So, SmSh is not in the business of recommending other guides to Shanghai. Eventually, we'll get off our asses and do our own, and then want you to buy it. But until then, here's a good, recently published exception you can throw at visitors and tell them to get lost with -- Silk Guides: Shanghai Eat & Drink Guide.

It's a pocket-sized thing by three long-time Shanghai writers -- Gary Bowerman, Tina Kanagaratnam, and Amy Fabris-Shi. They're mostly in the Shanghai media background, leveraging their city knowledge into some real money with real companies. The guide is the three of them laying out their favorites in quick, stylized bites.

It's a good mix of the known, the places you'd take visitors, some places you go yourself, and a few places you don't want to see in a guide, but would definitely want to know about if you were a tourist (Kiitos, Cha's, hof). Tons of little sideboxes in this thing breaking down where to go for chocolate, ticking off places for street breakfasts and river views, listing delis and places good for kids.

Big plus is that it's small and done here, so it's supremely up-to-date. No other guide has Mr. Willis, Mr & Mrs Bund, Jing'an, Restaurant Martin, Sushi Oyama or Anna Maya in it yet. The heavyweight guides won't get to them until, oh, 2012. And even when they do, they're not going to recommend Pho Real or Toriyasu, you know? Silk Guides -- they have that.

Not sure if these are popping up in the shops yet or what. For now, you can order one straight through their website, here, and have it delivered. 75 kuai a pop.

Damn self-starters.