Shanghai surprised me. I flew to China’s commercial capital, thinking I would unwind. Instead, I spent the week in shock at how cold it was—and how smooth the trains were. One made me shiver, the other made me jealous.
My first impression of Shanghai was that it felt a bit like Tokyo, only with more expansive urban layouts. Some districts sprawl far and wide, and the roads are noticeably broader. At times, it reminded me of Seoul, too, though Shanghai feels more spread out in certain pockets.
That initial impression actually inspired me to make an Instagram Reel that touched on the sad part of traveling: realizing how much better our country could have been if our taxes hadn’t been stolen by corrupt politicians who chose mansions and luxury cars over genuine public service.
The video was taken with a bullet train in the background. I had just taken a 30-minute ride to a small town in Suzhou—which turned out to be a bit underwhelming. It looked inviting in photos but not so much in real life. So, after taking a few snapshots, I found myself heading back to Shanghai.
The weather was colder than I expected despite checking the forecast for the week, so I had to wear an extra layer of clothes to roam around the city, which is very clean, and the people, to my surprise, are friendly. The only problem was the language barrier, so I had to bring out my phone for a translation app.
But generally, the whole experience was refreshing, and it gave me a different perspective on China, which is far from what I see in the media or how it is described. The air is clean, everything is in order, the traffic is smooth, the trains are efficient, and the food is generally affordable.
After a week of eating Chinese food and bread from the massive Starbucks Reserve near my hotel, on my last night, my palate wanted a different flavor—something familiar. I thought of a Japanese restaurant, which is kind of hard to find in Shanghai. Then I did a quick Google search and stumbled upon a lone Filipino restaurant just three stations away from my hotel.
It wasn’t hard to find. Good thing I decided to use an eSIM and roaming service instead of local provider, so the apps I use, including Google, weren’t blocked.
I found Bela Fiesta in Shanghai’s M50 Art District, and the experience felt like stepping into a little corner of the Philippines.
From the moment I arrived, upbeat OPM tracks like Toneejay’s “711” set a fun mood. I settled in quickly, ready to dive into some comfort food.
The menu was very familiar. It had the usual sizzling pork sisig, lumpia spring rolls, tamarind sinigang seafood soup, calamares, chicken mami, pancit bihon, fish tinapa, tinola, kare-kare, dinuguan, Bicol express, marinated whole roasted inasal chicken, yam ice cream, bilo-bilo, leche flan, suman, halo-halo, and sapin-sapin.
I opted for chicken adobo (78 yuan or around 640 pesos) and Bicol express (88 yuan) with plain rice (5 yuan per order) that had a subtle pandan aroma—super fluffy and comforting. I also ordered what I thought was monggo with shrimp soup, but to my surprise, it turned out to be a mango and shrimp pizza. And honestly? It was delicious. A playful twist that actually worked.
As I ate, the music shifted to softer favorites like Adie’s “Imahe” and the classic “Hanggang Kailan – Uuwi Ka Na, Baby” by Orange and Lemons. Talk about how Filipino this restaurant could get.
The crowd was a charming mix of people. When I got to the entrance, there were young American girls enjoying their drinks. On another table, there were Chinese diners trying purple ice cream, and there was a Filipino expat with a local in the enclosed space where they usually do karaoke nights. It felt like a small, unexpected community in the middle of Shanghai.
The staff was wonderful, too. The server initially didn’t think I was Filipino, but when I said “salamat,” they said, “akala namin chekwa or foreigner.”
It was nice dining at a place like Bela Fiesta because, despite Shanghai being so far from the world I’m used to, it offered a quiet reminder that no matter where I go, there’s always a piece of home waiting to be found.
