Poke Bowls Done Right at Little Catch

Stopping in on a whim to satisfy a salmon and avocado craving, I recently sat down for lunch at Little Catch. I’d seen it from my Didi windows countless times and read several expat blog articles on it. It’s sandwiched on a row of other expat eateries like Brothers Kabab and Eli Falafel. It’s also just across the street from The Avocado Lady.

Billed as an “urban fishmonger and poke shop,” Little Catch offers a variety of fresh filets and cuts. The menu was filled with mouthwatering poke combos like Hawaiian Tuna, Wasabii Shrimp and Umeboshi Octopus with that sour plum zip. My choice for lunch: Sambal Salmon. For the price, the bowl was filled with sizable portions of buttery-smooth salmon, avocado, roasted cashews, tobiko roe and classic, piquant Sambal. The verdict: one of the best poke bowls I’ve had in Shanghai. Consider this a step above Wagas’ poke bowls for a comparable price. Pairing the mellow tartness and light pop of a Heike Mate made for a great lunch combo.

Little Catch makes it easy for you to get your Poke fix with locations in Former French Concession/Xuhui, Jing’an and Xintiandi. Note the Sherpa’s bike in the shot; the driver left out with a full pack from the shop so you know Little Catch is a hit!

Little Catch
247-6 Wulumuqi Middle Road
乌鲁木齐中路247号6

near Wuyuan Road 近五原路
Shanghai, China 上海

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#Throwback – First Impressions of my new home

The city hums, industrious and traditional, metallic clangs and soft chimes, feels like home with different faces of many hues. The smells that waft from store fronts, street carts, clandestine alleys vary from rich meat broths, offal slices, succulent produce, centuries of rich culinary heritage. Many of them curious about my own. I wonder how many think I darkened myself with years of sun or pounds of dark chocolate. Who knows that my ancestors have worked alongside theirs for many, many generations. How many think I am from some foreign land, closer to that of my mother’s mother’s mother’s. How many think I am rich because I am simply here. Teens, Millennials, thirtysomethings hardly glance. They have seen us before, grown up with us in their social media feeds, have seen us on television or heard our songs on the radio more times than they can count. My presence is accepted, at least in front of me as I am sure my back could tell another tale. Children and middle-aged or old stare me right in the face as we walk side by side on already crowded sidewalks. No one seems to know what to make of me. Dark brown skin that won’t rub off, jet black kinks and coils of dreads beg a touch.

The city, expansive and teeming with possibility. The skyline ever-changing as the years go. Much like home, like Chicago threefold and shaded in different hues, with different languages and landscapes. For us newbies, the limits are within our own minds.

Would I do this all over again? Without a doubt. I have to stop my mind often from getting too far ahead of itself. The habit of pursuing instant gratification is extremely difficult to break considering American culture and tendencies. There is beauty in the details and the process that you can’t see if you make the time and effort to see them. The most important thing here is staying in the moment and only going as far as needed for the time being. There’s no real need to get ahead of oneself. Sitting in the airport, I calmed myself by thinking “What are you so jumpy for? You only have the rest of your life to look forward to!” This experience has started to force change within me, often much-needed changes.

Unlike anywhere I have ever been, this city is filled with learners young and old. Schools of every discipline, after-school and enrichment programs, library centers, conversation clubs. Four-year-old Kindergarteners beginning to learn English. The society learns and grows together.