I’m back in Shanghai, a place I called home until I left it behind dreaming of mountains and small town life. I’m surprised at how comfortable I feel here amongst skyscrapers piercing the sky and crisscrossing overpasses hovering over my head. It’s been wonderful to see my Shanghai friends, and (re)discover new and old favorite nooks around the city.
I love my soft, furry earmuffs!
Extra juicy xiaolongbao with some dark vinegar dipping sauce at Ling Long Fang
An adorable boutique run by the lady behind a Shanghai-based street style blog
At Cha’s, one of our favorite Hong Kong style diners. The meal begins…
A huge meal at Kagen, a teppanyaki restaurant
Lightly-seared foie gras topped with caviar on buttered toast
Kota’s Kitchen is one of my favorite yakitori bars in town. Their chicken meatball has quail eggs hidden inside. Yum!
After the humongous potato croquette arrived, we proceeded to eat three different types of pork belly dishes.
Top it all off with a bowl of Yokohama ramen!
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T. S. Eliot, the Four Quartets.
P.S. The randomly-chosen giveaway winner has been announced!
Thank you so much for participating, and keep your eyes out for the next one. I definitely plan on hosting one again in January.
22 Comments
Melissa
December 20, 2011 at 2:38 amThis makes me really anxious to explore Los Angeles, my hometown, to find new nooks to love. Great post 🙂
Jane
December 20, 2011 at 3:02 amThese pictures are beautiful. Sounds like you had a great time (especially with all that food!).
It’s been ages since I’ve been to Shanghai, I miss it!
Eileen
December 20, 2011 at 3:14 amOh my, the dog is PRICELESS! Thank you so much for sharing your adventures. I hope you continue to have a wonderful holiday cheer and a happy new year. 🙂
Krys
December 20, 2011 at 4:13 amLooks like an amazing time, so scenic and lots of good food– and rediscovering past haunts sounds like it would be quite interesting. Shanghai is definitely on my list of places that I want to visit! Happy holidays!
Jacy
December 20, 2011 at 4:14 amcool!! i wanted to go there >.< the food are awesome !
ねこちゃん
December 20, 2011 at 4:56 amWhat fantastic pictures!!! Everything looks amazing =) I’m really excited to see more of your stay there.. The food looks too good 🙂
wl
December 20, 2011 at 6:26 amnow you’ve made me miss shanghai even more.
tasha
December 20, 2011 at 6:56 amthese photos are amazing, Sewon! 🙂 i have missed seeing your photos very much. glad you’re safely back home. and all the food looks so delicious! the best dinners are with friends indeed hehe. also, the little dog sleeping in the chair is tremendously adorable, such a great shot! xx
Kelly
December 20, 2011 at 7:23 amYour photo’s of Shanghai are amazing I especially love the look of that giant potato croquette yummy!! Have a lovely Christmas lovely lady.
Celsy
December 20, 2011 at 8:21 amSEWON! I’ve missed reading your blog so much just because the last 2 weeks has been so busy for me 🙂 Shanghai looks awesome, a couple of my friends are going there soon as well just for holidays. Ahhh look at that food, yummm. It’s really nice spending christmas when it’s cold, whereas here santa wears short sleeves haha.
Marlous
December 20, 2011 at 10:03 amBeautiful pictures. I´d love to go to Shanghai!
And congratulations Lisa!
emilie
December 20, 2011 at 1:56 pmwhat a city view…
the food looks absolutely amazing and delicious !
Studio Meez
December 20, 2011 at 2:20 pmGood food and great friends, What more do you need! All your pictures are looking great!
Lisa is a lucky girl!
Koey
December 20, 2011 at 4:01 pmYour Shanghai journey looks great and Shanghai is really a great city.
Sewon, you are making me hungry again!
Winnie
December 20, 2011 at 11:41 pmOh I really do love your photos. You have such an eye for them. ADORE this foodie post too- those Shanghai dumplings look delicious. I can almost taste the soup inside of them!
Julian
December 21, 2011 at 4:30 pmI’ve always loved China, and your fantastic photos are making my desire to return even stronger.
alma
December 22, 2011 at 2:21 pmLucky Lisa! You made me want to travel there NOW!
qin
December 23, 2011 at 4:05 pmi need to explore SOON
Omar
December 24, 2011 at 3:04 amthat eliot quote is one of my favorites.
jacob
December 24, 2011 at 10:06 pmin re. shanghai being a small town, I known Cairn, the woman who runs Kaileeni, and was on her style blog in 2008 when it started… albeit in stupid clothes.
Dusanabotswana
December 25, 2011 at 8:55 amSo fun to see snippets of Shanghai, I really have no idea what it’s like. That little dog is adorable. Hope you’re having a wonderful holidays : )
Veronica Fish
December 26, 2011 at 7:20 pmAmazing Photos!! My aunt in from Hong Kong, I hope she shows me around China some day, haha