Image
  • Writing
    • Andy Gavin: Author
    • About my Novels & Writing
    • All Writing Posts
    • The Darkening Dream
      • Buy the Book Online
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Untimed
      • Buy Untimed Online
      • Book Trailer
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Scrivener – Writer’s Word Processor
    • iPad for Writers
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Books
    • Book Review Index
    • Favorite Fantasy Novels
    • Andy Gavin: Author
    • The Darkening Dream
      • Buy the Book Online
      • Sample Chapters
      • Short Story: Harvard Divinity
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Untimed
      • About the Book
      • Buy Untimed Online
      • Book Trailer
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Games
    • My Video Game Career
    • Post Archive by Series
    • All Games Posts Inline
    • Making Crash Bandicoot
    • Crash 15th Anniversary Memories
    • World of Warcraft Endgames
    • Getting a Job Designing Video Games
    • Getting a Job Programming Video Games
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Movies
    • Movie Review Index
  • Television
    • TV Review Index
    • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    • A Game of Thrones
  • Food
    • Food Review Index
    • Foodie Club
    • Hedonists
    • LA Sushi Index
    • Chinese Food Index
    • LA Peking Duck Guide
    • Eating Italy
    • Eating France
    • Eating Spain
    • Eating Croatia
    • Eating Vietnam
    • Eating Australia
    • Eating Israel
    • Ultimate Pizza
    • ThanksGavin
    • Margarita Mix
    • Foodie Photography
    • Burgundy Vintage Chart
  • Other
    • All Posts, Magazine Style
    • Archive of all Posts
    • Fiction
    • Technology
    • History
    • Anything Else
  • Gallery
  • Bio
  • About
    • About me
    • About my Writing
    • About my Video Games
    • Ask Me Anything
  • Contact

Archive for Shanghai

Eating Shanghai – Jade Mansion

Oct12

Restaurant: Jade Mansion

Location: No.8 Century Ave, IFC, 4/F, Room L4-13, near YIncheng Zhong Lu / 世纪大道8号国金中心4楼L4-13,近银城中路

Date: August 11, 2018

Cuisine: Chinese

Rating: Solid slightly modern Chinese

_

After another great day trip to Hangzhou, famous capital of the Southern Song Dynasty…
1A0A5742
With its glorious Westlake and…
1A0A5808
famous Lingyin temple we return to Pudong for our final dinner in China. Sigh.

1A0A5862
Back by the hotel is Jade Mansion, a medium/high-end chain with several different branch styles.
1A0A5864
Including the horse wearing a lamp style.
1A0A5868
And the horses galloping on plates.
1A0A5869
Anyway, for only the second time on this trip I ordered some wine. NV Torrevilla Oltrepò Pavese La Genisia Cruasé. An inexpensive (by Chinese standards) and decent Italian pink sparkler.

1A0A5937
Vegetable spring rolls.
1A0A5874
Mushrooms, beansprouts, and tiny little shrimp. Interesting.
1A0A5876
Foie gras cups. Like a passing appetizer at a cocktail party.
1A0A5883
Shrimp jellies. Totally savory, and actually quite enjoyable for the jello-like texture.
1A0A5886
Spongey fungus. The sneaky meat is back, little ham bits or something floating in this vegetable dish.
1A0A5891
Salt and pepper shrimp. Shells on.

1A0A5898-Pano
Boiled chicken with garlic. Like Hainan chicken. Soy dipping sauce. Very nice straight up chicken. Delicate, but with a LOT of garlic.
1A0A5903
Sea cucumber and pork belly. Not as good as the cucumber at Shanghai Tang, but still good, with a similar rich Chinese Bordelaise sauce. The pork was incredible too.
1A0A5907
Crispy beef with aromatic peppers. As usual, I enjoyed this dish.
1A0A5918
Pork belly with fire-exploded kidneys. And cute pig buns! The pork belly and the rich (kidney?) sauce were great. Kidney was good for kidney. Not my favorite meat.
1A0A5865
We ordered this cute little fellow. I felt so sad looking at him in the bucket.
1A0A5932
Red rock fish. Nice fish, just lots of bones.
1A0A5934
Don’t kill me! Too late 🙁
1A0A5913
Greens.
1A0A5927
Shanghai style vegetable noodles. Classic soy sauce stir fried noodles. Very nice.
1A0A5935
Weird tea/bean sweet soup. Yep, these are never any good.

1A0A5870
Fruit. Much better.

Overall, Jade Mansion was interesting. They feature a lot of high end ingredients with very contemporary plating and Chinese sensibility. For the most part I maybe prefer slightly more traditional, but this was very tasty and the service was great too.

For my catalog of Chinese restaurant reviews in China, click here.

1A0A5820-Pano

Related posts:

  1. Eating Shanghai – Shanghai Tang
  2. Eating Shanghai – Xinrongji
  3. Eating Shanghai – Paradise Dynasty
  4. Eating Shanghai – Xie Wang Fu
  5. Eating Beijing – Xian Lao Man
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Champagne, China, Eating China, Eating Shanghai, IFC, Jade Mansion, pork, pudong, sea cucumber, Shanghai

Eating Shanghai – Xie Wang Fu

Oct10

Restaurant: Cheng Long Xing Xie WangFu

Location: Pudong

Date: August 10, 2018

Cuisine: Hairy Crab

Rating: Amazing crab

_

We spent a hot day but fun day in Suzhou.1A0A5548
A city often called the “Venice of China” before returning to Shanghai and Pudong.
1A0A5709
Our friend in Shanghai again offered to take us out, this time for some of the famed Shanghai Hairy Crab from Yangcheng Lake.
1A0A5701
This lead us into the huge side lobby of an even huger Pudong tower.
1A0A5699
And up to Cheng Long Xing Xie WangFu and…
1A0A5700
It grandiose gates.

1A0A5691-Pano
And even grander interior surrounded by semi-private and private dining rooms.
1A0A5572-Pano
This is actually INSIDE the restaurant!
1A0A5697
They had traditional musicians performing as well.

1A0A5580
We had our own private room with a view of the atrium.

1A0A5577
When we first sat, they showed us some of the bundled up crabs. For those not in the know, during the 9th and 10th months of the lunar calendar, autumn to you and I, Shanghai’s culinary scene is all about hairy crab. Hailing (supposedly, if not fake), only from Yangcheng Lake the crab has been famous for 2000 years!

