CITTA
Popular Italian café and bistro comes up trumps with a super-thick, tasty hot chocolate for ¥30. Best drunk on an empty stomach. Prepare for a sugar rush.
835 Huaihai Lu, near Maoming Lu, 5466 1765
淮海路835号, 近茂名路
KAKAW
Kakaw’s gorgeous offering is a mix of three Belgian chocolates. At ¥21, it’s one of the city’s best deals. Closed on Sundays.

Images: 

1. The Grumpy Pig
Gary Wang has overhauled KIN Cafe and transformed it into a chilled-out venue serving pork-based snacks with a side of hip hop.
2. The Sailor's Fish and Chips
If you're craving the flavor of traditional Australian fish and chips, give this new chip shop on Yongkang Lu a go.

Images: 

The COOK's Turkey Hamper

Images: 

1. Drunken Dragon CNY Pub Crawl (19th January)
The Drunken Dragons really come into their own as the Year of teh Dragon rolls around. Join them on one of their legendary crawls for fireworks, cheap drinks, and plenty of fun. Dress code: red. 150 RMB with reservation. 180 RMB at the door. Meet at O'Malley's @ 9:30pm.
2. Mod Dance Party @ Lune (21st January)

Images: 

• Cook food thoroughly before consumption. Shellfish should be cooked in boiling water for not less than five minutes.
• Use two sets of chopsticks and eating utensils to handle raw and cooked food separately, with an additional pair for chicken and poultry to avoid cross contamination.
• Add food to boiling water only, especially after topping up with unboiled water or extra broth.

Another one bites the dust. David Laris has just announced that the Purple Onion will close on January 15. Apparently it's all due to the lease, and the Onion will reopen in a larger space later in the year.

Images: 

Peninsula Hotels have issued a ban on their menus to no longer supply shark fin soup. The ban will also take effect for all the hotels linked with the hotel's parent company, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Ltd.
Shark fin soup is seen as a luxury dish and is a traditional addition to the Chinese wedding banquet menu, dating back to several centuries ago.

Images: 

1. Anna Maya

This cute cafe on Taojiang Lu serves a great selection of vegetarian and vegan food in a retro setting. 

2. Kush

The newest kid on the block, Kush is a tiny space with a strong sustainable focus, serving tasty Western and Asian dishes.

Images: 

On October 17th at around 12:05, three guys in suits entered Da Marco Italian Restaurant and stole the reservation book from the reception desk. A couple of days prior, the same thing had happened at another Italian restaurant close by.  The question on a lot of lips is "Why a reservation book?" Forum users have speculated about nefarious contact gathering techniques, which seems like the most obvious motive.
The YouTube video of Da Marco's closed-circuit TV from the incident can be seen here.

Images: 

Hailing from the USA but living in Shanghai, Jesse and Stephanie love artisan food, so have turned their passion into something useful, informative and attractive in the form of Artisan Foods. Filled with gorgeous photographs of their culinary adventures, plus recipes, tid-bits and anecdotes, it's definitely one to put on your blog feed. 
Find them at artisanfoodsinc.wordpress.com

Images: