Cook In Shanghai Chinese cooking classes- Private Cooking Class
Cook In Shanghai Chinese cooking classes- Private Cooking Class
Cook In Shanghai Chinese cooking classes- Private Cooking Class
4.8
About
Cook In Shanghai organizes Chinese cooking and culture classes in Shanghai. We provide a friendly and welcoming introduction to authentic regional culture. We also offer services such as team building & venue rental with. In the authentic Chinese Cooking Class, our regular group classes and private events you are able choose your own recipes, including a visit to the local wet market, and provide hands-on cooking practice for each participant. (Our recipes never use MSG.) In the Chinese Culture Classes (like calligraphy, paper cutting, Dough Figurine sculpting, Beijing opera facial painting, etc.), we introduce the origins of Chinese culture, sharing the experience of masters in these areas. You can also take home anything you create in these classes, making an interesting souvenir no doubt!
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The area
Neighborhood: Xuhui
How to get there
- Jiashan Road • 3 min walk
- Dapuqiao • 9 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.8
178 reviews
Excellent
153
Very good
15
Average
9
Poor
1
Terrible
0
_Torsten_COV
Cologne, Germany3 contributions
Dec 2017 • Business
I joint the cooking class two times with different international teams. My teams had always a great time there.
Everything was prepared with great passion (room, table, dishes, ..), and we felt that it was a perfect evening.
The food had a high quality and we enjoyed very much to prepare the noodles or the dumplings which at the end tasted very good (even we were involved in preparation :-) ).
So finally I have to say a perfect event for
- team building,
- having a lot of fun and
- having a great eating.
Thank you again from my teams for the great evenings. We will come again.
Everything was prepared with great passion (room, table, dishes, ..), and we felt that it was a perfect evening.
The food had a high quality and we enjoyed very much to prepare the noodles or the dumplings which at the end tasted very good (even we were involved in preparation :-) ).
So finally I have to say a perfect event for
- team building,
- having a lot of fun and
- having a great eating.
Thank you again from my teams for the great evenings. We will come again.
Written September 24, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lifeofwilko
Birmingham, UK10 contributions
Both our guides were really chatty, friendly and funny. We had great fun making a mix of dumplings which tasted great! Very relaxed atmosphere and lots of useful info from the wet market visit as well!
Written September 30, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris L
Seoul, South Korea17 contributions
Jan 2015 • Friends
Whether it's your first time or you've lived in Shanghai for years, this is wonderful experience. Dou Dou took the group of us to the market and showed us around the stalls. Since it was the afternoon the market wasn't crowded, so this made for a good interactive and enjoyable teaching experience. We then returned to the chefs apartment to cook our dinner. The best part was learning and attempting to stretch the noodles think for the dumplings. The hands-on class made this worthwhile. The class was set up well and it took the appropriate amount if time to prepare and cook the dishes. Overall, we considered this the highlight of our weekend and would recommend this to other expats.
Written January 25, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
zuttoman
Seattle, WA153 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
Reading the last couple of reviews I thought I had gone to a different class. I guess you might give this class five stars if you've never been to a cooking class or to a market in Asia. I think the positive reviews focus on the social aspects of the class. If you have been to a cooking class before and have been to an Asian market this class might feel pretty average to you.
They cancelled our Monday class but offered us the Sunday class instead. We met at a metro stations and did a lackluster tour of a Chinese market. Our guide wasn’t particularly enthusiastic and didn’t really any kind of insight in to the ingredients or Chinese cooking. If we asked her what something was, she would tell us, but there wasn’t a lot of enthusiasm.
Back at the classroom we had tea and snacks for 20 minutes as chef and our guide/translator worked in the kitchen. I would have rather watched (and helped) but instead we were asked to sit and drink tea. Chef demonstrated and the guide translated so we might have missed a lot of subtlety of the instructions.
The recipes we made didn’t really follow the written recipes. This is not uncommon in cooking classes but, in this class, it was sometimes more divergent than usual. I don’t think I could make the recipes as printed at home without my handwritten notes. They said they would send the modified recipes we cooked afterwards but it took some prompting to get them.
They cancelled our Monday class but offered us the Sunday class instead. We met at a metro stations and did a lackluster tour of a Chinese market. Our guide wasn’t particularly enthusiastic and didn’t really any kind of insight in to the ingredients or Chinese cooking. If we asked her what something was, she would tell us, but there wasn’t a lot of enthusiasm.
Back at the classroom we had tea and snacks for 20 minutes as chef and our guide/translator worked in the kitchen. I would have rather watched (and helped) but instead we were asked to sit and drink tea. Chef demonstrated and the guide translated so we might have missed a lot of subtlety of the instructions.
The recipes we made didn’t really follow the written recipes. This is not uncommon in cooking classes but, in this class, it was sometimes more divergent than usual. I don’t think I could make the recipes as printed at home without my handwritten notes. They said they would send the modified recipes we cooked afterwards but it took some prompting to get them.
Written September 21, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Brendan,
Thank you very much for your feedback. Your feedback is very important to us, I am very sorry to hearing that, we take your feedback very seriously.
We decided not work with this employee any more, we also will strengthen management and staff training.
