Latest Comments

• • February 7, 2011
  • Free public buses and bikes plus more transportation news
    

    @Tiger John: omg, you don't even know what you're talking about at all. saving face? do you even know what that means? subway is the right direction? subways are expensive to build, maintain, and operate, and there are only a small handful in the world that are able to run at a profit (since you mention "hurting city revenue"). on top of that, it's already one of the top contributors to suburban sprawl in chengdu, making it that much harder for bike and bus commuters to get where they need to go.

• • December 11, 2010
  • Chengdu's 12 Most Expensive Restaurants
    

    NOT EVEN ONE! so sad.

Latest Forum Posts

• • April 28, 2013
    
  • Forums > Living in Chengdu > Buying jade?
    

    If I wanted to buy a jade bracelet or earrings, is Chengdu a good place to buy it (i.e., good price to quality ratio)? And does anybody have a specific place to recommend?

• • October 18, 2012
    
  • Forums > Study > Sichuanhua
    

    Wow, envious! I can understand a lot, but it doesn't come out of my mouth right. But man, is that guy in the green shirt high?

• • September 19, 2012
    
  • Forums > Living in Chengdu > Cosmetic & skincare products - post your reviews here!
    

    I have a face wash from Limi. I think it is the juicy pear or something. It is a bit drying so I don't use it often. I picked it because it was much cheaper than the other scents. I am frequently overwhelmed by the number of choices even within brands, let alone all the different brands.

    I haven't tried the Ikea body wash (didn't even know it existed). Good tip!

    Nail polish remover: yeah, that's my experience so far too.

    I have a couple of Skin Food nail polishes I bought from a box shop for like 15 RMB each which I thought was reasonable. The colors are really pretty. I'll give their skincare products a try next time I see them.

    What about BB creams? I went into one shop and the woman working there patted some Missha BB cream onto the back of my hand, but I couldn't see any appreciable difference between that and the other skin around it so I passed, especially since it cost more than it would have cost even in the States where it's not particularly cheap.

    Are the Tsubaki products sold in Metro more expensive than the Watsons ones?

• • September 18, 2012
    
  • Forums > Living in Chengdu > Cosmetic & skincare products - post your reviews here!
    

    OK, this is a girly and irreverent thread for this site, so if you don't like reading about such topics, consider this fair warning.

    So, what kind of skincare or makeup products have you tried here that you liked or disliked, where'd you buy them, how much did they cost, etc.?

    I'll start with Ascience (or is it Asience?) shampoo and conditioner. You can buy them at Watsons and probably also 1000 Colors and possibly some of the big supermarkets. I bought a big pump bottle of shampoo for around 50 kuai and a small tube of hair treatment for around 25 kuai, must have been over a year ago because I can't even remember when. They leave my hair soft but not weighed down.

    The Shiseido shampoo/conditioner that you can get at Watsons in the pointy-capped bottles are also OK but a little bit more expensive, and I like the Asience just a bit better.

    What about face masks? I've just bought my first and I'll write a review once I've been using it for a while?

    Has anybody had a facial done here? Or meibai products? Or have moisturizer recommendations? Also where can I find some good (read: effective) nail polish remover?

• • September 13, 2012
    
  • Forums > Living in Chengdu > Killing cockroaches safely - What product do you use?
    

    Roaches check in but they don't check out!

    Just had to.

Latest Reviews

• • magentalisted
    November 1, 2010
    
  • Chengdu > Leanna's Bakery
    莲娜西点坊

    I have mixed feelings about this place. On the one hand, they offer some of the best baked goods in Chengdu at extremely low prices (RMB8 for brownies, slice of chocolate cake, and I think even less for donuts and cookies). So for a quick dessert that'll definitely leave you feeling that you got good value, both taste-wise and size-wise, for your money, I think it's a great place.

    Their selection of drink mixes, baking mixes and ingredients, and ready-to-eat stuff like granola and bagels is both quite extensive and very reasonably priced.

    I haven't tried any of their breakfast or lunch offerings, and part of that is probably due to the fact that despite its large space, it's not a very cozy hangout. During mealtimes it's chaotic with what seems like lots and lots of small children running around and screaming, and other times, something about the layout or furniture arrangement or decor makes it seem kind of cold.

    Service is not the speediest, and the hot drinks are a little disappointing -- watery and served lukewarm -- but, hey, they are indeed inexpensive and certainly not the worst in town.

• • magentalisted
    May 28, 2010
    
  • Chengdu > Peter's Tex-Mex
    彼德西餐

    The last time I went here I ordered the two tacos that used to be 18kuai and then were 26kuai and now might be even more expensive I heard. Anyway I asked them to substitute refried beans for the chicken or steak. When it arrived not only was the whole thing cold but also in my first bite there were a few shreds of chicken. I thought they had messed up my order so I dug further. I didn't find any more chicken but I found stray clumps of mashed potato! As if somebody had dropped the beans somewhere they shouldn't have been ... I didn't want to know what was going on in that kitchen. Anyway, not impressed.

• • magentalisted
    May 28, 2010
    
  • Chengdu > Sabrina's Country Store

    Normally I would prefer to support the independent store over the chain stores but Sabrina's has failed me enough times that now I'd rather go to Metro or Auchan or even--horror of horrors--Carrefour to buy my imported goods. Selling expired cheese and tinned foods, mozzarella that's being sold as emmentaller, higher prices, mislabeled stuff ... and the cashiers act like they're doing you all kinds of favors by ringing up your stuff. And you have to pay for boxes if you buy a slice of their cake or pie.

• • magentalisted
    May 28, 2010
    
  • Chengdu > Tianyuan Vegetarian
    田园素食

    I used to go here regularly but the last two or three times I've been I was really disappointed in the quality of the food. It just seems the chef is not taking care and some of the dishes were so sloppily put together I didn't really want to eat them even. It's too bad because of all the vegetarian restaurants in Chengdu this one has by far the best location for me.

• • magentalisted
    September 18, 2009
    
  • Chengdu > Thailand Shark Fin Restaurant
    泰国鱼翅馆

    Over-priced. Waitstaff not very attentive.

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