Photo by Wee Ling Soh We've always wanted to go try out Pho No. 1 in Gubei because we have been teetering on the brink of the desperation for a piping hot bowl of good pho for as long as we can remember. But oh well, so far mere mention of the word "Gubei" is enough to make us retreat nicely into our homes and boil water for those nasty instant Hongshao Niurou Lamian......

We've heard about this for a while, but never managed to head down so we weren't sure what to expect when we got to Kommune the other day. An OCN-style networking mingling over dinner? Thank god for the laidback Aussie nature, it's more of a cozy get-together among friends, i.e. booze and all-you-can-eat BBQ minus the pretense. So the price has now been upped to RMB 148 (from RMB 100) with two drinks thrown......

A new wine bar in Hongqiao called Vino Venue will start featuring live jazz with a special event happening this Saturday. Montreal-based vocalist Athesia (pictured) will perform a set of original music at the intimate venue, and the show is part of a package that includes dinner and a wine card. Not exactly sure how the wine card works, but it's worth 388 RMB by itself so it must get you a selection to taste.......