+1 Chopsticks

Grace was very friendly and welcoming and cooked delicious food that was very different to the Chinese food that I had previously tried in restaurants and from street food vendors. I get to learn more about Shanghai from someone who lives there. I can recommend this experience to anyone who visits China!

Grace was nice. Very good English. Felt like I was visiting old friends from San Francisco. As a solo traveler was refreshing to have some companionship over dinner.

What we liked: • The easiness of communication with Echo • She picked us up directly by foot at the subway station — we didn't have to worry about finding the place • The chatting was fluent and easy in English • Her family was perfect; they all speak English • The Chinese food was prepared with love (she told us the recipes of everything). She showed us pictures of the vegetables we didn't know • We prepared the wontons at the end. Her husband taught my son. It was nice to watch • We all had a real, friendly meal together • They were all very caring • The dog was nice What we didn't like: • Leaving Echo and her family after the meal It is difficult to give points of improvement. I try to find some but I can't. Just giving a very big thumbs up, a big A+ and all my gratitude for this moment.

G'day mate. What a wonderful afternoon. We had a great time together and I could have sat and talked about all sorts of things for ages! The food was delicious and your company was amazing. Please keep my details and if you're ever in Cairns we would love to have you over dinner or lunch or a trip out on our boat to the reef to fish and dive (we scuba dive as well as ski!). Please thank your beautiful wife for us again and we look forward to any opportunity to seeing you guys in the future. Cheers, Andrew, Jayne and Brooke"

The absolute standout was the food… flavors exactly as I remembered eating as a child in Shanghai. The company and conversation was fantastic as well. It was good to talk about Shanghai as I remembered it, and as it is now. My friend got a lot out of it too; he really enjoyed the home-cooked meal after two weeks of eating street snacks and at restaurants. We really appreciate the quick and clear communication, from you as well as Auntie Shen and her daughter. It made the process smooth and painless. Also appreciate getting picked up and dropped off at the metro station.

We already miss the amazing food from our Saturday lunch. In fact I've just discovered a new Shanghainese restaurant a 20 min walk from our home. It seems to have the iconic dishes like Si Xi Kao Fu and "Grandma's braised pork" in a black pot that looks like what Aunt Shen treated us to... We must explore this place urgently! It's been a highlight of our trip and I've been telling my colleagues about this experience. It's a unique opportunity to experience life in China in a different way, meet new people, learn something new and of course have some good food. Definitely keen to do this again when we're back to China next! Appreciate your hosting the lunch too and telling us more about what led you to launch the project, the dishes served, and Chinese culture. Danil & Katerina

Our guide Steven was down to earth, friendly and a huge help. I would absolutely use him again and recommend him for any trip to Shanghai and maybe beyond. The family, Aunt Shen and her sister were beautiful hosts. I will remember their smile, easy to talk with and really embraced us. The food was cooked with love but the dumpling making was hilarious. We affectionately called them ‘the united nations dumplings’ 😋🙌😀. Suffice it to say, ours didn’t look like Chinese dumplings, they surely tasted like them and we had loads of fun making them. I’m enriched by this beautiful experience! Thanks Steven and Aunt Shen, her sister and the 3 young influences.

Thanks for having us, it was a terrific experience and we are glad we could be the first ones to try it out! The food was delicious and the hosts very welcoming. I think it's a great initiative and will be very popular once word gets out.

Our hosts were super friendly and accommodating, the food was really good-the best dumplings in Shanghai-, the atmosphere and communication was fantastic as Steven speaks English fluently, he even booked a Didi for us to the metro station and didn’t let us pay for it!! Thanks again, we enjoyed it so much!!

I enjoyed the conversations and the cozy vibe. It felt like going to a friend's house and just hanging out. It also gave me a glimpse of how locals live their everyday lives, which is what I enjoy most during all my travels. Good food with good vibes and definitely one of the highlights of my trip.

I didn't realize the dinner was prepared only for me because space was limited at Grace's place, but it made it even more special. I am sorry we didn't take any photos.