Brunch at the Creek: We recently checked out Creek Kitchen's weekend brunch. Located at the Creek Art Center on the north shore of Suzhou creek, the restaurant on the sixth floor of this renovated art center serves an all you can eat brunch buffet that we enjoyed less for the food than for the relaxing vibe and cool atmosphere. The buffet includes a limited and very standard continental offering: scrambled eggs, thin pancakes, crispy potato wedges, bacon, pizza, spaghetti, muffins, salad, and slices of tender duck (our favorite). Free flow soft drinks, coffee, and juice are included in the 115 RMB price tag, with unlimited sparkling white wine included for an extra 30 RMB. Not a bad deal if you're willing to eschew trendy presentation and adventurous food for a calming weekend meal with good friends and conversation.
Poisoned dumplings poisoning diplomacy: Could a scare earlier this year that saw 10 people in Japan die from eating dumplings laced with pesticide and imported from China affect relations between the two Asian superpowers? From the Japan Times:
The tainted "gyoza" dumpling scare in Japan has caused the delay of President Hu Jintao's visit to Tokyo and, if not properly handled, could result in the unraveling of the dramatic improvement in bilateral relations achieved since October 2006, when Shinzo Abe broke the ice by visiting Beijing shortly after he became prime minister, followed by Premier Wen Jiabao's "ice melting" trip to Japan last spring.
Yikes, it appears that recent China-related news has pushed China's food safety issues to the backseat. For those in Japan worried about eating contaminated food from China, don't worry, those of us here have it much worse! From the AP:
Food poisoning deaths in China rose by about one-third in 2007, the state-run news agency reported Sunday amid ongoing scrutiny over the safety of the country's food production chain.
Citing figures from the Ministry of Health, Xinhua News Agency said 258 people were killed last year, up 32 percent from the previous year. The report said that while the number of deaths rose in 2007, overall cases of food poisoning fell to 506, 26 percent less than the previous year.
We particularly like this quote from Xinhua, our candidate for most obvious statement of the year : "Most of the fatal food poisoning incidents were caused by toxic seafood, meat and produce." Hmmm, I guess that leaves...toothpaste? Oh wait, never mind.
Financial Times eats in Shanghai: Nicholas Lander from the Financial Times makes a trip out to Shanghai and hears what Shanghai food isn't, talks to David Laris, and tries out Fu 1088. Some tidbits: Laris' new steakhouse project at the 1933 space will have lots of "1950's Hollywood glamour," caviar sales increase whenever the stock market jumps, and we really need to someone to treat us to dinner at all these places.
Creek Kitchen - 423 Guangfu Lu, near Wuzhen Lu (光复路423号，近乌镇路) Tel: 6380-4150, Hours: 11:00am-11:00pm
Eric Hu is Shanghaiist's Food Editor. Email tips, recommendations, and news and gossip about Shanghai's food scene to food at shanghaiist.com.
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Posted
Mar 25 2008, 12:00 AM
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Shanghaiist