Shanghai food experience: Home dining with locals

You've eaten at Michelin spots. Now come eat where the locals actually eat — at someone's kitchen table in Shanghai, swapping stories over home-cooked food.
Meet Your +1 Chopsticks Host (Host will be assigned to you upon confirmation)

Echo

Echo is a Shanghai local who cooks for her family every day. Her food is classic Chinese home-style — simple, comforting, and meant to be shared. She lives in a bright apartment in Shanghai with her husband, her daughter, and a friendly dog who may or may not join you at the table.

What makes Echo's dinner different is that you don't just eat — you make dumplings together first. Echo and her husband will show you how to fold them from scratch before they go into the pot. No prior experience needed. It's the kind of thing Shanghai families do on weekends, and now you get to be part of one.

Echo's family all speak English, so the conversation is easy from the moment you arrive. She'll meet you at the subway station so you never have to worry about finding the place.

Norika & Steven

Meet Norika & Steven — Your Hosts

Norika is from Tianjin in northern China. Steven grew up in Hong Kong. Together they've lived across four continents — Shanghai, Copenhagen, Nairobi, and Chicago — and have traveled to over 60 countries, including Antarctica on their honeymoon.

Their cooking reflects where they're from: northern heartiness meets southern delicacy, with handmade dumplings, savory braises, and home-style stir-fries that feel like a proper Chinese family meal rather than a restaurant performance.

They've spent their careers in multicultural environments — Steven has worked with colleagues from over 50 nationalities — so conversation at their table is easy, wide-ranging, and genuinely fun. Expect stories from every corner of the world over a home-cooked meal in Qingpu.

The Experience

This is a home dinner, not a restaurant or a cooking studio. You'll sit at a real family table in a real Shanghai apartment, eating food Echo's family actually eats at home.

Before your visit we'll confirm your dietary preferences and send step-by-step directions plus Echo's phone number and WeChat.

Sample Menu

Note: the menu changes with the seasons and what's freshest at the market.

Dietary restrictions? Let us know when booking. Vegetarian, halal, non-mammalian and more — we adapt.

前菜 Appetizer

1. Cucumber Salad（拍黄瓜）
(Crisp cucumber lightly smashed and tossed in a tangy garlic and sesame dressing)

2. Roasted Gluten（烤麸）
(Braised wheat gluten with mushrooms, peanuts and wood ear in a savory-sweet soy sauce)

主菜 Main Course
3. Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs（糖醋小排）
(Succulent pork ribs in a rich, velvety caramelized glaze)

4. Steamed Yellow Croaker（清蒸黄鱼）
(Whole yellow croaker gently steamed with ginger, scallion and a light soy dressing)

5. Mapo Tofu（麻婆豆腐）
(Silken tofu in a spicy, numbing sauce of fermented black bean, chili and minced pork)

6. Stir-Fried Pork with Garlic Scapes（蒜苔炒肉）
(Sliced pork stir-fried with crisp, fragrant garlic scapes in a savory sauce)

7. Homemade Dumplings（手工饺子）
(Hand-folded dumplings filled with seasoned pork and vegetables, boiled or pan-fried to order)

Om de beschikbaarheid te garanderen, dient u zo snel mogelijk te reserveren. Vroegboekkorting is het overwegen waard, vooral als u de reis plant tijdens het hoogseizoen, zoals op feestdagen of in het weekend.

Deze excursie kunt u kosteloos annuleren tot: annuleringstijd voor aanvang van de reis. Bij annulering na: annulering na: annuleringstijd of niet aanwezig zijn op de excursie wordt de volledige prijs van de activiteit alsnog in rekening gebracht. Te laat komen bij het ophalen of vertrekken wordt beschouwd als niet komen opdagen.