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.
The experience was great, and exactly what we were expecting and looking for. The absolute standout was the food… flavours 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.
Amazing experience overall!! 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!!
First time in China and this was one of the highlights of the trip. The food was incredible and the conversation made it feel like we were visiting old friends. Chuan and her family were so warm and welcoming — it was the kind of authentic experience you just can't get at a restaurant. Highly recommend to anyone visiting Shanghai.
Filbert and Tim, thank you both so much for such a wonderful evening! 😌 I'm truly touched by all the effort and care you put into preparing so many tasty dishes for me — everything was so delicious, and it made the evening feel special.
I also really enjoyed our conversations. I learned so much about Chinese food, traditions and culture tonight, and it was wonderful to experience it in such a personal and authentic way. And if you could please share the pictures you took I'd really appreciate. 😌
I'm looking forward to welcoming you both in Hungary! 🇭🇺❤️🇨🇳
We had the most marvellous time! Eaty was really friendly, she designed a whole vegan menu, and had all the ingredients ready and a few things prepares to show us when we arrived how she prepares each dish while we chat about our lives. She also invited a friend and her cousin. So we had a lively conversation and most delicious and varied dinner. My parents were really happy too. My mother told her to come visit to Buenos Aires
Yes I enjoyed it. He is a nice guy, and we talked about different things. He is a very good cook, and I like his food a lot. I didn't know if I have misunderstood something but the food was not ready before 19.30 and I was invited to 18.30. That's the only thing I can say bad about it.
I had such a lovely time at Shen Ayi’s home in Jiading with Plus One Chopsticks! There were so many vegan dishes to try, and everything tasted really fresh and full of flavour. My favourite was the eggplant! It was a little spicy and super fragrant - really delicious! I also loved the yams, and the vegan mooncakes and fresh tea were such a lovely and thoughtful touch.
Steven was super friendly and easy to chat with. He shared stories about some of the dishes as we ate, which made the meal even more interesting. It was a fun way to learn more about Chinese culture and Shanghainese cuisine while enjoying a home-cooked meal. Everyone was welcoming, the conversation flowed easily, and I left feeling very well fed and happy! I would definitely recommend this experience to travellers in China, or anyone who wants to learn more about Chinese culture and eat delicious, home-cooked food!
• 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.
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!
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.
Grace was nice. Very good English. Felt like I was visiting old friends from San Francisco. As a solo traveller was refreshing to have some companionship over dinner.
It was a very interesting experience and everything went well! 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.
The experience was great and meaningful. At first, his mother cooked us a local food dinner with verity of typical daily and festive dishes. Afterwards we went for a walk around the neighborhood through a beautiful garden. We really enjoyed the chat, that gave us the opportunity to look into the chinese lifestyle.
Went to a home dinner hosted by Steven and Norika @plus1chopsticks . They started these dinners so that foreigners traveling or working in China can get a little taste of the “real touch” — what local people actually make, eat, and talk about at home.
None of us knew each other before, but we ended up talking for 3+ hours — from travel adventures, to surviving workplace “PUA” in China 😂, to the weirdest comments we’ve encountered on social media
There’s a saying in Chinese that I really love: 人间烟火气，最抚凡人心 it’s the warmth of ordinary life that comforts the human heart the most.
Here’s to another Sunday night with heartwarming food, laughter, and strangers who don’t feel like strangers at all :)
Everything went really well — honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a better lunch. The surprise landed perfectly, the food was excellent, and Yiting’s cooking was absolutely delicious. The wet market was a lot of fun too, and the company made the whole experience even more special.
The birthday dessert definitely did its job as well!
Please pass on our thanks to Yiting. You could really feel how much care she put into everything, and we appreciated it a lot.
All in all, it was a wonderful birthday and we had a great time.
A very special experience in Chengdu! I gave this local dinner as a gift to my son and his friends – and all four were absolutely thrilled. Dragon welcomed them incredibly warmly and, together with his mother, cooked a royal feast for them. The atmosphere was personal, authentic, and full of hospitality. For my son and his friends, it was not just a meal, but a real experience that they will remember for a long time to come. Many thanks to Dragon and his mother for this wonderful evening. I would love to come back – absolutely recommended!
We had a truly wonderful experience at the local family home. The host was kind, welcoming, and an exceptional cook. As I had hoped, we were able to enjoy authentic dishes that are rarely found in restaurants. This gave us a deeper appreciation of Chinese culture and family traditions in China. The host prepared a variety of dishes with great passion and care, and the time and effort they devoted to their guests is something we deeply value and sincerely appreciate.
As a family visiting from Hong Kong with almost no friends or relatives in the mainland, this was a rare and genuinely meaningful experience for us. Jasmine and William welcomed us so warmly, and the food was wonderful — braised pork belly, sliced beef, shrimp with glass noodles, all clearly made with care.
What made the evening special wasn't just the meal. We talked for hours about education, and about the differences between life in Shanghai and Hong Kong. They're both well-educated and switched easily between Mandarin and English whenever we needed it, so nothing got lost. We came away understanding the city on a much deeper level, and it made our whole trip more meaningful.
Highly recommend to any family or traveler who wants to see a side of China you can't find as a tourist. Thank you both!
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' — ours didn't look like Chinese dumplings, but they surely tasted like them and we had loads of fun making them. I'm enriched by this beautiful experience!
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 food was very good, and the conversation was fluent and very informative. 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.
The best restaurant in Shanghai that isn't a restaurant. This is real home cooking — where the wok has been seasoned by use for decades, homegrown ingredients come straight from the garden, and the interactions are genuine. An experience that lets you connect with local culture on a deeper, more meaningful level.
