Inspired by my conversation with another fellow food blogger/beer enthusiast, I’ve decided to add microbreweries to my list of places to visit when travelling and attempt to develop the taste buds to differentiate between good and average beer. For my trip to Shanghai, the Boxing Cat Brewery was on the top of my list. Reviews online gave this an excellent rating for both food and the beers.
Located in the absolutely gorgeous French Concession in Shanghai, Boxing Cat is a lovely little microbrewery which gives you a total feel of chilling on some cold beer on a holiday. Built with (the now very common) brick and bare bones interiors, this place is ideal to kick back on a weekend afternoon with friends and catch up over a game. Since I was by myself, I was given a small table on the outside, on the street; but that was fine because I was blessed with fabulous weather that day.
I kicked off my meal with a plate of wings aptly named Fist of Fury. A house specialty, this dish comes with 12 absolutely spicy tangy wings with a buffalo style sauce. They were not joking about how spicy these were, every bite made my lips burn just a little bit while the tanginess just took over my mouth. Giving this brilliant contrast and some relief was the blue cheese dressing on the side. While the dressing was very mild compared to other blue cheese, it was the ideal match for these tender spicy wings. Giving the wings company was the Sucker Punch Ale. This light beer had a very mild fruity taste to it and I was glad that the waitress recommended this as a pair. Overall, everything just went excellent with this meal. The spice of the chicken, with the blue cheese, interspersed with a light fruity beer made it a memorable meal.
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| Fists of Fury |
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| Sucker Punch Ale |
I was quite full after belting away on the wings and was torn between doing a main course and keeping no space for dessert or with heading straight to a dessert. Such are the troubles of a food enthusiast with no company. I chose the latter. And like the flip of a coin that goes your way, I was glad I chose the dessert. I chose the Snickers Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate and Salted Caramel sauce. If that didn’t make you drool, take a look at the picture below.
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| Snickers Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate and Salted Caramel Sauce |
In my limited career as a food blogger, this dessert ranks among the top three I’ve had. Those who experiment with food know the familiar feeling of putting a spoon into a dessert, grabbing that first bite and experiencing what heaven probably tastes like. This was one of those desserts. Without being overly sweet, the snickers, the dark chocolate and salted caramel came together and had a little orgy in my mouth. I was making fairly obnoxious noises as I worked my way through the cake; the waitress came up to me and commented that I really seem to like the cake. (Which was a polite way of telling me to stop making the other customers uncomfortable with all the grunting and sighing). With just the right amount of saltiness, this dessert knocked my socks off. If I ever go back to Shanghai, I’m going back to eat just this. What made it even sweeter was that I didn’t have to share this with anyone.
I washed down my meal with a helping of a bitter, high alcohol content beer called the TKO IPA. While the colour was lighter when compared to the Sucker Punch, the taste was heavier. With a mild citrus after taste, the beer left a fresh taste in the mouth and set me up for the rest of the day.
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| TKO IPA |
Unfortunately, I am but one man. So I couldn’t have either tried more food or drink more beer. I did put Boxing Cat on my list of a place for a second visit should I have had more time during this trip. Alas, I had to leave content with my pictures and memory of the fabulous dessert. If you’re ever in Shanghai, do not miss going to the Boxing Cat Brewery. It is a little pricey compared to other restaurants I visited, but the experience is worth the extra money. Also, don’t forget to take a friend along so that you could divide and conquer.
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