Market to Table Chinese Cooking Experience

Market to table cooking class in Shanghai

This was the highlight of our trip to China! Both William and Jasmine were such kind people who made the experience really special. They took us to a local market and taught us some Chinese so we could order our own food. We then spent the evening cooking delicious dishes while we chatted about our lives and learnt more about the Chinese culture and food. I would highly recommend you do this experience! Thank you again.

via Tripadvisor

Not recommended

I cannot shake the feeling that I fell into a tourist trap. I can only strongly advise against booking this course; what is described and advertised in beautiful pictures is not delivered. I booked the course with a market visit and cooking class and was really looking forward to learning something about Chinese cuisine and culture and having a nice time with other people. Unfortunately, it was an incredibly unpleasant experience and I am really sad to have paid so much money and wasted half a vacation day in Shanghai on it. After booking, I was contacted by a Jasmin; she gave me information on what food I could cook and how I could get to the meeting point (Shanghai Library metro station) by metro. However, the description for the metro was wrong and I was not given the correct station to transfer at. I still arrived on time at the agreed meeting point and waited for Jasmin and other participants. It turned out that I was the only participant. Just before 4pm, a man jumped out of a car, introduced himself as William, and said he was my guide. I was very confused by this, and I think there should have been information beforehand about who would be leading this cooking class. Ultimately, I followed a strange man to a place unknown to me. I consider something like that fundamentally problematic. He said Jasmin would not be coming today and that other participants would arrive in the kitchen later, which was not the case. We walked a short distance to the market and bought meat and vegetables. There was really nothing special about it; I learned the word for pork and was supposed to say it. But that was all there was to it. The market could have been a nice starting point to learn something about Chinese cuisine and its products. None of that happened. William had no ambition to do so and also lacked the interest in the topic to say anything about it. He also seemed completely unprepared to me. He had to constantly check his phone to see where we were walking and what we needed to buy. The route was not complicated, and we only bought two types of meat and some cabbage. It had nothing to do with the market experience as stated in the description. It was incredibly sad. We then walked to the aforementioned kitchen. William explained to me that it was not an apartment and that no one lived there; it was a kitchen used for social media. We walked into a backyard and arrived at a very strange place. It was an elongated room with two rooms leading off it. There was an elongated table in the front and a kitchenette in the back. It was incredibly dirty. Used dishes and kitchen utensils were piled up. It was not clean or tidy at all. There were also other people there, and it was really not clear to me where I had actually ended up and who the other people were. It seemed to me like a kind of dingy shared apartment. Definitely not a cooking studio. I would never get the idea to prepare food in such a room; really everything was dirty. There were also two cats running around and two chinchillas in a cage. I have no problem with cats, but I find it unhygienic when animals are in a room where food is being cooked. I felt very uncomfortable there. A woman then explained the preparation of the dumplings to me. She was very nice and went to incredible lengths to explain everything to me. She was very friendly. Making the dumplings requires some skill and practice. You probably have to practice for a very long time until you can make them well. I made 10 dumplings, which were then cooked. That was the best part of the experience. The other dish, referred to as a "signature dish," was very simple to cook; it consisted of spicy pan-fried pork. You really do not need a cooking class to prepare that. I probably won't be cooking these dishes again: The recipes were not made available digitally or in any other form. William stood by apathetically. He took a few photos that he wanted to send me, but which I never received. He himself had no great connection to the topic of cooking, which he also said. The food was handed to me on a plate, and he already asked me how I was getting home. I wasn't even sitting at the table yet and I had the feeling that they wanted to get rid of me. I was irritated because the course was supposed to last 4 hours and it was only shortly after 6pm. So only a little more than two hours had passed. I hadn't made plans until later and it was currently raining cats and dogs. It was incredibly brazen! My time was up and I was supposed to leave again. I paid an incredible amount of money for this cooking class and didn't receive anywhere near the corresponding service. It is an attempt to get a lot of money through a few pretty photos and a dreamlike course description without providing a corresponding service in return. The pictures for the course description are staged; William can be seen in them. I cannot understand the 5-star reviews. I was also asked by William several times to write a positive review and even received a WhatsApp message regarding this. I consider the whole thing a pure tourist trap.

Response from the operator: Dear Martina, Thank you for sharing your detailed and candid feedback. We are truly heartbroken to hear that your cooking class did not meet your expectations and that you had an unpleasant experience in Shanghai. This is far from the standard of hospitality we strive to deliver. We have fully accepted your refund request (100% full refund). We would like to take this opportunity to address your concerns and share the immediate steps we are taking to improve: Our Hosting Team: Jasmine and William are co-hosts who run this experience together, as noted in our profile and communications. William is an integral part of our team, not an unknown third party. However, we completely understand that arriving to meet a different host than expected can feel unsettling, especially for a solo traveler. Going forward, we will explicitly confirm which host will greet guests on the day prior to arrival. Departure Misunderstanding: On the day of your tour, a severe rainstorm hit Shanghai. When there was a brief break in the downpour, William proactively offered to escort you to the metro station out of concern for your safety and travel conditions. We are deeply sorry that this felt like you were being rushed. We sincerely apologize for this communication gap and the shortened session. Kitchen Environment & Pets: Our studio space is home to two cats. While many guests enjoy their company, we fully understand the hygiene concerns regarding pets in a culinary setting. Starting immediately, we will proactively inform all guests in advance about pets and enforce even stricter sanitization protocols. We are taking your feedback to heart to thoroughly review and upgrade our market tour storytelling, kitchen management, and hosting standards. We sincerely wish you safe and pleasant travels ahead. Warm regards, The Crowded Planet Shanghai Team

via Tripadvisor (translated)

An Authentic Shanghai Food & Culture Experience

I discover the charm of Shanghai through a unique market and cooking experience. Explore a bustling local market, learn practical Chinese phrases for everyday shopping, and prepare your own delicious dish from scratch under expert guidance. With small group sizes, you'll enjoy a personalized, interactive atmosphere that's perfect for asking questions, taking memorable photos, and experiencing the city's rich culinary culture firsthand. A wonderful choice for food lovers and travelers looking for an authentic local adventure.

via Tripadvisor

Hands down the best thing we did in Shanghai!

The local wet market was a total eye-opener—super lively and just really cool to see compared to grocery stores back home. A big highlight was this price-guessing game we played with the other guys in the group while picking out ingredients. It totally broke the ice and got everyone laughing. Jasmine was an awesome host. She’s super smart, well-educated, and her English is perfect, so it was really easy to just hang out and chat about food and life in the city. The actual cooking part was great too—very hands-on, simple to follow, and the food tasted awesome. Definitely recommend checking it out!

via Tripadvisor

Amazing experience!

Everything was perfectly organised from start to finish. Jasmine and William were amazing hosts who made the whole experience enjoyable, and I really liked chatting with them throughout the day. The experience began with choosing the dish I wanted to cook, followed by a visit to a local wet market where I selected the ingredients myself. During the cooking class, the chef explained every step of the process and shared many interesting facts about Chinese cuisine and its traditions. After cooking, we all sat down to enjoy the meal together, which was the perfect way to end the class. It was one of the best experiences during my stay in Shanghai, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an authentic and memorable cooking experience.

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a wonderful review! We are absolutely thrilled to hear that you had such a memorable time with us. If your travels ever bring you back to our city, you know where to find us for another adventure.

via Tripadvisor