Shanghai Eats

You didn't think the non food entries will persist, did you? Don't worry guys, I haven't defected to the non-grub side, afterall, there's only that many pensive moments one can shoulder in a week.

Located near Upper Thomson Road and Thong Soon Road, this Shanghainese eatery was easy to miss but clearly a hit with regulars. Their dumplings are made only after orders are taken and this ensures a fresh unmanufactured quality, unfamilar to most Chinese dumpling eateries here in Singapore. But that handmade aspect also happens to be their Achilles Heel because Wait You Must and be prepared to wait for a long time.

"Waiter, a DOUBLE shot of Patience for me please.. Neither saken nor stirred!"

For our appetizers, we had Eight Treasure Vegetable and Drunkard Chicken.



The Eight Treasure Vegetable wasn't anything we hadn't seen or tasted before. In fact, it was regretfully boring and borderlined on atrocity. On the other end of the spectrum, the drunkard chicken was the comeback kid- the smooth texture illuminated by the sweet wine essence, which shone without overwhelming. We showed our appreciation by ordering a second portion!



The Handmade noodle above came with beacurd cubes, pork chop and chopped greens. While the sauce was too salty for my liking and the pork chop so-so. The Fried Shanghai Noodles, on the other hand, drew dismissive looks for its slipshod appearance and uncanny resemblance to the ubiquitous mee goreng. I can't quite put my finger on what the unique sauce was. Somewhat sweet, bitingly spicy.. it was like a mambo jambo of flavours better left forgotten.


Fried Shanghai Noodles. Something tells me you probably can't find this in Shanghai.

Onto what we came for...


Guotie

The Guotie (also known as gyoza or potstickler) resembled ducklings with their fur-feathered bottoms turned upwards. A testimony to the proprietor's skills, the dumplings were beautifully shaped and intricately folded. A swift dap of vinegar and ginger and we were made hardcore converts.


Xiao Long Bao

The xiao long bao above took a grand thirty minutes to arrive but it was well worth the wait. We all know an assessment of the xiao long bao wouldn't be complete (or anything at all) without the broth test. Here, the thickish dumpling skin held the insides soundly but gave way to a tiny nibble to release ambrosial oil-less broth. Amazing.



The Sheng Jian Bao (panfried bun) was by far the best I have tasted in a long while. The contrast between the pillowy crown and crisp bottom ushered this bonne bouche into a league of its own. Compared with other panfried buns, this version kicked butts with a titillating meat mix and gorgeous shell.

The atmosphere is remarkably laid back and at times, you are required to serve yourself. The kitchen staff works at an unflustered pace (now that's practically unheard of in Chinese restaurants) and I had to doubly remind myself to keep cool. Like I said, the food is good but the service slow. So slow by the time we wrapped up dinner, I had actually finish writing this review. But of course, if time is on your side and you are craving for some quality Shanghainese dumplings, this is definitely your domain to have and hold.