Honey glazed cumin chicken wings
Norika and Steven: North-meets-South home cooking
Songjiang, Shanghai · ≈ 60 min from the Bund · Up to 4 guests
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Your visit, from hello to goodbye
Arrive and feel at home
Meet Norika and Steven, settle in, and make yourself comfortable around the table.
Share a home-cooked North-meets-South meal
Enjoy Norika's creative Northern and Southern home cooking, from cumin chicken wings to handmade dumplings. She's happy to discuss and share her techniques.
Stay for the conversation
Expect conversation that keeps going long after dinner: seven continents of travel, geography, international relations, cycling, squash and the NBA. Most visits last about two hours.
From Norika and Steven's kitchen
See Norika and Steven's sample menu
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Signature dish
Honey-glazed cumin chicken wings
蜜汁孜然鸡翅
Optional activities
Add any of these to your visit when you reserve a seat. Activities are priced per group.
Home cooking participation
Join the kitchen for suitable preparation steps and learn how a few Shanghai home dishes come together.
¥150 / group
Songjiang local culture walk
Explore Songjiang with Norika and Steven and hear local stories that add another layer to your time at their table.
¥150 / group
Meet Norika and Steven
Welcome
We're avid travellers who have been to more than 60 countries and all seven continents. We love hosting friends and chatting over a Chinese dinner. Come and enjoy a nice meal and good conversation!
About me
Norika is from Tianjin, a renowned jazz pianist in China and a creative cook. Steven was born and raised in Hong Kong and has lived in Shanghai, Copenhagen, Nairobi and Chicago.
Languages
We speak Mandarin, English and Cantonese.
Outside the kitchen
Norika is a jazz pianist. Steven loves squash, the NBA, cycling, reading, international relations and geography: ask him how big Shanghai is.
Travel experience
We've been to more than 60 countries and all seven continents; Antarctica was our honeymoon. Steven has lived and worked across the US, Europe, Africa and Latin America, with colleagues of around 50 nationalities.
Reviews
Every story below is from a guest who completed a booking. We ask people to write about their evening rather than score it out of five.
Yiren · From China
Dined on Aug 16, 2026 with Norika and Steven
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 :)
Andrew, Jayne & Brooke Pyke · From Australia
Dined on May 25, 2026 with Norika and Steven
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
Manolis Roditakis · From Greece
Dined on May 24, 2026 with Norika and Steven
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!!
Getting there
Songjiang, Shanghai
- ≈ 60 min from the Bund
- ≈ 50 min from Jing'an Temple
- ≈ 65 min from Lujiazui
Nearest metro: Sheshan (Line 9)
Exact home address and arrival instructions are shared after confirmation.
Things to know
Food preferences
Please share dietary requirements when you reserve a seat. Your host will confirm what is possible for the meal.
Home access
A pet lives in the home: We got two friendly cats!
Your group
1–4 guests. Children are welcome.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 7 days before your experience.