Friday, October 03, 2008
Shanghai, China, 25-28 Sep 2008: Street Food
Cheap & Good
In Shanghai for a short trip. The street food is great, and prices are really kind to the wallet. My favourites are juicy Xiaolongbao and Shengjian - steamed and pan-fried versions of pork-filled dumplings. My best XLB experience was eating 32 of them at the Nanxiang Mantou shop in Yuyuan, Shanghai Old Town. There is invariably a long queue at the takeout counter of the famous shop. The counter cooks efficiently toss baskets of XLB into paper cardboard trays for the eagerly waiting and hungry customers. The queue moves relatively fast, but is interrupted by 10 to 15 minute spells of agonizing wait as fresh batches of XLB are steamed. Dining in the restaurant offers more variety, but at much higher prices. Wujiang Road, near Nanjing West Road, has a busy food street. Crowds form quickly at 2 popular stalls - Xibeilang Barbecue Shop and Xiao Yang Fried Dumplings. The barbecue meat is spicy and deliciously moist. Yang's Fried Dumplings, Shengjian, are said to be Shanghai's best. Prepared fresh, the hot juicy soup filling bursts out unexpectedly as you take the first bite. I squirted some on my shirt. However the taste more than compensates for the minor sartorial mishap. |
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These are the 30 countries that I have ever set foot on. Airport stopovers don't count!
