Text | Shang Jie
Lane 405 of Zhenning Road is a dilapidated alley from the outside, but no one can imagine that in these three-story old Shanghai townhouses, there is an exquisite and designed old Shanghai-style private cuisine and homestay. The entrance, dining room, yard, stairs, balcony and bathroom in the house, every corner and every detail are telling and restoring the glory and taste of old Shanghai.
There is a suite on the third floor with a balcony, which is transparent from north to south. In downtown Shanghai, it is rare to live in a house where fresh air wafts in and birds wake you up in the morning. Sitting on the velvet sofa in old Shanghai, sipping lotus tea and listening to birds singing, this may be the real version of the Peach Blossom Garden.
The proprietress and her husband live on the second floor of this house. The proprietress is a woman in her forties. She once worked as a medical representative in a foreign company. Together with her designer partner, she built this fantastic old Shanghai private kitchen and family hotel.
Sister Shang has been here for the second time on business. She envies the lifestyle of the proprietress, but she is also puzzled. I feel that this investment and income should not be very proportional. Perhaps the proprietress chose this elegant, relaxed and casual Shanghai lifestyle, which she likes.
Besides, the designer partner of the proprietress, a man who is nearly 40 years old and loves cooking, made a Jiangnan private cuisine with Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai flavors in the old building at Lane 227, Wuyi Road a few years ago. There are only two rooms on the third floor to receive guests from private kitchens. No signs, no publicity, no advertisements, all recommended by the guests. In the private kitchen of this quiet old house in Shanghai, the seemingly familiar seasonal ingredients are presented in an extremely exquisite cooking way, and the taste of quiet years quietly flows on the square table.
Because Sister Shang doesn't like the sweetness of Shanghai food very much, she specially greets her boss, and all dishes are sugar-free. The boss really cooked Dongpo pork without sweetness, with three layers of pork belly, which melted in the mouth and was fragrant. Two pieces of meat are really not enough. It's hard for a chef. Shanghai food without sugar is just like Sichuan food without spicy food. The chef will lose his heart and find the bull's eye.
What impressed Sister Shang most was the Japanese camellia planted by the boss himself in the yard. I have never seen a more beautiful flower. Looking at this beautiful pink flower is really a delicious meal. Everyone is as beautiful as a flower.
After business trip, meeting friends and tasting delicious food, we should return to the busy and troubled real life. Sometimes, only after being busy can we appreciate the beauty of this moment. Without busyness and boredom, we wouldn't feel this temporary comfort and tranquility. Others choose to stop, slow down and experience an ordinary and comfortable life. It is these diverse lifestyles that have built this colorful world.
About sister Shang
A girl born and raised in Beijing,
A scum who barely studied English for four years at Shandong University,
A gold collar who has been in a foreign company for more than ten years,
A sister who started her business by misreading Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business EMBA,
A glutton who has been to more than 30 countries and all over China will play with more food.
A super foodie who takes you out to eat. . .