Please let us know, if we can do anything for you?
I already emailed to you, Please let's talk through email.
Give you my best wishes :)
Have a nice weekend. :)
Helen LIU
Written September 23, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
KMicc
Melbourne, Australia36 contributions
Sep 2015 • Friends
I had one free day in Shanghai with my mother. I booked this particular cooking course as I was informed by email by Sherry that they could in-fact cook dumplings on the day I had booked. I stated that I would proceed with the booking purely because I wanted to cook dumplings (I cook Chinese frequently at home and knew I would not enjoy the standard vegetable cooking class only a dumpling recipe).
On the morning we arrived, shopped for ingredients with the recipes we had been allocated which INCLUDED dumplings (note - the wet market was fun) and headed back to the house to cook. Chris the guide was very friendly.
We cooked a chicken dish (don't get me started on the poor food handling with the chicken - yikes!) and two very basic vegetable dishes - I asked Chris if we were cooking dumplings as well, she relied yes.
The class then ended, with no dumplings in-sight. I questioned Chris as to why we didn't cook dumplings as that was the SOLE reason I booked this class, she had no explanation. I left extremely disappointed and to be honest very angry I had wasted my only free day in Shanghai.
I emailed Helen the owner to express my disappointment and request a refund as I gained nothing from the cooking class and that it was advertised fraudulently... her reply- that she would compensate me $20 of the $100 I paid, which would be taken from "Chris's wages" - that guilt trip did not work on me.
I still have not been compensated or received a valid reason why we did not do the class that I booked other then "miscommunication".
If you have NO cooking skills and want to learn EXTREMELY basic cooking skills then you may enjoy this class, if not- don't bother.
Save your time and money and enjoy a meal at a local restaurant instead.
Note to Helen and co, customer service is simple, provide the advertised service as discussed / booked with the customer - honor your word and own your mistakes. If you cannot do this, don't run a business.
On the morning we arrived, shopped for ingredients with the recipes we had been allocated which INCLUDED dumplings (note - the wet market was fun) and headed back to the house to cook. Chris the guide was very friendly.
We cooked a chicken dish (don't get me started on the poor food handling with the chicken - yikes!) and two very basic vegetable dishes - I asked Chris if we were cooking dumplings as well, she relied yes.
The class then ended, with no dumplings in-sight. I questioned Chris as to why we didn't cook dumplings as that was the SOLE reason I booked this class, she had no explanation. I left extremely disappointed and to be honest very angry I had wasted my only free day in Shanghai.
I emailed Helen the owner to express my disappointment and request a refund as I gained nothing from the cooking class and that it was advertised fraudulently... her reply- that she would compensate me $20 of the $100 I paid, which would be taken from "Chris's wages" - that guilt trip did not work on me.
I still have not been compensated or received a valid reason why we did not do the class that I booked other then "miscommunication".
If you have NO cooking skills and want to learn EXTREMELY basic cooking skills then you may enjoy this class, if not- don't bother.
Save your time and money and enjoy a meal at a local restaurant instead.
Note to Helen and co, customer service is simple, provide the advertised service as discussed / booked with the customer - honor your word and own your mistakes. If you cannot do this, don't run a business.
Written April 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Kali,
We apologise unreservedly for your disappointing experience with Cook in Shanghai. I would like to inform you that we quickly identified areas within our service that needed improvements and acted accordingly.
Regarding your refund, I will look into this issue immediately and take the necessary steps.
I am personally upset at the broken promise made to you: you never learnt how to cook dumplings. I would like to welcome you back to Cook in Shanghai in the near future to learn how to cook dumplings (free of charge of course).
If not, it would be possible to arrange an online tutorial with one of our chefs on Skype for you to learn how to cook dumplings.
We would allow you to choose the time of the tutorial and meet any requirements you have for the class.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Cook in Shanghai.
Written April 7, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Deb L
Ocala, FL5 contributions
Aug 2013 • Friends
We enjoyed our experience with Cherry and the instructor. I learned that the school uses a number of instructors. Our instructor did not speak English which would have been ok since Cherry translated but we had no printed recipe to follow so amounts of ingredients and more importantly understanding the measurement of seasonings was challenging. We had 6 people in our class which takes place in the apartment kitchen. The prep table space was adequate but there were only 2 cook stations so we had to wait to cook the dishes. The living room was air conditioned but the kitchen was stifling hot and there were no fans available. There was little instruction on technique or education on seasonings. I won't take another class here.
Written August 13, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Deb,
Thank you very much your feedback! I am Helen, the manager of Cook in Shanghai. I checked with Cherry about your recipes: We chose to cook 2 of the recipes that same day so she wasn't able to give you a printout during the class.
We've already sent all the recipes with detailed and photos your way! When you try the recipes at the home, please let us know if you have any questions! Sorry for the confusion!
This summer in Shanghai is hottest in years! We are experiencing temperatures of 40℃ daily! I want to let you know that we have just added a fan in the kitchen to prevent any discomfort in the future.