1A0A5585
But before that, we began with some cold appetizers like this wood ear mushroom and pearl onions.
1A0A5587
This peanuts and other mushrooms.
1A0A5594
A section of shrimp, pork, peanuts, and pickled vegetables.
1A0A5598
Vegetarian abalone. Some kind of mushroom, but it was really delicious.
1A0A5604
Crunchy pickled carrot. Sweet and absolutely delicious.
1A0A5608
Nut cake. A bit like a peanut brittle.
1A0A5611
Bean curd.
1A0A5617
The simple Shanghai shrimp are everywhere! You pour a bit of vinegar over them.
1A0A5621
Spicy crispy beef. Delicious. I really loved this dish.
1A0A5624
Now the crab dishes invade. First some sesame buns that you stuff…
1A0A5628
To make hairy crab stuffed buns.
1A0A5627
Here is the meat from the hairy crab, mixed with “crab brains” (which is really crab liver).
1A0A5631
The staff showed us the whole steamed crabs after cooking.
1A0A5637
More smoked sweet fish.
1A0A5646-Pano
And the crab main event. Steamed Shanghai Hairy Crab. The guts proudly in the shell, the meat to the right, and the legs carefully prepared so that you can get every morsel out without any work. Love it when it’s easy!
1A0A5651
A close up of the crab itself.
1A0A5650
Steamed crab meat.
1A0A5656
Super crab cake. The meat and some kind of breading in a shell. Scrumptious.
1A0A5661
Crab XLB. Best Crab XLB I’ve every had. Crab and crab guts inside the delicate wrapper.
1A0A5662
A bit of lemon juice (slightly sweet) to cleanse the taste.
1A0A5665
Crab noodles.
1A0A5670
With more crab guts.
1A0A5676
For topping. This was some awesome umami crabby pasta.
1A0A5672
And fried rice cakes.
1A0A5673
Then sweet sesame balls. Like cute little eyeballs.
1A0A5683
Special tea.
1A0A5687
And a kind of wonton soup to close.

Overall, a unique meal I’ve never had before. Really fabulous crab and like a fancy Chinese version of one of the crab shacks from my youth.

For my catalog of Chinese restaurant reviews in China, click here.

1A0A5746

Related posts:

  1. Eating Shanghai – Shanghai Tang
  2. Eating Shanghai – Paradise Dynasty
  3. Eating Shanghai – Xinrongji
  4. Dim Sum is Shanghai #1
  5. Surprise! More Shanghai #1 Dim Sum
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: China, crab, Eating China, Eating Shanghai, Hairy Crab, Shanghai, Xie Wang Fu

Eating Shanghai – Xinrongji

Oct08

Restaurant: Xinrongji

Location: Location near the Bund

Date: August 9, 2018

Cuisine: Shanghai Chinese

Rating: Excellent High end Chinese

_

Our Shanghai friend really spoiled us today, first with a lunch at Shanghai Tang and then heading (after lots of stops) to…
1A0A5362
The Shanghai Bund with its classic older European buildings.
1A0A5365
And it’s new hypermodern skyline across the river in Pudong.
1A0A5380
Then upstairs to Xingrongji for a second epic meal of the day.
1A0A53811A0A5383
t

The space is extensive and beautiful.
1A0A5487
With all sorts of cooking stations including a roast duck oven.
1A0A5489-Pano
Fish station.
1A0A5490
Open kitchen, etc.

1A0A5384
Our table had a gorgeous view of Pudong and the Shanghai Tower (second tallest building in the world).
1A0A5388
I ordered the only “real” bottle of wine we had on the trip. Price wasn’t bad either considering the setting.

NV Pierre Péters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Réserve. VM 92. The Cuvée de Réserve (2013 base) is rich to the point of being almost tropical in profile. Then again, that is 2013, a vintage that produced wines with both elevated ripeness and acidity, especially in the Côte des Blancs. Sweet floral notes add to an impression of exoticism. The 2013 finishes with notable depth and definition.
1A0A5392
Honey pumpkin. Again, for the second time today. This version was more pumpkin focused.
1A0A5399
Foie gras with fruit sauce. Second time for this too today. Not quite as good as the Shanghai Tang version as the foie itself was drier.
1A0A5412
Roast Pigeon. Excellent rendition of this classic Cantonese dish. Rich gamey bird and perfectly crispy skin.
1A0A5413
Roast Pork. Amazing super fatty succulent pork. Like pig candy. Just awesome.
1A0A5426
Fish and charcoal tofu boiled in chili oil. This Szechuan dish was not nearly as spicy as in Chengdu, although it did have some Szechuan peppercorns piled in. Fish and “tofu pudding” is very common in this dish, but the charcoal tofu was unique and had a very smoky quality.

1A0A5435
Braised beef. Another meaty rich meat dish but extremely tender and delicious.
1A0A5438
Kung Pao Chicken. The classic.
1A0A5447
Mapo Tofu. I always love this dish, although again it wasn’t as spicy or numbing as in Szechuan.
1A0A5457
Peking Roast Duck. Our last duck of the trip. Cry.
1A0A5460
The slice it table-side as they should.
1A0A5463
Served with pancakes.
1A0A5465
Here is the meat itself. This was a very good roast duck. Not quite as good as in Beijing, but better than we get here in California by a touch.
1A0A5473
The condiments were extensive.

1A0A5428
Duck soup, which I never love.
1A0A5475
Glass noodles.

1A0A5484
Meat pies. Pork and scallion quesadilla sans cheese.

1A0A5479
Rolled rice and red bean rolls for dessert.
1A0A5486
Our table.

Overall, Xinrongji was another amazing high-end Shanghai restaurant. The kitchen didn’t feel quite as perfect at execution as Shanghai Tang, but the menu was larger, offering dishes from a broad area of China, and everything we had was very good. Service was top notch and the atmosphere was fabulous.

For my catalog of Chinese restaurant reviews in China, click here.

