Yang Zhou’s legs were amputated after he was saved from the debris in Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008. He encountered Xu Yan, a 26 years old woman who had also lost limbs in an online forum. Xu Yan’s husband had left her and her six-year-old daughter. Yang and Xu got married on 25th December 2014 after knowing each other for three months. After their story was published in a newspaper in January 2015, a wedding photo shop in Chengdu offered to take a set of wedding photos for them free of charge.
If the dark purple store front was not enough to catch one’s attention, the seriously stunning display in the window will surely do the trick. Juliette Patisserie has an eye for sweet (and edible) decorations, offering extensive themed birthday sweet displays as one of their services. Aside from an array of made to order cakes, the stylish, very white interior invites one to linger with a cake and coffee combo including all the French classics with a heavy leaning towards mousse. Macarons, cupcakes or Mille Feuilles are also part of this example of high-class cafe culture finding its way into Nanjing.
The colorful kitsch and random items one would expect in a children’s bedroom make the message unmistakable; here at Sweety Cone it’s all about the sweets. Ice cream to be exact (though we failed to spot the cone referred to in the store’s name). Their signature dessert is the 绵绵冰, which translates to “never-ending ice cream” and by the looks of the towers of the frosty pleasure served, while not realistically being able to keep the promise, they are doing quite a good job trying. Tasty variations from Mango to peanut and the ever-popular Tiramisu come with additions such as nuts, biscuits or fresh bits of fruit. Not only the creamy goodness convinces, but so does the service, receiving recurring mentions in many an online review. While IST Mall is undoubtedly as central as it gets, the chain store boasts another 4 branches in similarly great locations such Golden Wheel, Wonder City and close to Purple Mountain.
As 2015 dawns Nanjing Expat is rolling out a year-long project that aims to capture an informative snapshot of the expat community in Nanjing.
With possibly the coolest possible location, especially for history nuts, the Lao Cui Teahouse inside of the Nanjing City Wall is a wonderful destination for those seeking a bit of peace, wanting to read a good book and enjoy some traditional Chinese tea culture. The interior is invitingly warm, quite the opposite of what one would expect from a room inside a stone wall, and the decor is tastefully traditional. If you want to learn more about the art of tea making, there are educational films to be watched in their big screening room or even classes held by true professionals. Awarded the title of “Cultural Exchange Base” for the year of 2014, there are already four branches to be found throughout Nanjing offering visitors an experience of ancient Chinese customs.
Another incarnation of the “themed café family” that is currently all the rage in China, Café New Paris is a pleasure to visit for the decoratively tinted windows and blinged up Eiffel towers (their equivalent of Maan Coffee’s teddy bears) alone. Aside from large, royal chairs to shrink into, the café also boasts a very tempting selection of not-so-common Western dishes, from pasta to Sirloin meat, cheese and corn-filled croissants. Especially their shrimp and mango salad is a fresh delight, even more so because it is very reasonably priced. With its prime location in the Wanda offices complex in Hexi (behind the Hilton) this place makes for a wonderful post-shopping pit stop.
Chocoholics, sweet tooths and all lovers of croissants, head into Xinjiekou as soon as possible; fine things await upon your arrival! With a patriotic owner from the land of brie and award winning chefs, expect excellent French dining at Délice Capy, a recently opened establishment bringing a Parisian flair to Nanjing.
At first, the pastries appear too beautiful to consume. However, after catching hold of their scent, a symphony of caramel, vanilla and chocolate, you will surely find yourself giving into the temptation. Herein, indulge in an array of treats, from gooey macaroons and hazelnut slices to molten chocolate cakes.
For the fearless among us, the “Death by Chocolate” is an excellent way to warm your insides. Meanwhile, coffee lovers may prefer a hot mocha topped with cream whipped to perfection. While waiting for your food, watch the patisseries pipe out meringues and temper chocolate in the glass-panelled kitchen; otherwise, lounge about in the cafe’s comfortable armchairs and lose yourself in the relaxing ambiance and sweet scent of sugar.
Back in the days of old (circa 2003), one of the only, and perhaps best, western restaurants in Nanjing was the Tiramisu House located in an old house on Jinyin Jie. Its owner was to go on to bigger things, opening up Tacos in many locations over the following years. Now time for a makeover; its moniker Vie Chat. With one location at present in Shopping Fun mall (next to Aqua City) and another about to open in what was Tacos on the corner of Guangzhou Lu and Ninghai Lu, the extensive menu includes a wide range of American fare at reasonable prices. Especially noteworthy are the smoked salmon carpaccio, the super thin spaghetti with a delicious green pesto, dried cherry tomatoes, chicken and feta cheese, and the spicy shrimp salad with an Asian touch and a serious spicy kick. The cocktail menu has even more to offer, with not your average drinks from Moscow Mules to Butter Apple Martinis; what is more, one would be a fool to miss the daily Happy Hour from 4pm to 8:30pm, when the delicious drinks are served at an incredible ¥25. Happy afternoon drinking!
Location 2 w/ roof top bar at 南京市鼓楼区广州路228-3号易发科技大厦1楼 1F, 228-3 Guangzhou Road, prone technology building, Tel: 025-83231981
The word Patisserie in the name of this little shop is probably slightly misleading; the only sweet treats available here are a selection of exciting pudding’s seemingly inspired by French crème brûlée (according to the description the puddings are baked), in exciting variations such as Coconut Sago, Rum raisin and cream cheese plus a range of traditionally more local ingredients spanning red beans, pumpkin and even the deadly durian. However, Patisserie Fuyun is actually run in cooperation with Ruix, whose Western-style diner menu is geared towards take-out (the “sandwich guy” had left the building, when we attempted to eat in). The menu is very promising, with baguette options such as the back olive beef and has brown sandwich, or Bacon chicken pizza. All of these can be ordered as part of extra-value meals, and if you can’t live without desert they will even throw in one of the Patisserie’s baked puddings.