Gorge your way through the summer with three big Shanghai dining events

If there’s one thing Shanghai does well, it’s eat, and this week’s City Weekend Gourmet Fest and the recently announced second annual Cuisine Festival and Shanghai Restaurant Week prove that point. 

Get ready to dig in. 

City Weekend Gourmet Fest 

For an immediate foodie fix, City Weekend Shanghai's Gourmet Fest is the way to go. From August 15 to September 15, the magazine has cut deals with some of the top restaurants in town, including Naam Thai, Cristal, Bistro Burger, Leonardo, Hamilton House, Nougatine, Tanya Matabei, Mi Tierra, and Pinnacle Peak, which will offer set menus from RMB 99 to RMB 399.

If Thai beaches aren’t close enough, catching the deal at Naam Thai (RMB 199 per person for a minimum of two people, Shop 1107-1108, Highstreet Loft, No. 508 Jiashan Lu, near Zhaojiabang Lu 嘉善路508号尚街1107-1108商铺, 近肇嘉浜路) might be just what you're looking for. The set menu at Naam Thai -- T8's Walter Zahner creation -- includes fish cake appetizers, papaya salad and a choice of six mains. Our pick? The black ink spaghetti with soft shell crab.

Since Shanghai is all about Mexican food right now, it’d be a shame to miss out on Mi Tierra's (17 Yongjia Lu, near Maoming Lu 永嘉路17号, 近茂名路) set. Far from Tijuana grub, this upscale venue is offering a RMB 299 set that includes roasted chicken in chocolate sauce, chicken jalapeño tostaditas and shrimp bicentenario enchiladas. Oh, and of course, a margarita.

If you want to do some al fresco dining, the winner of this year's Readers' Choice Award for "Best Mediterranean Restaurant," Cristal (4/F, 175 Taixing Lu, near Wujiang Lu 泰兴路175号4楼, 近吴江路), is a set to try. For RMB 299 they're offering a four-course menu, with a choice of five starters, two soups, six mains and six desserts. Highlights? City weekend recommends the squid ink linguini and Guanaja chocolate soufflé for dessert.

Shanghai Cuisine Festival 

SmartShanghai was the first to break the news that The Cuisine Festival is back in Shanghai from September 17 to 19 at the Shanghai Exhibition Center.

Although it was much hyped last year, the event didn’t quite live up to expectations with high entrance fees (as well as fees for the food inside) and vendors running out of samples. This year provides an opportunity to put all that right. Entry will be free (down side: you can be assured that there will be massive crowds) with a pay-as-you-eat system inside.

The vendor list is far from complete, but it’ll include familiar names like Brasa Chicken, C'est Cupcake, Mi Tierra, Vins Descombe, Just Beer, Kaiba, Sherpa’s, South Beauty and Yellow Valley as well as international vendors -- there is a group of 50+ exhibitors in all to entertain and feed you.

Shanghai Restaurant Week

The week loved by foodies around the world is back for round two in the 'Hai. Shanghai Restaurant Week -- sponsored by DiningCity.com -- is dropping their prices according to SmartShanghai, to entice local gourmands to Shanghai’s top restaurants from September 6-12.

Participating venues (the final list of which will be released August 17) will serve set three-course dinners for RMB 238, and a three-course lunch for RMB 118.

Expect the big Western dining names to participate including Laris, M1NT, T8 and Shintori.