1A0A5491

Related posts:

  1. Eating Shanghai – Shanghai Tang
  2. Eating Shanghai – Paradise Dynasty
  3. Banqueting at Shanghai #1
  4. Dim Sum is Shanghai #1
  5. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Bund, Champagne, China, Eating China, Eating Shanghai, Peking Duck, Shanghai, Xinrongji

Eating Shanghai – Shanghai Tang

Oct05

Restaurant: Shanghai Tang

Location: 373 Huangpi S Rd, XinTianDi, Huangpu Qu, Shanghai Shi, China, 200000. +86 21 6377 3333

Date: August 9, 2018

Cuisine: Shanghai Chinese

Rating: Really fabulous and complex flavors

_

In Shanghai we met up with a friend who lives in the city and she took us around to all sorts of fabulous places — really showing us the best of the best in the city.
1A0A5224
This included the trendy XinTianDi area and a stunning lunch at:

1A0A5085
Shanghai Tang.
1A0A5210
Which, while we didn’t drink at lunch has a huge cellar of first growth Bordeaux and other trophy wines.
1A0A5211-Pano
And an elaborate build out, here showing the main room.
1A0A5086
And the snazzy corridor to our…
1A0A5087-Pano
private room.
1A0A5094
Drunken shrimp. Fortunately for the kids, we didn’t have to drown or kill them ourselves, this happened out of view. These extremely fresh, pretty much raw shrimp have a touch of alcohol flavor from their “drowning.”
1A0A5099
Bean curd with vegetables. Very delicate dish with thin bean curd.
1A0A5103
Honey pumpkin. Shanghai cuisine is sweet for Chinese, and this pumpkin was crispy but covered in a light syrup. Delicious actually.
1A0A5110
Foie gras with rice crackers.
1A0A5123
They cut the foie cubes and put them on the toasts for us. The liver was covered in a red wine reduction jelly and was really quite superlative.
1A0A5119
Salad. The rarest of Chinese creatures: the salad!
1A0A5131
Shanghai style smoked fish. This kind of almost candied smoked fish is a delicious staple of Shanghai cuisine and this version was the best I’ve ever had. The texture was both crispy and sticky and the flavor complex, sweet, and smoky.
1A0A5143
Sea cucumber noodle soup. Sea cucumber is a weird textured (and expensive creature) and really doesn’t have a lot of taste by itself but this dish was amazing.
1A0A5175
You add the noodles, like a Tsukemen ramen. The cucumber itself was incredibly soft and tender and the broth was insanely delicious.
1A0A5152
Steamed shrimp with vinegar. A simple dish and one of the weaker ones, partially because the small tails were annoying.
1A0A5164
Grandmother style braised pork belly and egg. To die for cubes of succulent pork skin, fat, and meat perfectly braised in a very Shanghai-style sweet soy reduction.
1A0A5169
Shanghai beef ribs. Another of these reduced sugar-soy dishes, but super tender meat.
1A0A5178
Conch soup. In a light and flavorful broth.
1A0A5185
Scallops and vegetables.
1A0A5190
Shrimp noodles. It’s very Shanghai style to pan fry noodles with soy sauce like this.
1A0A5194
Bean cakes. Lovely presentation and texture.
1A0A5208
Pan fried Shanghai pork soup dumplings. This is the classic Shanghai pan fried “thick” bun. These were some of the best versions of this I’ve had.

Shanghai Tang was at another level. The decor was amazing, the service refined, the plating elegant, and the food delivered on (mostly) Shanghai classics with a level of depth and sophistication I hadn’t experienced before. Bravo!

For my catalog of Chinese restaurant reviews in China, click here.

1A0A5242-HDR

Related posts:

  1. Eating Shanghai – Paradise Dynasty
  2. Dim Sum is Shanghai #1
  3. Banqueting at Shanghai #1
  4. Surprise! More Shanghai #1 Dim Sum
  5. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village
By: agavin
Comments (4)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: China, Chinese cuisine, Eating China, Eating Shanghai, Shanghai, Shanghai Tang

Eating Shanghai – Paradise Dynasty

Oct03

Restaurant: Paradise Dynasty

Location: 3/F, 8 Shiji Dadao, near Lujiazui Huan Lu 世纪大道8号3楼, 近陆家嘴环路

Date: August 8, 2018

Cuisine: Shanghai Chinese

Rating: Great XLB, everything else is just ok

_

We got in late to Shanghai and so we just popped over from our hotel into the IFC mall…
1A0A4979
Which is like a giant high end Beverly Center, in search of dumplings!
1A0A4980

Fortunately for us, the mall’s many restaurants include Paradise Dynasty, which is like Din Tai Fung’s more colorful cousin.
1A0A4981

See what I mean?

1A0A4984
Big contemporary space.

1A0A4982
And a glassed in kitchen.
1A0A4986
Salad rolls. Yeah, some kind of spinach-like green rolled up — you dip it in the sesame dressing!
1A0A4990
Plain noodles for Mr. Picky.
1A0A4992
Steamed baby shrimp. The Shanghai classic, a bit bland.
APC_1221-hdr
Vinegar, ginger, and chili sauce for the dumplings.
1A0A4994
Paradise special mixed flavor Xao Lao Bao (XLB). These were fabulous with very thin skins and eight different flavors.1A0A5039
You can see these listed below. My favorites were original, garlic, crab roe and Szechuan.
1A0A5006
Steamed garlic greens.
1A0A5009
Pork noodles. A lot like ramen.
1A0A5013
Vegetable potstickers. Not the most exiting.
1A0A5014
Steamed vegetable buns. Breadier versions.
1A0A5017
Crispy vegetable spring rolls. Quite light and crispy. Delicious.
1A0A5018
Pan fried Shanghai pork soup dumplings. Heavier than the XLB. Still delicious, but I prefer the light-weight classic XLB.
APC_1226
Wontons in chili sauce. Not particularly hot but delicious.
1A0A5030
Pork pot stickers. Just fine. Not nearly as good as the XLB.
1A0A5028
Crispy fried red bean pancakes.
1A0A5037
Deep fried buns. Just Chinese buns, fried.
1A0A5026
Mysterious light Asian fruity jelly. Loved it. I always like this stuff. Might have been like hyacinth and lychee.
1A0A5033
Sesame mochi balls in syrup. A lot of the kids (and many of the adults) love this dessert.
1A0A5036
Rolled mochi dough with red beans and peanut dust.

Overall, the XLB here at Paradise Dynasty were really good. I enjoyed the different flavors and the light wrappers were great. The other items, also pretty similar to Din Tai Fung were just fine.

For my catalog of Chinese restaurant reviews in China, click here.

1A0A5704

Related posts:

  1. Dim Sum is Shanghai #1
  2. Revenge of the Han Dynasty
  3. Eating Beijing – Xian Lao Man
  4. Surprise! More Shanghai #1 Dim Sum
  5. Banqueting at Shanghai #1
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: China, dumplings, Eating China, Eating Shanghai, Paradise Dynasty, Shanghai, XLB

J&J – Crab XLB

Sep25

Restaurant: J&J Restaurant

Location: 301 W Valley Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776

Date: August 9, 2017

Cuisine: Shanghai Chinese

Rating: Great crab XLB, but rest was just so-so

_

As part 3 of our mini lunch SGV parley we move onto mini-mall classic J&J.

