Hot Pot at Cloud Nice Shopping Mall Changning Branch

Unlike in the USA, the shopping malls in China are going STRONG! And Shushu, who teaches at Normal University, invests in restaurants on the side, as you do!(?) She's pretty amazing! Her first one was a tea house in Glasgow that did very well. Here she is in front of the Cloud Nice Shopping Mall (love this photo!).Her latest investment is a Hot Pot restaurant in the mall. The first time we visited was the night before it officially opened. They were doing a dry run and we got to benefit!If you're not familiar with Hot Pot, there's a cooking eye inset into the middle of a large table where a tasty broth is brought to a boil. As it heats up, waiters bring you all the individual items you order to go into the pot. It ends up being a LOT of food, and Shushu positively spoiled us!We had shrimp.And oysters. (It was almost a shame to cook those gorgeous oysters!)And octopus.You add things to the broth as you're interested in eating them. Here, she's pulling out chrysanthemum leaves (I think that's right).We actually went back a second night and met up with friends from the Book Fair and Shushu's boyfriend and a fellow investor. Here are some of us.Again, we went all out. This meal also included scallops, tripe, mushrooms, and seaweed. It all goes into the pot! But my fave were the dragonfruit/shrimp stars - so yummy! (the pink/purple items in the photos). Shushu ordered extra just for me - so nice! I am a hot pot fan and I think the restaurant is going to be a HIT!

To read about my journey in order, follow these links:
01 - Shanghai!
02 - A Mall and Grocery Store
03 - Custom Dress
04 - The Long Museum
05 - The Quay on the Yangtze?
06 - Old City of Shanghai at Huangpu District
07 - Old Shanghai
08 - Dumplings for lunch!
09 - Yu Garden
10 - Storyland
11 - Hot Pot at Cloud Nice Shopping Mall Changning Branch
12 - The China Shanghai International Children's Book Fair
13 - Art Exhibitions at the China Shanghai International Children's Book Fair
14 - Workshop: Gel Printing
15 - The train to Hangzhou
16 - Speaking at China Jiliang University
17 - Hangzhou - Our personal fall-apart party
18 - The Teahouse Garden in Hangzhou
19 - China wrap-up