Meet the lovely Louise Paulin, the foodie behind instagram account @loueatsmore:

OCA got a chance to sit down with Lou and ask her a few questions about herself and her Shanghai eats instagram account @loueatsmore: 1. Can you tell us a bit about your background? I moved to Shanghai from New Zealand a little under two years ago with a job. I grew up in Canada, Taiwan and New Zealand, which fueled my love for fresh quality food and local delicacies. Every weekend, you’ll find me checking out a new restaurant or local delicacies. As of late I have been working on some healthy recipes I will be sharing soon! 2. What inspired you to start @loueatsmore? Before I moved to Shanghai, you’d always find me in the kitchen trying new recipes on friends and family, most of it baking! Since moving to Shanghai, like many others, I seem to eat out a lot more than cook at home and am an avid reader of all things foodie. My friends always comment on my enthusiasm for new foods and restaurants and encouraged me to start documenting my finds through an instagram account. 3. How do you discover new eats? A lot of talking, reading, walking and exploring. I also like visiting old eats that have been around in Shanghai and already have a good following. 4. Is there a process to deciding what you post on the account? Loueatsmore is a collection of mostly reasonably priced eats or finds. I think the key is to share places that I, myself, and people would go to on a daily basis. I am a creature of habit and when I find something I like I tend to go back there a few more times during that week, so if I write a good review on something, I am probably back there the next day enjoying it again. Shanghai is flourishing with new cafés, restaurants, bars, pop-ups and cheap eats, many of which are only shared through word of mouth. I hope I make Shanghaiers that little bit happier by sharing many of these finds. 5. Your thoughts on the Shanghai dining scene? The key to good eating and a good experience is consistency, which there seems to be a lack of in Shanghai. This leaves for so many mixed reviews of one place. Also, a soft opening isn’t an excuse for bad service. Provide an experience to diners that is like no other in Shanghai and you’ll be the talk of the town. 6. What do you see for the future of @loueatsmore? Loueatsmore is still in its hobby phase, however an exciting new WeChat platform is in the process of being launched soon! This will share with you more information about Shanghai eats, drinks and deals which will only be available to WeChat followers. We also decided to put her restaurant knowledge to the test and asked Lou to share her Shanghai favorites for the following categories: Cheap eat: Mex & Co Fine dining: Commune Social Healthy: Green and Safe Cheat day: Beef and Liberty Concept: UV Al fresco: Mayita, Commune Social Asian: Spicy Moment, Li Long Fang Date spot: Black Pepper Cocktail bar: El Ocho, Starling Happy hour: Kartel Follow @loueatsmore for micro reviews on restaurants and bars, and to stay up to date with the hottest spots in Shanghai. Oh, and for amazing pictures of mouth-watering food. This article was written by Enrique Menendez. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: @loueatsmore on Instagram