It’s tucked at the back of the same minimal as Mian, Mei Long Village and Tasty Dining.

The typical pictorial menu.

SGV haunts fall into a couple categories. This is of the 10+ year old “ugly white drop ceiling older clientele variety.”

Crab XLB. This is why you come here. These were the best crab XLB I’ve had. Nice delicate wrappers and lots of solid crab flavor. This should not be confused with a categorical statement that they were better than the best PORK XLB I’ve had — just different beasts. I should have ordered the regular pork ones as the shells were great and so those might also be excellent — but we didn’t.

Crab Rice Cake. Crab in a sort of lightly curried sauce with the chewy Shanghai rice cakes. I liked the cakes and the sauce, but there was almost no accessible crab meat — unless you are a seal or some other animal natural equipped with shell crushing teeth.

Sweet and Sour Pork Chop. Not a bad version of this dish. Sticky soy-sugar sauce, little bits of bone, but very soft accessible meat.

Since this was just a couple dishes as part of a multi-restaurant crawl we only had a few things. The Crab XLB were great, the other two dishes just fine. They used MSG (I could feel it after). The atmosphere wasn’t exactly lively or updated. Service was pleasant.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Tidewater Crab
  2. Raw Crab Guts are Yummy
  3. Shanghainese at Southern Mini Town
  4. Hedonists Boil Up Some Crab
  5. Elite – King Crab Custard
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, crab, dumplings, J&J, SGV, Shanghai, Shanghai Cuisine, XLB

Shanghainese at Southern Mini Town

May04

Restaurant: Southern Mini Town

Location: 833 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 289-6578

Date: April 26, 2016

Cuisine: Shanghai Chinese

Rating: Tasty, but too much MSG

_

A couple of us Hedonists drove out to the SGV for lunch intending to go to Tasty Noodle House, but they were on summer holiday so we went next door instead.
 Southern Mini Town, despite the weird name, is a pretty ordinary looking SGV Shanghainese.
 The inside has that SGV vibe.
 Including the helpful “menu as wall decor.”
 House special two flavor shrimp. The right one was the simple white sauce shrimp and the left a onion based sweet and tangy sauce. In both cases the shrimp were extremely tender and well cooked. The “spicy” (not really) sauce was better, very good actually.
 String beans. Classic dish. A pretty good version. Beans were crunchy.
 Special beef tendon. Not so much tendon, actual meat. However the sauce, onion based and tweet and sour made it taste like my mom’s sweet and sour pot roast / brisket. Good stuff.
 Garlic ribs. Hot and fried, but a bit chewy and not enough garlic. This was one of our least favorite dishes.
 Fish filet in spicy sauce. Very similar sauce to the “spicy” shrimp, but not as tangy. Helped by adding vinegar.
 Beef and scallions. Okay. Tender beef, but not amazing or anything.

Shanghai pan fried buns. Excellent. They ought to be as a Shanghai cuisine signature item.

Shanghai steamed dumplings (XLB). Disappointing as the dough flavor was too dominant and there was little to no juicy broth. Not enough pork flavor for sure.

Overall, Southern Mini Town was okay. By non SGV standards it would be quite good. For the SGV, it’s just fine. I’ve had a lot better Shanghai food. And HUGE negative. I was walloped with a massive MSG headache about 45 minutes after leaving. About 25% of the places out here will use a lot of MSG, but plenty don’t.
 Tasty Noodle House is where we were originally trying to go.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Dim Sum is Shanghai #1
  2. Din Tai Fung Dumpling House
  3. XLB – Soup Dumplings!
  4. Lunasia Dim Sum
  5. Silk Road Journeys – Shaanxi Gourmet
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, hedonists, SGV, Shanghai, Southern Mini Town

Lunasia Dim Sum

Jun23

Restaurant: Lunasia [1, 2, 3]

Location: 500 West Main Street Suite A, Alhambra, CA 91801. (626) 308-3222

Date: April 29, 2014

Cuisine: Cantonese Dim Sum

Rating: Excellent

_

My brother and I continue our epic quest to sample all the top San Gabriel Valley dim sum restaurants. I’ve actually been to Lunasia before, for a big Cantonese Banquet, but this is my first trip here for dim sum (which is really their specialty).




Pictures are helpful, even for a dim sum veteran.


Jumbo shrimp har gow. As good a version as I’ve had.


Jumbo pork siu mai. Perhaps more succulent and tender than many.


Spinach shrimp dumplings. I’d swear these also had scallops in them. Interesting (and tasty). A different mealier texture to the skin.


Baked chicken bun. Full of meat and flavor, probably a bit better than at King Hua.


BBQ pork buns. Excellent rendition. Shanghai #1 might have the best of these.


Pork dumplings. This is the sticky fried mochi variety. They are slightly sweeter and have a wonderful texture.


Shrimp rice noodles. Great sauce and a nice version of this dish too.


Crispy Shrimp Roll. These have a lovely light crunchy texture. They came with a mayo! But I thought they went better with the sweet duck sauce.


Shanghai pork dumplings (XLB). The inside of these favorites (and we got 3 tins) were filled with really solid little pork balls. They tasted great, but Elite’s were certainly better (with a lighter thinner skin).


Hong Kong Roasted Duck. Tasty, but a little boney.


Duck sauce for the duck.


Sticky rice wrap. The classic lotus leaf wrapped sticky rice.


Here is the inside. I know it’s not the loveliest, but it was good.


Pan-fried vermicelli Singapore Style. My brother and I got this dish as kids — and it’s still just as good.


Egg yolk buns. Like Chinese Cadbury Eggs!


Sweet yolk inside! Kinda different, and very sweet.


Macao Egg Custard. This version was a little eggy.

Overall, another fabulous dim sum place. It’s hard to say which is best among Shanghai #1, Elite, King Hua, and this, as each has certain dishes they do better. Really just an embarrassment of riches.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Feasting Lunasia
  2. Din Tai Fung Dumpling House
  3. Dim Sum is Shanghai #1
  4. More Modern Dim Sum
  5. Christmas is for Dim Sum
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Alhambra California, Cantonese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, dimsum, Har Gow, Lunasia, san Gabriel valley, Shanghai, Steamed Pork and Shrimp Dumplings (Shao Mai)

Hedonists at Shanghailander

Jun12

Restaurant: Shanghailander Palace [1, 2]

Location: 1695 South Azusa Ave. Hacienda Heights, CA 91745. 626-839-7777

Date: June 7, 2014 and December 9, 2018 and July 25 & September 11, 2021

Cuisine: Shanghai Chinese

Rating: Excellent – best Shanghai food I’ve had in the US

_

Hedonist trips to the SGV and its requisite Chinese adventures are among my favorite dinners. Shanghailander specializes in Shanghai style cuisine (obviously). On the downside, it’s far — in Azusa — almost 40 miles from my house! But it’s so good it’s really worth a once a year visit. Unfortunately, it was 4.5 years between my first two, but I’ve been back a number of times since.


