Once one of the most integral gateways to the Eastern world, a pinpoint stop on the silk road and amongst the longest standing open port cities in the world, Shanghai defines a region that was classically shrouded in mystery, yet continually sought after for escapism and opportunity. Sprung up at the mouth of the Yangtze River river, China's largest agglomeration by both size and population has taken a dramatic shift over the centuries; from a land formed by fisheries and strung together through textiles, opened up by domestic sea-trade during the Qing Dynasty (late 1600s), and built up by international investment starting in 1842 and the Treaty of Nanjing which ended the First Opium War (1839-1842) and brief British occupation; now, Shanghai is the hub of international commerce for the worlds 4th largest and most populous land mass. Shanghai is as much of an example of 19th and 20th century colonialism as modern day Nationalism, however, this Communist enterprise could never erase its storied past as much as it looks to expand its future.
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| View of Pudong (financial centre) from The Bund |
The name Shanghai has not always been used as a noun. Directly translated Shang (above) Hai (the sea) obviously correlates with it's geographical location, however, I was intrigued to find out from one of my guides that to be 'Shanghai'd' used to be a relatively widely used term for being abducted against your will or to get lost in the middle of nowhere. I found this little etymological tidbit so interesting, because as soon as I entered into Shanghai, the middle of nowhere was the last possible place I could have been. Development is dense and sprawling. Nearly 23million people reside in the 6,000 square kilometer vicinity. The 420, plus kilometers of subway track make it the longest public transit system in the world. Buildings tower 400m above your eye-line. This ain't no Bermuda Triangle. Shanghai is a living, breathing, money making, game changing entity!
Of course the history, coupled with the modern day excitement, is enough of a reason to flock to the area, but this is me, and so food became the favoured focal point. Known for its diverse international pallet and abundance of ritzy haute cuisine, my personal appetite, nor my pocket book steered me in such a direction. I was in search of the local fare; the street food, markets, and most of all, the soup dumplings.
Xiao Long Bao, or Shanghainese soup dumpling are a staple of the local cuisine. Steamed or fried, these sensational balls of molten soup and pork filing are half way to being the only thing I needed to eat in Shanghai. Before getting down with these delicate and most delicious dumplings, however, I was on a mission to score some of my historical dumplings of choice --Dim Sum.
Being in China for my first time, eating Dim Sum in the place of its origin has always been a great dream of mine. Unfortunately, Shanghai is not exactly the ideal area to pursue cart service and seek out the supreme Shu Maii. Shanghainese cuisine is not Mandarin, and it certainly doesn't resemble Cantonese. Dim Sum is a relatively unique style of Cantonese cuisine that originates from Hong Kong, and so, while I had prepared some intensive research prior to departure, it seemed as though the options were fairly limited. Luckily, the fates were with us. As my close friend and travel partner, Yoni and I found ourselves in the middle of a crowded panoramic by the iconic Oriental Pearl Tower (a.k.a. the TV Tower, a.k.a. the Pearl of the Orient, a.k.a. another giant phallic symbol of modern wealth) in Pudong district of Shanghai, he remarked that he had read about a dim sum spot in some giant mall somewhere in the vicinity. Well there was some giant mall nearby called the Super Brand Mall. And that giant mall (the busiest indoor shopping centre I've ever entered) just happened to house the place we were looking for; Fu Lin Xuan.
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| Shrimp Cheong Fun |
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| Haar Gow |
This was not Hong Kong, but gaddamn was this bomb! We started off with Shrimp Cheong Fun; a classic favourite of rolled rice noodles stuffed with shrimp and smothered in a sweet soy sauce. The quality of the noodles and the flavour of the meaty, yet tender shrimp issued positive tidings for the future of this meal. The next hit was a Haar Gow (steamed shrimp dumplings) and Shu Maii (steamed pork dumplings with shrimp and fish roe) combo that did not disappoint. The Haar Gow was moist and well cooked, and the shrimp inside offered up the same quality as the previous round. The Shu Maii, while completely different from any other that I've tried was tasty, but lacked some tradition in my mind.
