shanghai eating part ii

my mom and i decided to begin day 2 with a delicious hearty meal since i had a lot of walking in store. i chose wujiang lu for some sheng jian at Yang's Fry Dumplings. sheng jian is basically an upside-down soup dumpling that's fried instead of steamed. they're marvelous to watch being cooked and served. and they're even better as they're being EATEN! (no photos because i have some in my first post re shanghai.)

most impressive was the woman sitting next to us who didn't spill or spurt any of the yummy hot liquid anywhere. my mom and i got it everywhere, and shanghai isn't exactly the kind of place the offers napkins freely. but at 4 dumplings for 3.5RMB, you might understand why nothing is free.

after our meal, i brought her to the 38th floor lounge at the JW Marriott for a bird's eye view of all of shanghai. she was speechless.

we walked from there to the bund, making numerous stops (my favorite places are markets; i like to see what they sell in shanghai, since it's so differen from NYC). and she was awestruck by the bund, with the huangpu river and oriental pearl tv tower views... it was worth it.


we took another break at New Heights Cafe on the 7th (top) floor of the Three on the Bund, and noshed on smoothies, fried calamari and french fries. it's just as, if not more, amazing to see the bund from this perspective. plus, the buildings along the bund are so diverse, the juxtaposition of old and new, New Heights is a good place to check it out.

after a massage (details to follow) and shower, it was time for dinner. i tried to go to this place chen, which had been raved about on chowhound, but there were no reservations available. so my next choice was Mao Long (another chowhound rec).

this place is tiny with maybe 7 tables. the owner is an older woman, very kind and helpful, but does not speak ANY english. since my mandarin is practically nonexistent, it was difficult to communicate (plus the menu is only in chinese, and i certainly can't read chinese). fortunately, a young woman in the restaurant offered her assistance, and we sampled delectable shanghainese food. i don't know what anything is called, but we ordered the braised pork (house special), sauteed whole shrimp, sauteed pea shoots in a wine sauce and fish steamed with chilis.

everything was incredibly tasty, particularly the pork; the shrimp were too messy and difficult to eat many without an endless supply of napkins. my mom thought the pork was a little sweet and that the sauce on the pea shoots tasted too much of wine.

we walked by chen as we were leaving, and there was only one full table. but it was a perfect twist of fate because mao long was wonderful.


yang's fry dumpling
54 wujiang lu between maoming lu and nanjing lu (near people's square)
shanghai

new heights cafe
three on the bund, 7th floor
17 Guangdong Road (at the bund/zhongshan lu)
shanghai

mao long
134 jinxian lu (near maoming nan lu)
shanghai

shanghai eating part i

last time i was here, i ate deliciously, but thanks to gary soup, likealocal and other avid shanghai eaters, this trip has been scrumptious.

i love food. and i particularly love xiaolongbao (aka soup dumplings).

since the typhoon finally passed, my first stop this morning was Jia Jia Tang Bao (which has gotten praise from the reviewers out there).

the place is small but cute, and they have a notebook with the English menu. i love that they're actually back there making your dumplings... TO ORDER! my mom wanted the crab & pork (19.5rmb) and the shrimp & pork (9rmb), so i let her choose.

the dumplings themselves had perfect skins. they were thin, almost transluscent, and not doughy or gummy. however, i have to say that i was disappointed with the crab & pork -- there were many little bits of crab shell inside, and the flavor wasn't as i'd hoped. the soup was more fishy than i expected.

the shrimp & pork was a delightful surprise as they were exactly what i'd hoped the crab would be: flavorful, delicate yet rich and magnificent.

jia jia tang bao
90 huanghe lu (near fengyang lu)
peoples square
shanghai, china