The atmosphere may not be the fanciest, but these big communal dinners are great fun.


2005 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese. IWC 90. Pale yellow. Rich aromas of lichee, lemon oil and pine.Luscious yet piquant tropical fruit flavors accented by smoke. In spite of the wine’s substantial depth, subtle acidity brings spice and finesse to the finish.

7U1A2653
Peanuts (12/9/18) to start.

7U1A2570

Real Chinese always begins with cold appetizers. Smoked fish (2014 & 12/9/18) is a classic Shanghai dish. Sort of like sweet crunchy fish chicken mcnuggets.


Marinated radish. A little sweet with a delightful crunch.
1A4A0665
A different kind of slightly sweet marinated vegetable.

Cold chicken (2014).

7U1A2579
Hainan Chicken (12/9/18). I think this was different than the above cold chicken from 2014. It was perfectly cooked and came with a garlic sauce.

Lamb in jelly. Tastes better than it sounds.

7U1A2571

A slightly different “meat jelly” on 12/9/18.


Marinated lima beans.


Shanghai style bran curd. Love this stuff. It has a sweet taste and spongy texture. It’s made from bran or wheat gluten or something.


Dates. Never had dates in a Chinese restaurant before.
1A4A4030
Greens with a peanut sauce. Not the most exciting.

Spinach. Kind of like spinach or broccoli soup — but not a soup.


Three cup chicken. Basically chicken with soy sauce — but boy, it was delicious. The sauce was sweetened and thickened perfectly.


2000 Mestre-Michelot Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières. 91 points. Lots of reduction (which I like).

7U1A2553

Sautéed shrimp (2014 and 12/9/18). Simple but tasty. I’ve had this dish dozens of times at many Shanghai restaurants and this was for sure one of the best versions I’ve had in the US.

7U1A2558
Fried fish with herbs (12/9/18). Lovely fried fish actually.

1984 Gros Frère et Sœur Clos Vougeot Musigni. 95 points. This is a great wine (good location in the vineyard and top winemakers) from a very off year — and it’s 29 year-old pinot noir. But somehow (and I’ve had 3 bottles) it’s still in great shape. Really quite lovely with a complex tar and cherry thing going on. I happen to find it fabulous.


Shanghai style braised pork in brown sauce. A huge hock of pig that falls off the bone. This is about as good as roast pork gets.

7U1A2582
1A4A0705
Grandmother’s BBQ pork belly (12/9/18). Perfect version of this rich, sweet Shanghai dish. Amazingly tender.

7U1A2589
Meatballs stuffed with egg (12/9/18). Very unusual dish (here, typical in Shanghai). A kind of fried meat ball with a gooey duck egg yolk INSIDE!


Crab with rice cakes and ginger sauce. This was also delicious. We ordered two and I couldn’t resist the soft chewy rice cakes in that sauce.

1A4A4051
Crab in a salty yolk sauce.


Tofu soup. Basically chicken broth with tofu and a bit of ham. Actually very tasty.

7U1A2565

Sea cucumber with shrimp roe (2014 & 12/9/18). Sea cucumber, the white stuff was roe, shrimp and fish. Weird soft textures but very pleasant. Not exactly a looker, but quite tasty.


West-like style whole fish.
1A4A0683
Squirrel Fish. Similar fish, but deep fried and in the super thick, super sweet and tangy sauce.

2009 Anderson Oaks Pinot Noir. 90 points. They weren’t kidding about the oak.


Tasty frogs. Bull frog Schezuan style in chili oil and peppers. Had some heat.

7U1A2615

Shanghai steamed dumplings (XLB) (2014 & 12/9/18). Always one of my favorites. The dough was great, the meat needed a hair more flavor, but I still ate about 6.

7U1A2620
Shanghailander pan fried buns (2014 & 12/9/18). A fried version of same. So hot they were hard to eat, but oh so tasty.


2003 Bennett Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Primus Reserve.


Shanghai duck (2014). Like Peking duck but… well not quite as good.

7U1A2604
Same dish 12/9/18. Prep was more elaborate and I think it was better.
7U1A2606

Here on 2 plates.

7U1A2626
Stir fried duck (2014 & 12/9/18). Delicious.
1A4A4086
Three cup chicken. They have a perfect version here, even if this isn’t my favorite dish.

7U1A2596
Cumin lamb with pancakes (12/9/18). Different and quite nice in the pancake.

1A4A4074
French style beef. This gets order too often (not by me!)


Vegetables. Some kind of greens, mushrooms, and bamboo.

1A4A0693
Stir-fried green beans.

7U1A2601

Spicy eggplant with garlic and fish sauce (12/9/18). Fish sauce is just the name of this kind of sauce. This was a great version. Nice soft texture and TONS of garlicky flavor.

1A4A4092
Eggplant in sweet soy sauce. A very different take on eggplant.


1997 Greenock Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. 93 points. Pretty dark purple color, showing some sign of age towards the rim. Very expressive nose of dark fruits (black currant/cassis, blackberries and blueberries), some elderflower berries, a touch of green bell peppers, some cedar wood and some sweet spices. Hits the palate with a full body, medium-low silky tannins and medium (to medium-low) acidity. There is tons of dark fruit on the palate, cassis and some sweet spices again. This is a pretty massive wine with good length. There is a touch of heat, but it’s not really disturbing since the fruit is very generous. Not the most complex wine, but powerful, balanced and totally mature now. It’s drinking really beautifully.

7U1A2633
Glass noodles with egg (12/9/18). Very pleasant.
7U1A2648
Pepper rib eye with lettuce (12/9/18). Fine, but not my favorite. Not as typically Chinese somehow either.


Shanghai style eel in pot. This was delicious. Soft and rich in a savory slightly sweet sauce. I tried to order it on 12/9/18 and our (very nice) waitress kept dodging the order under the theory that we white folk wouldn’t like it!

7U1A2655
Oftentimes a soup comes right before dessert, in this case a cabbage and pork meatball soup.
7U1A2657
The meatball was amazing and thee broth was tasty.
1A4A0675
Shanghai Noodles. Wokked with soy sauce.

7U1A2647
The the Chinese desserts like these deep fried red beep spring rolls (12/9/18). Chewy in texture.