A trio of steamed sticky rice in lotus leaves with pork and egg followed. Then, IT came. My fantasies of Dim Sum in China were always littered with sampling the most spectacular preparation of a particular dish that I'd ever bit into. Well, one bite (no chewing needed) into the Ham Sui Gok (deep fried crescent shaped dumplings of glutinous rice stuffed with pork and vegetables) and IT happened. The blood rushed to my tongue, vision blurred and I knew that the next two bites were going to be pure magic. The problem with this dish back home, and the only potential disadvantage to a cart wheeling Dim Sum experience is that a lack of turnover on certain items can lead to a cold, unwelcome bite into an otherwise excellent piece of food. These puppies were fresh out the fryer, crisp and slightly salty on the outside, remarkably warm and sweet on the inside, and filled with a proper mouthful of quality ground pork and vegetables that rounded off the balance of the bite. That was undoubtedly the highlight of the meal, but lightning did strike twice in the same spot as my fantasy came to fruition once more in the form of our final dish. Sin Zuk Gyun (steamed bean curd rolls with pork and bamboo shoots) are one of those things that you either adore or abhor. Their slimy, slippery and sit steamed in their own juices; they're also, in my opinion, super excellent! The subtle flavour of the bean curd casing compliments the supple crunch of the bamboo shoots and salty swing of the pork. I think I may like Dim Sum a little too much. But really, there's nothing so overwhelmingly wrong with a slight obsession.
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| Ham Sui Gok |
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| Sin Zuk Gyun |
Satisfied, but not stuffed, Yoni and I wandered our way around the mall for a few minutes to prolong the re-submergence into the punishing heat of the city. It hard for me to believe that it took me this long to mention it, but the weather in China in the middle of July is nothing short of satanic. Near 40°C discounting the torturous 80% humidity, I walked around in a puddle of my own drippings for the duration of the week. Without exception, both Yoni and I were soaked through within 5 minutes of festering in the open air. Nevertheless, this was a touring trip and we were left with little choice but to bare the balmy climate.
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| Wujiang Road: "Food Street" |
From feast to feast we decided to hop the subway to the Peoples Square on the opposite side of the Huangpu River where we could roam the People's Park, saunter up the famous pedestrian-only Nanjing Road towards The Bund, and most purposefully, find the famous food street of Shanghai, Wujiang Road.
When I hear food street and I think of Asia, my immediate and enticing impulse is to assume that this means street food will be abundant. Stalls serving mysterious concoctions, with names that you need not know, for the point of a finger is the only mutual dialect available. To my brief chagrin, maybe it was too early, but all that was available outside the confines of a restaurant that featured a full-wall menu of illegible Chinese characters were a couple of fruit stands and a guy selling bottles of water. All was not lost, however, as it occurred to me in literally the exact moment that we turned the corner to reveal the beautiful, bright pink sign, that Yang's Fried-Dumpling lay claim to a piece of this neighborhood and a legendary Shanghainese treat.
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| The assembly line at Yang's |
As I mentioned earlier, Xiao Long Bao (steamed soup dumplings) are a staple food around these parts. Delicate, paper thin and perfectly steamed dumplings are stuffed with moist, flavourful pork and a searing hot few sips of sweet soup broth made from congealed pork fat which turns to soup during the steaming process. It's clear that the Shanghainese all have a preference, but Xiao Long Bao is the classic when compared to its arch nemesis Sheng Jiang Bao (fried soup dumplings). Wok fried in a bottom layer of oil so that the bottom become crisp and caramelized while keeping the top third of the dumpling soft yet slightly baked and doughy, the badass of soup dumplings puts up a hard battle against its lightweight counterpart. At Yang's they sprinkle the tops with white sesame seeds and some chopped green onion and pump out thousands of these bad boys a day for around $.75 for an order of four.
