why i love chinatown

i needed some fresh veggies because my S.O.'s recent check-up discovered that he MUST shed some pounds, so i headed to chinatown to pick up a few things. i usually do all of my grocery shopping at Stew Leonard's and FreshDirect, but my resolution for 2008 was to be more frugal and what could be more frugal than chinatown?

sometimes i just can't deal with the bustle of mott street - especially on chinese new year's eve! - so i headed to grand street between bowery and chrystie... it's sill pretty crowded, but you can get pretty much everything you need on that little block. there are multiple vegetable/fruit stands, fish markets and even small chinese markets for meat and pantry staples!

but my really huge discovery was Hua Du Dumpling Shop. this little dumpling counter sits immediately inside the entrance of Tan MyMy Market, and they have an assortment of frozen dumplings for sale. i LOVE dumplings, and my absolute favorite are steamed pork & chive dumplings. for a bag of 50, it was $8. this is a little bit more than some of the other dumpling places in the neighborhood, but after cooking some up as soon as i got home, i understand why: these are MUCH BETTER. the skins are thinner and less doughy, and the flavor of the dumpling is delicious, with pronounced pork AND chive flavor. it doesn't taste greasy nor dirty, which some dumplings have a tendency towards. i didn't even need the soy/vinegar dipper! i also purchased pork soup dumplings (50 for $8.50) which i've yet to try, but i hope will be delicious!


Hua Du Dumpling Shop
249 grand street between chrystie and bowery (closer to chrystie, almost on the SW corner of chrystie and grand)
new york, ny 10002
212.965.9663

shanghai in a day

i just spent 2 1/2 weeks in china, and most of my stay was in the jinjiang/quanzhou/huian area of china, but i really spent the bulk of my time at our factory. there was so much to do, which provided very little free time and very late nights at the factory. so unfortunately, there's nothing i can write about jinjiang, except it seems like an amazing untouched city: it bustles without being crowded with tourism. i would like to go back again with someone who speaks mandarin and actually spend some time there.

that said, i did get to spend one full day (plus a few hours) in shanghai on the tail-end of my trip. this is my 4th trip to shanghai, and i was able to have my ideal day:

1pm: checked into cute motel 268 on yan'an lu near panyu lu - checked work email, followed-up (in a perfect world, i would just be able to relax and not deal with, ugh, work)

walked over to my favorite massage place, yili (shirley) massage center at 3 xuan hua lu near jiangsu lu. 1.5 hour massage = 75rmb ($10.40) - no tipping in china!

hopped on #2 subway (3rmb = $0.42) at jiangsu lu and yuyuan lu and go to nanjing lu west. walked through wujiang lu, a small pedestrian-only street parallel to nanjing lu between maoming lu and shimen lu (#1). there are tons of little food stalls and restaurants with everything from preserved dofu to grilled octopus to my favorite on the block: Yang's Fry Dumpling (2 stalls with seating inside), where they have delicious pan-fried shengjian.

i wasn't hungry at this point, so i walked through wujiang lu just for memories' sake, and walked to shimen lu, where i headed south to dagu lu to my next stop: movie star (#407), the home of the best DVDs. for only 12rmb ($1.66), you can get practically any movie on china's DVD-9, their version of HD. even somewhat new movies are available on regular DVD. i purchased 'i am legend', which i believe is out in the theatres now, and the friendly staff assured me the quality was good.

stocked with movies, i walked down chengdu lu to my favorite fashion mall on the SE corner of huaihai lu and chengdu lu, down the escalator. there are lots of little booths that sell jewelry, clothing and services, but my trip would not be complete without a visit to 57 where i get eyelashes! you lay down, they tape your eyes shut, and they spend 45 minutes delicately attaching individual eyelashes to your lash line so they blend in with your natural eyelashes. i ALWAYS get the longest lashes, and they usually stay on 3-5 weeks, depending on how careful i am when washing my face. and the best part: it costs only 99rmb ($13.73). in nyc, the cheapest i've found is J Sisters, and most salons charge upwards of $250.

my next stop is xintiandi, a very westernized (and expensive) section of shanghai, where they do have my favorite upscale restaurant: din tai fung, located on the 2nd floor of that mall in xintiandi. it's a chain, started in Taiwan, spread mostly thoughout Asia, but also with a branch in Los Angeles. everything i've had is good: i love the hot & sour soup (they told me last time it contains duck blood), and i love the chopped tofu and pea shoots. but this time i came only for the steamed xiaolongbao with pork and crab. i ordered 10 with a pot of oolong tea, and i savored and enjoyed every one. here i always get the one with crab, because at other delicious xiaolongbao spots in shanghai, they never put as much care into deshelling the crab, so you'll see chinese folk eating their crab and pork xiaolongbao, but spitting out the crab shell remnants, which i feel takes away from the transporting experience of the soup dumpling. yes, they're expensive, for china, but sometimes it's nice to just sit and relax and be served.

after a completely satisfying dinner, i walked along huaihai lu in the direction of my hotel and enjoyed the fervent atmosphere of well-to-do youth walking the streets, bridal stores advising young brides, workers stopping at food stalls to pick up dinner... the whole thing is so shanghai. i stopped in H&M at sinan lu to check out shanghai's newest fashions, but since nothing fits me properly in china, i left disappointed. i grabbed a taxi back to the hotel.

i watched DVDs, spoke to my S.O. and slept and woke up to repack (to distribute the weight of my bags more evenly). i checked out, but asked the hotel to hold my luggage while i spent my remaining few hours in shanghai.

i got another massage, and today, my favorite masseur, #111, was in, so i had the best massage ever. he knows me and knows my aches and pains.
refreshed, i walked to Fuchon Xiaolong Shop at 650 yuyuan lu, a few blocks east of jiangsu lu (a recommendation from shanghaiist). this place is no DTF, but everything smelled and looked heavenly. no one spoke english, so i just asked for an order of xiaolongbao with pork. for 8rmb ($1.11), i received 12 delicious dumplings, each with thin skin, tasty soup (that i happily slurped), and tender pork filling. i hope to go back with a mandarin-speaker and either a group or a heartier appetite - noodles looked yummy too.

with that happy meal, i walked back to the hotel, grabbed my luggage and jumped in one of the cabs waiting for an airport fare to leave for pudong airport. my stay in shanghai was short, but it was a perfect 26 hours.

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