Lao New Year, book at least two months in advance to get the dates you want.

Consider it unavoidable: you will get wet during Boun Pi Mai. (So will everybody else.) At the same time, there are certain locals you shouldn't throw water at – monks, elders, and maybe the occasional well-dressed woman on her way to an important New Year event! Choose your targets judiciously, but expect to be liberally soaked.

See more: Explore the Konglor Loop in Laos

Source: Internet

7 must-try foods in Hualien, Taiwan

Surely you’re familiar with the usual Taiwanese must-eats like stinky tofu and papaya milk, but in this article, we cover some unique local eats travellers to Hualien simply can’t miss out on.

Steamed goose at Mr. Goose

Goose is typically served in most Asian establishments roasted, with a slightly crispy brown skin. At the aptly named Mr. Goose in Hualien, goose is served poached and sliced into thin slices, with a side of salty dipping sauce and raw julienned ginger.

Akin to Hainanese steamed chicken, the goose is tender and with a lighter, less gamey taste. Paired with the fragrant dipping sauce and raw ginger to balance out the oiliness, this is a unique dish you can be sure is on the list of every traveller coming to Hualien. Also worth trying are the deep-fried fish roe with Japanese mayonnaise and noodles in clear goose broth.

Fresh mochi at Tzen Chi Mochi

Don’t worry sweet tooths, we didn’t forget about you! Soft, sticky and sweet, the mochi at Tzen Mochi is perpetually raved about and is not to be missed when in Hualien. Choose from flavours like green bean, red bean, sesame, green tea, yam and sweet potato – all ingredients commonplace in Taiwanese desserts.

Make sure you buy as many as you can finish before they go bad (roughly 2 days)! In fact, there’s a well-shared stor of a Taiwanese F-16 fighter jet pilot who nearly got into trouble for carrying this infamous mochi in his aircraft proves just how popular this dessert is!

Juicy pork buns at Gong Zheng Bao Zi

A list of top things to eat in Hualien simply can’t be written without mentioning Gong Zheng Bao Zi. Their thicker and fluffier take on xiao long bao promises a unique experience of biting into what looks like a pillowy bun, only have it explode into juicy, meaty goodness.

Apart from their thick-skinned take on xiao long bao, make sure you try out all the other variations available as well such as the boiled dumplings (shui jiao) and steamed dumplings (zheng jiao).

Oyster omelette at Hai-Pu

Are you familiar with Or Chien? It’s an oyster omelette popular in Taiwan, made with oysters, eggs and starch. The addition of starch adds a slightly crispy, chewy texture to the dish. This stall is easily identifiable by the crazy long queues, but don’t let that deter you from giving it a try!

What makes this oyster omelette stand out from the rest in Taiwan is the generous slather of Hai-Pu’s signature sweet, tangy brown sauce on top. So make sure you don’t leave Hualien without trying it!

Pork Rib Noodles

For something a little more hearty, the pork rib noodles at Jing Xiang Pork Rib Noodles are something close to legendary, though you can expect shorter queues compared to places like Mr. Goose and Gong Zheng Bao Zi. Choose from the dry or soup version, but expect both to consist of ribs so tender they melt in your mouth, and chewy noodles swimming in a fragrant savory sauce/broth.

Another worthwhile mention would be Lai Cheng Pork Rib Noodles, who aside from their trademark noodles, also serve a terrific side dish of “golden eggs”. Perfectly boiled eggs braised in soy and with an impossibly creamy yolk!

Scallion pancakes at Lao Pai

Scallion pancakes are everywhere in Taiwan, and the Taiwanese love them especially for breakfast as a great way to start the day. In Hualien, no one makes these crispy treats as well as Lao Pai, where you also have the option of adding a runny sunny side up egg in the middle!

Operating out of an old van and with nothing more than a small banner as a sign, the complete Hualien experience is only fulfilled when you bite into the crispy, deep-fried pancake and savour the oozing yolk.

Coffin Toast at Chiang Family’s Coffin Toast

The Taiwanese food scene consists of night markets galore. And as you meander through the streets of Dongdamen Night Market, you’re bound to come across this popular stall selling Coffin Toast! Unique to Taiwan, these are thick slabs of white bread, deep fried and hollowed out, then filled with yummy fillings (mostly savoury) from the likes of seafood chowder to black pepper pork.

While you’re in Dongdamen Night Market, make sure you also sample the grilled BBQ corn, which is brushed with BBQ sauce and charred. The fruit juices are worth trying as well, as Taiwan is home to many local fruits such as sweet pineapples and tangy custard apples.

See more: Amazing themed cafés to stop by in Taipei, Taiwan