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| Sheng Jiang Bao |
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| Yang's Fried Dumplings and Curry Duck Blood Soup |
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| A look inside the molten mouth |
Our initial decision to split a single order with a side of curried duck blood soup was modest to say the least. After one painfully scorching, yet addictively satisfying bite we each agreed that a full order each would have to follow. The consumption process of the soup dumpling is directly calculated yet somehow always doomed to fail in some small fashion. Taking the dumpling up with a pair of chopsticks and supported by a spoon, the idea is to take a small nibble from the soft part of the dumpling, inevitably and unavoidably blistering the inside of your lips and mouth with volcanically hot, yet unstoppably delicious sweet pork broth. After sucking out the rest of the hot nectar you dip the dumpling into some red wine vinegar that I choose to ladle several spoonfuls of moist chili powder in oil into and continue to scorch the roof of your mouth as you attempt to exercise some form of restraint. There is no use in trying to fight the awesome power of the pork dumpling. But in the end, really everyone has won. The curry duck blood soup was also not too shabby and certainly one of those unique things that I would never get much of a chance to have tried until then. I was surprised at how inoffensive the soft, yet coriander driven broth was (as coriander is one of the few spices that I disagree with) and the pieces of congealed duck blood packed a nice flavour with a smooth gelatinous texture. More on the glory of Yang's later; this would not be our last visit!
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| The Machine hard at work |
Dusk had fallen, but the heat was still pervasive. We strolled over to Nanjing Road, one of the busiest shopping streets in the world, and spent a good hour taking in the beautiful, brightly lit buildings and hoards of people in the former epicenter of the International Concession. Amidst our setup of professional looking, tripod mounted photography it was amusing how we became as much a tourist attraction as the surrounding area. Commencing earlier in the day, and following us for the duration of our trip, much more so to our amusement as any bit of annoyance; people were taking photos of Yoni and I from every angle. Some attempted to candidly capture our image while other, more outgoing individuals came up and asked us to take pictures with their girlfriends, mothers, or the entire family. Coming from Korea, where I find that many people, whether out of conservatism, coyness, or a lack of interest, tend to work hard to avoid your gaze while passing in the street, and would certainly never ask for a photo op; I found that everywhere I went in China I was met with friendly smiles, waves, and no shortage of uninhibited voyeurs.
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| Yoni and I on Nanjing Road |
We parlayed our walk along Nanjing Road to its end and into the area known as The Bund. Situated along the Eastern bank of the Huangpu River, The Bund is the offspring of European and Middle Eastern immigration around the turn of the 20th-century and contains one of the most magnificent and well preserved assemblies of early 20th-century architecture. From the neoclassical HSBC Building to the art deco Peace Hotel, a walk along the boardwalk and a peak inside some of the buildings (if they'll let you in) is essential to a visit to Shanghai.
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| From the boardwalk of The Bund: The Customs Building (The same clock as Big Ben, assembled in London and shipped over in one piece) and the HSBC Building to its left |
A couple hours later and the beast in the belly started to growl out for more. Around The Bund the only restaurants that exist are swanky spots located on the upper floors of the iconic buildings so we figured we'd work our way back towards the peoples square and see what we could find on the way. Quickly realizing that our only options along Nanjing Road were crappy North American fast food chains, there was only one real decision to be made--back to food street--back to Yang's. We would have entertained other alternatives, but we figured that whether it would be Yang's or not, at leas that area might be more popping then it was earlier.
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| Street Grilling |
Without much luck in the Yang's department (they close at some unreasonable hour like 10pm) we wandered around a bit and managed to find a corner that actually featured a few vendors donning woks, noodle stations and charcoal lit grills with arrays of skewered meat and veggies. Jackpot! I later discovered that the street food culture has come under attack, due to the desire of the Communist government to control the distribution (and more so the income) of those selling on the street. Due to the essential illegality of the act, the street vendors are often difficult to find, yet well worth the stop.
We indulged in traditional Shanghainese fried noodles with green onion, bean sprouts, egg and
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| Shanghai Fried Noodles: dessert |
a little bit of pork. As we would learn several days later as we spent the day with 5-star Grand Hyatt Chef Frank Wang, typical Shanghainese cuisine consists of many of the same seasonings, however, the diversity of flavour is brought out in the cooking process or the choice of one or two specific ingredients. These fried noodles were done with salt, white pepper, ground chilies, dark and light soy sauce, a bit of corn starch for thickening and a dash of sugar to balance out the saltiness. Classic and comforting, this was a perfect nightcap before bouncing back to the hotel.
Day one in the bag and we're really just getting going. More mouthwatering meals to come!