Thank you again for your feedback. We will do our very best so that this doesn't happen again and we want you to know I try to our best every time! :)
Best,
Helen Liu
Written August 14, 2013
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kim L
11 contributions
Jun 2018 • Family
The fresh market experience was a great start especially for my children. Looking at basketfuls of crabs, yabbies and frogs & even touching them! We were grateful for our generous and patient host, Erica, introduced many fruits, veg, meats and even pigeon eggs that were not part of the menu. The condo unit where we cooked at was a little old and dark and outside but the kitchen was big and brightly lit. Chef Wang was already there waiting when we arrived. He spoke mainly Chinese but Erica's fluent English translation more than compensated for that. Besides, we could all speak Mandarin so we could follow more closely. It was a good 3-hour experience slicing, chopping, marinating and taking turns to cook 3 delicious dishes each. All my teenage boys cooked their own food! Chef Wang and Erica were quick to slip in to at critical moments to save the dish! Haha! The sweet reward was the food we cooked ourselves! Thanks, Erica and Wang Shifu for your guidance! We highly recommend this cookout to enrich your stay in Shanghai.
Written June 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
doc4cn
Milwaukee, WI36 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
This was great!! It started with Erica giving a list of ingredients to buy in the market-in Chinese. Fun to try our hand speaking with the locals and the market was an experience in itself. Then to the kitchen where we learned how to make Kung Pow Chicken, Pepper Beef and spring rolls. The instruction was hands on with an actual chef and we did it all, from chopping veggies to frying it up in a wok to, of course eating. And it was great. Erica was funny and made the whole event a real treat. If you have the chance, this is something you really should try- to learn how to cook Chinese and get a flavor of how
actual Chinese shop and eat. Definitely 5 star.
actual Chinese shop and eat. Definitely 5 star.
Written May 27, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jacob M
Los Angeles, California66 contributions
Nov 2016 • Family
We took the soup dumpling class with Helen, and must highly recommend this experience for those interested in Chinese cooking and culture.
First, the class was held at Helen's apartment, which afforded us an opportunity to see a more typical home after weeks in hotels.
The dumplings themselves were delicious, and they were honestly a welcome challenge to prepare from scratch. The class is a bit of work, but there's a great payoff when you eat the food you've prepared, and you gain an appreciation for the labor behind each visit to your local dim sum restaurant.
This was a truly memorable experience.
We couldn't have asked for a better teacher than Helen--she accommodated our last-minute booking request, guided us through the intricacies of dumpling-making, taught us a great deal about Shanghai and Chinese culture, and will be a part of some of our fondest memories of our trip to China.
First, the class was held at Helen's apartment, which afforded us an opportunity to see a more typical home after weeks in hotels.
The dumplings themselves were delicious, and they were honestly a welcome challenge to prepare from scratch. The class is a bit of work, but there's a great payoff when you eat the food you've prepared, and you gain an appreciation for the labor behind each visit to your local dim sum restaurant.
This was a truly memorable experience.
We couldn't have asked for a better teacher than Helen--she accommodated our last-minute booking request, guided us through the intricacies of dumpling-making, taught us a great deal about Shanghai and Chinese culture, and will be a part of some of our fondest memories of our trip to China.
Written November 30, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emily_Hillary
Vienna, Austria12 contributions
Aug 2016 • Solo
I was looking for something special in Shanghai, an experience you can take home. First I booked the three-coloured-dumpling-course, but unfortunately I was the only one who booked it, so the course didn't take place. But I wrote with one of the staff and got into the healthy course. It was such a nice day! We have been to the wet market and Amanda (the teacher) explained everything to us. Afterwards we got some tea in der apartment, before we started cooking. We made some really delicious meals (fish, chicken, beef, vegetables and tofu) in a group of six people. After this fabulous day I wanted to do another course, so I wrote Amanda if there is a course for chinese dumplings and spring rolls. Sadly again there were no bookings beside me, so they made a special course just for me (same price!) - and I had another really interesting and special day.
Written September 3, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My cousin, Evelyn C., took your dumpling (xiao lung bao) class several years ago and recommended it. We will be in Shanghai April 3-8, 2017. I tried to book through your website, but having problems with the page loading up. Please advise on your schedule at that time. My friend and I will be staying in the Pudong District. Thank you.
Written March 3, 2017
hello sorry for the late reply, if u come to shanghai again, please contact the email address from our website. sorry again.
Best regards,
Cookinshanghai Team
Written December 7, 2017
Does anyone know if these classes finish on time? The class is set to finish at 5:30 pm and I have to be at the airport at 7 pm.
Written August 26, 2015
Our class ended at 6:30 but there were others in our group that left before the last food. You could request that your food be cooked first so you could leave early if you need to.
Written April 9, 2018
Habibi918
Singapore, Singapore
Do these private cooking schools have proper licensed?
Written August 25, 2015
1. Will you pick up and drop off at my hotel?
2. I will be in Shanghai from June 9th to 10th, do you have any class for 2 ?
3. Is there a menu to show me which dishes I will be learning?
Written March 22, 2015
Go to their website - search cook in shanghai recipes
You'll have a great time. We cooked fish, dumplings and a gorgeous aubergine sweet sour and spicy dish.
Enjoy!
Written March 23, 2015
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