Fresh fruit.


Sesame ball in wine soup. This is one of those odd sweet Chinese “soups.”


You can see the boba-like sesame balls. They were squishy and had a pleasant sesame taste. All very sweet and mild.

7U1A2658
The first of many large batch holiday flavors — Peppermint Gelato (12/9/18) — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — peppermint candy base laced with peppermint bark! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #peppermint #candy #holiday #winter
7U1A2661
A new variant on an old flavor — Cold Pressed Expresso Gelato (12/9/18) — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — cold pressed expresso base (usually I hot brew it) with Valrhona Dulcey Stracciatella! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #expresso #Dulcey #Valrhona #Stracciatella #ColdPressed #ColdPressedCoffee #coffee
1A4A4103
Grapefruit Aperol Tarragon Sorbetto (9/11/21) — Cold pressed Fresh Grapefruit juice from my garden, Aperol and fresh Tarragon! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Unique and bracing — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #grapefruit #aperol #tarragon
1A4A4107
Coconut Cream Pie Gelato (9/11/21) — Coconut dairy custard base, house-made GF Graham Crackers, and house-made Coconut Caramel — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #coconut #caramel #grahamCrackers #cookies
7U1A2628
Yarom and the owner on 12/9/18.

All in all, our 2014 was a fabulous Chinese banquet. Perhaps it is slightly better even than the similar Shanghai #1 Seafood village. The drive is killer though, as it’s 15 miles PAST our usual SGV haunts.

On our 12/9/18 return the meal was insanely good. Almost every dish was on point and many were unusual. Food was really really good. Service was great too but this was certainly the best Shanghai style food I’ve had outside of China — and this is just a couple months after my most recent visit to Shanghai and incredible means like Shanghai Tang. Shanghailander has an Arcadia branch too and we will also have to try that — although it’s not clear if that’s really closer as it’s so far north off the 10.

For more LA Chinese reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Some members of our party posing in front right before foot massage — 2014.

Wines from the 12/9/18 dinner:7U1A2538
7U1A2544
7U1A2547
7U1A2545
7U1A2551
7U1A2540
7U1A2541
7U1A2548
7U1A2542
7U1A2539
7U1A2550
7U1A2623
7U1A2549

Related posts:

  1. Hedonists go to Beijing
  2. Hedonists Noodle over Hoy-Ka
  3. Hedonists Hunan Style
  4. Phong Dinh – Hedonists go Vietnamese
  5. Hedonists at Jitlada
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinese Food, hedonists, Shanghai, Shanghailander

Banqueting at Shanghai #1

Feb19

Restaurant: Shanghai #1 Seafood Village [1, 2, 3]

Location: 250 W Valley Blvd. San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 282-1777

Date: February 16, 2013

Cuisine: Chinese

Rating: Very authentic Shanghai style

_

The San Gabriel Valley is a veritable treasure trove of Asian dining, particularly regional Chinese. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village is the LA branch of a high end Shanghai chain specializing in banquet dining.


The decor is Stark meets Chinatown. Interestingly, as cheesy as it is, it’s fairly authentic.


As this is a Hedonist/Foodie Club wine diner, we prearranged a banquet and reserved the usual giant table.


The menu is like a giant full color fashion catalog for food, but I thought I’d show a couple pages by way of example.


NV Peter Paul Wines Champagne. A nice, nutty mature champagne.


Marinated legumes (lima beans?). A very mellow sophisticated taste, and some of the best lima beans I’ve had.


NV Jean-Pierre Brouchard Champagne In florescence. 92 points. A brilliant Blanc de Noirs exhibiting a dense, yet crisp mouthfeel with subtle elegant mousse. The nose has a lot of mature red apples, lime zest and newly made French toast. The length on the finish is very nice. The wine is crisp and clean, still it shows all the best sides of the Pinot Noir varietal. Overall impression is that of a very good Champagne which drinks terrifically tonight but would not mind resting another couple of years.

This was much fruiter than the Peter Paul, but I liked the nuttier drier one better myself.


Roast duck in a heavy sweet soy. Bony, but very tasty.


Marinated cucumbers (pickles) in a sweet soy vinegar.


Squid with a sauce not unlike eel BBQ sauce. Very tender and tasty.


1998 Monbousquet Blanc. Parker 91-93. Earthy, mineral nose; earthy, mineral palate; medium finish.


Some kind of meat enchilada. Well, not exactly, but meat and vegetables in a cold thin crepe.


Meat and gelatin (aspic?). This had a very pleasant texture (like jello) and a subtle flavor.


Lotus root stuffed with sweet rice in a tea marinate. Very interesting texture and a lovely tea flavor.


2008 Ken Brown Syrah Rosie’s Rosé. Not bad, lot’s of strawberry.


Old Shanghai baked spareribs. Amazing Chinese-style ribs.


Chicken with scallions and soy sauce. It looked a little scary, but it tasted great (except for the requisite bone).


From my cellar: 1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots. 94 points. Wonderfull intense colour, complex nose and pure Volnay fruit. Dark cherry fruits, wet forrest and just a little animal characters. Just right to drink now, no decline at all.

My favorite wine of the night, but I’m a Burgundy troll.


Crab dry cooked with coconut? Hard to say, but it tasted great. A dry, slightly spicy crab that emphasized the flavor of the crab itself.


2010 Westerly Vineyards Pinot Noir. 90 points. full bodied pinot with nice fruit, full mouth feel.


Roasted pig leg. This had to be the ham part, the rear? femur.


The sever just slices through the skin and fat to reveal…


All sorts of goodie tender pork. Really melts off the bone.


2012 Bread & Butter pinot noir. I actually liked this better than most American Pinots, as it wasn’t really oaked at all. Very fruity, with berries. A young fresh wine, like a pleasant Villages.


Pepper steak. This was lovely chunks of juicy steak with a black pepper and soy sauce.


2011 Pierre Gonon St Joseph. Parker 93. The 2011 Saint Joseph offers lots of olive tapenade, black currants, blackberry, tobacco and spice in a medium to full-bodied, supple and beautifully fruited profile. Filling in nicely with time in the glass, this chewy, rich effort has ripe tannin, excellent freshness and a big finish. Enjoy it over the coming decade or so.

Lots of rich fruit, but not at all overbearing.


Shrimp two ways. On the left, salt and pepper fried shrimp (extremely tasty) and on the right, white sauce popcorn shrimp (pleasant but mild).


2005 Radio-Coteau Syrah Las Colinas. Parker 91. The 2005 Syrah Las Colinas reveals floral, blackberry, and peppery notes, medium to full body, and loads of meatiness in a pure, richly fruity style.


