Home cooking participation
Join the kitchen for suitable preparation steps and learn how a few Shanghai home dishes come together.
¥150 per group
Norika and Steven
Cuisine: Northern-Southern fusion
Location: Songjiang
Price: ¥340 per person
Group size: 1–4 guests
Meet Norika and Steven
Hi! We are avid travelers who have been to more than 60 countries, and just set our foot on all seven continents on earth! (Antarctica is a great honeymoon location :). We love hosting friends and have some nice chats over Chinese dinner. Cultural exchange is what I have been doing in life - I have lived in four continents (Shanghai, Copenhagen, Nairobi and Chicago). Come and enjoy a nice meal and good conversations!
Norika is a renowned jazz pianist in China, and brings the same creativity and instinct for connection to her cooking. Her dishes are thoughtful, generous and made for the kind of evening where conversation keeps going long after dinner.
Steven is from Hong Kong and is always curious about the wider world—geography, international relations, cycling, squash and the NBA are all likely to come up at the table. He enjoys the kind of conversation where people compare the places, habits and ideas that shape home.
Optional add-on activities
¥150 per activity, per group — not per person. Your first selected activity is complimentary when you book today; each additional activity is ¥150 per 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 per group
Sample menu
When the North meets the South (南北融合)
Meat & Poultry
- Honey Glazed Cumin Chicken Wings Savory and sweet wings with a fragrant kick of cumin spice.
- Steamed Chicken Wings with Shiitake Mushrooms A lighter, healthier option where the savory juices of the mushrooms infuse the tender chicken.
- Homestyle Stir-fried Beef Slices of beef stir-fried with fresh peppers and spices for a rich, savory taste.
Vegetables & Tofu
- Sautéed Green Beans with Minced Pork & Olive Veg Crunchy green beans stir-fried with savory minced pork and "Olive Vegetable" (a classic savory preserve).
- Stir-fried Snow Peas with Chinese Sausage Crisp, sweet snow peas paired with the rich, smoky flavor of cured Chinese sausage.
- Braised Tofu with Scallions Silky tofu braised in a savory sauce infused with the aroma of fried scallions.
- Home-style Braised Tofu Puffs Spongy tofu puffs that absorb all the delicious sauce of the dish.
Staples
- Handmade Dumplings The ultimate Chinese comfort food. Hand-wrapped and boiled to perfection.
Getting There
Songjiang, Shanghai
- ≈ 60 min from the Bund
- ≈ 50 min from Jing'an Temple
- ≈ 65 min from Lujiazui
Nearest metro: Sheshan (Line 9)
When the North meets the South
Guest Reviews
Andrew, Jayne & Brooke Pyke · families
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 · families
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!!
Yiren · friends couples
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 :)