Shanghai style sweet and sour fried fish. This was one of those goopy straight up orange sweet and sour sauces, but it was awesome. Particularly dripped over rice. And the method of flaying the meat out and frying it created a much crisper effect, even if the appearance is a bit horror movie.


1994 Stonestreet Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 91-93. I have been a fan of this winery’s Pinot Noir, but I have not seen the newest offerings. However, I do have enthusiastic tasting notes on Stonestreet’s other red wines. The 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon appears to be even more intense and powerful than the 1993, with an opaque purple color, and gobs of lavishly oaked, smoky, cassis fruit intertwined with aromas of roasted herbs and high quality toasty oak. This powerful Cabernet reveals plenty of tannin, low acidity, and outstanding concentration and purity. This large-scaled, remarkably well-balanced wine should drink well young yet last for two decades.

Our bottle was corked.


Special Shanghai BBQ red pork. Oh so fatty and oh so tasty!


Mushrooms and bock choy.


Shanghai noodles. These are pan fried rice cake with scallions and sweet soy. Odd soft texture, but delicious.


2004 Colgin IX Syrah Estate. Parker 96. Aubert demonstrates a superb know-how with Syrah. These wines are macerated for 35-45 days, and given frequent pump-overs as well as punch-downs. They are aged completely in French oak. The floral-filled 2004 IX Syrah Estate (486 cases) offers super-pure blue and blackberries intermixed with hints of new saddle leather and meat. High but sweet tannins, powerful flavors, and an overall sense of poise characterize this stunning effort.


A strange Shanghai take on Ma Po tofu. It has peanuts, and a bit of spice, but the tofu is the firm kind instead of the silken tofu, and there is no yummy pork and mighty numbing Schezuan heat like here or here.


Crispy meat buns. A really great film skinned take on the soup dumpling.


On the right is a hard boiled egg that was underneath all that red pork belly. It’s saturated with sweetness and pork fat!


Fruit for dessert.

Overall, this was a really great meal. First rate Chinese and quite authentic and typical of high end banquet meals in China. We didn’t have the totally tricked out menu with all the sea cucumber, shark fin, and the like, but I don’t love that stuff anyway. Nearly every dish was wonderful. Service was fine (for Chinese). They brought things a little rapidly, but it was fine. Great experience.

For more LA Chinese reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Dim Sum is Shanghai #1
  2. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village
  3. Surprise! More Shanghai #1 Dim Sum
  4. Newport Special Seafood
  5. Feasting Lunasia
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinatown, Chinese cuisine, hedonists, San Gabriel California, san Gabriel valley, Shanghai, Shanghai #1 Seafood Village

Surprise! More Shanghai #1 Dim Sum

Nov11

Shanghai #1 Seafood Village has some of the best, freshest dimsum in SoCal, after 5+ visits I’ve compiled an ever growing catalog of this copious and delicious bounty…

Related posts:

  1. Dim Sum is Shanghai #1
  2. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village
  3. Din Tai Fung Dumpling House
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: China, chinese c, Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, dimsum, Shanghai

Dim Sum is Shanghai #1

Aug14

Restaurant: Shanghai #1 Seafood Village [1, 2, 3]

Location: 250 W Valley Blvd. San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 282-1777

Date: August 10, September 3, & November 10 2013 and June 19, 2022 (and more)

Cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum

Rating: Very authentic Shanghai style

_

The San Gabriel Valley is a veritable treasure trove of Asian dining, particularly regional Chinese. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village is the LA branch of a high end Shanghai chain. But today it’s time for dim sum!


The decor is Stark meets Chinatown. Interestingly, as cheesy as it is, it’s fairly authentic.

This time around we have come for dim sum. Yum!


2011 Domaine Collotte Bourgogne Rosé Marsannay. This is one of my go-to roses, as it’s all Pinot Noir from Burgundy. A wonderful sunny weather wine, it paired very nicely with the sweet and sour tones of the Chinese. There were a few rose-haters as usual, but this really is a great wine, bright and full of strawberry flavors.


Delicious pickled radish (probably Daikon). Crunchy, sweet, extremely enjoyable complex flavors.


2010 Servo Suo Prosecco. Very nice.


Special pickled fresh cucumber. Crunchy, with a bit of heat.


Old Shanghai stewed duck in Soy Sauce. Sweet and very smokey/ducky.


Old Shanghai baked spareribs. Amazing Chinese-style ribs.


A different kind of pork rib, almost certainly the same cut as the above BBQ, but steamed. Tasty, but not AS tasty as the BBQ version.


Old Shanghai Smoked fish. Nice smokey tea flavor with a bit of sweet.


Chicken feet with Black Bean Sauce. Eeew!


1974 Beaulieu Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve Georges de Latour. Parker 88. The wine’s color revealed amber at the edge, a roasted, herbal, sweet, spicy nose, loosely-knit, jammy fruit, and some hot alcohol in the finish. Lots of coffee and tobacco. Actually, although nearly gone, it was kinda delicious.


Peanut Pork & Chicken Celery Dumpling. Nice and fresh.


Beef ball with Orange Peel Sauce. Like a giant Chinese meatball, but almost tartar (on purpose). Very tasty and interesting.


2011 Prager Riesling Wachstum Bodenstein. A lovely dry riesling with a strong mineral component.


Cold chicken in sweet sauce. Not bad, but def tastes like chicken.


Deep Fried Turnip Pastry.


This is a kind of fried mochi stuffed with meat. Interesting chewy texture and a fairly tasty meat.


Baked chicken bun. The pasty has a light fluffy quality.


Here you can see the chicken, which was tasty, but pork probably would have been even better.


A sort of kung pao tofu (tofu and peanuts with a slightly spicy sauce). It was okay, with an unusual firm texture. I’ll still take a genuine Ma Po Tofu any day.


Shanghai rice cakes. These are pan fried rice cake with scallions and sweet soy. Odd soft texture, but delicious.


2001 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese. 93 points. Apple, peach and apricot, zest of citrus, ginger, gunmetal and hint of straw. Very ripe and deep. Sweet, but balanced.


House No. 1 Baked BBQ Pork Bun. Wow! They are right about the House No. 1 bit, as these are the best pork buns I’ve ever had.


Shrimp dumpling with chives. Nice.


Squid with shrimp dumpling.


Broccolini. Very nice and not over cooked at all.


2009 Meyer-Fonné Pinot Gris. 90 points. Unfortunately, this bottle was corked.


Stone Hot Pan Fried Rice with Pork. Stunningly good fried rice.


Classic lotus leaf wrapped steamed sticky rice.


But this one has abalone (fresh from Santa Barbara) in it. As usual with this place, a top example of the type.


Special Taro Cake. This was the unanimous “winner” of the “worst dish” vote. I suspect it’s excellent for what it is, but taro is so bland and pasty.

1A4A8242
Har gow (6/19/22). Classic shrimp dumplings.
1A4A8244
Spicy shrimp dumplings (6/19/22). Nice bit of mala inside and squid ink dough.


Some other seafood and green dumpling.


And yet another seafood dumpling!


Steamed veggie bun.


Vegetarian dumpling.


Bean curd with sticky rice. The rice is inside. Very mild and pleasant.


Bean curd with vegetables. Very tasty.


Special Soup Dumpling. Quite the dumpling! Full of shrimp and other goodness in a very pleasant broth.


1974 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa.


Steamed Shanghai Juicy Pork bun. Full of juice and oh so yummy!


Pork and shrimp shu mai.


Shrimp and squid. Sort of a Chinese gefilte fish (plus shrimp).


Pan Fried Shanghai Style Bun. Wow again! These are tremendous.


Shanghai Style Pan Friend Noodles. Not my favorite, as they are sweet and a bit too soy-ish.


Simple pan fried noodles. The kid version.


More chicken feet! Double eeew!


Steamed rice noodle with Beef. Yum. The beef was again sort of medium rare — and very tasty.


Steamed rice noodle with Shrimp and snow pea. Good examples of this type.


Steamed rice noodle with tofu and scallop. Interestingly soft. Kind of soft on soft on soft.


Rice crepe with crab. Wrapped around imitation crab. Pretty good though.


Sweet baked bun filled with taro.


Shanghai sweet cake? Another fried rice ball with a bit of some sweet mild fruit in the center. All about the texture, with a pleasant mild flavor.


Macau Style Baked Egg Custard. Triple wow. Best custard buns I’ve yet had, like creme brûlée.


Mango Pudding. Pleasant, mild, sweet  mango flavor.

1A4A8264

Pineapple buns (6/19/22). Pretty yummy.
Sweet cake. This pound cake is striped with sweet bean paste, which was pretty mild.

Overall, this was another great meal. It’s probably the best dim sum I’ve had in LA, really first rate. Stuff was extremely fresh, cooked to order and not on the carts. Service was good. They did their best to slow down for us (Chinese food is usually a breakneck frenzy). [ NOTE: the above was written in 2013, but by late 2014 I’ve found 2-3 better places (Elite, King Hua, etc), still SH#1 is very good ]

Thoughts in 2022. The dim sum here is solid, but not amazing (there are much better places in the SGV). Dumplings are a bit thick and oversized. But you can also order the Shanghai dishes and it’s a nice room(s), so nothing too wrong with it.

Plus, there is a $15 an hour foot massage place right downstairs (NOTE: closed by 2022).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more crazy Hedonist meals, click here.


 

Related posts:

  1. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village
  2. Food as Art: Ping Pong
  3. Din Tai Fung Dumpling House
  4. More Modern Dim Sum
  5. Christmas is for Dim Sum
By: agavin
Comments (6)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Dim sum, dimsum, dumplings, hedonists, Pinot noir, san Gabriel valley, Shanghai, Shanghai #1 Seafood Village

Din Tai Fung Dumpling House

Dec21

Restaurant: Din Tai Fung

Location: 1108 S. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia,California 91007. (626)574-7068

Date: December 8, 2011 & February 28, 2012

Cuisine: Chinese Dumpling House

Rating: Amazing Taipei spinoff

_

I love dimsum so much I was willing to drive 45 minutes out into the wilds of Arcadia to try this place. And it was well worth the journey. The “juicy pork dumplings” alone were worth the price of admission.


Classical Arcadia was a place of legendary beauty, filled with bucolic green hills, lazy shepherds, and nubile nymphs. Arcadia Ca features strip malls.


The chefs hard at work in their little glass tank.


Din Tai Fung is so popular we had to wait 30 minutes on a random thursday at 1pm. But they are nothing if not organized. The staff all wear secret service ear pieces and our order was taken before we even sat.


The huge menu. And it has pictures!


Some stuff appears to be take out friendly.


The setup of chopsticks, tea cup, and ginger.


Marinated cucumber in a sort of garlic ponzu type sauce. Nice and crunchy, but I was saving room.


“Hot and Sour Soup (pork).” A well implemented version of the classic.


“Seaweed and Bean Curd in Vinegar dressing.” Interesting “salad”.


Chicken and veggie bits over noodles. Looks bland enough but it tasted great.


“Juicy pork dumplings.” These are sometimes called Shanghai style “soup” dumplings. I’ve had lots of them but these were easily the best ever. These succulent little mouthfuls were superbly balanced.


“Shrimp and Pork Wonton with Spicy Sauce.” This was absolutely delicious. The dumpling could have been almost anything as the sauce made it more about texture than flavor, but they would have been good plain too.


“Pork sticky rice.”


This sticky log of rice contained bonus roast pork. Yum yum. You’ll notice the DTF food is heavy on both the carbs AND the pork.


“Noodle with mince pork sauce.” This was yummy too, although I have had better of this dish — in Xian China.


“Noode with spicy sauce.” This was actually tastier than the pork ones as the sauce had this nice spicy vinegar tang.


“Braised beef soup.” You can’t see them, but the soup is filled with more of the spaghetti-like noodles. The beef tasted like short rib.


“Vegetarian dumplings.” These were some of the better veggie dumplings I’ve had. Still, they don’t hold a candle to the meaty ones.


“Shrimp Fried Noodle.”


“Pork and Shrimp Shu-mai.” Not only did these look great, but they tasted fantastic. These were my second favorite after the straight pork ones.


“Shanghai rice cake with chicken.” This tasted fine (like soy sauce, in a good way). The rice cake has a weird chewy texture, not unlike jellyfish. It was actually kind of fun.


“Pork buns.”


Unlike the typical BBQ pork buns, these just had the slightly spiced (buy yummy) pork balls inside, not the sweet red BBQ pork. Still good.


“Juicy Pork & Crab dumplings.” Like the pork ones, but with a slightly weird crab aftertaste. We all preferred the plain pork ones, but I still happily kicked back about 5 of these.


“Sautéed mustard cabbage with garlic.” Fine for what it was. Boring!


“Sauteed Bok Choy with Garlic.” You’d swear it was the same as the mustard greens, and you’d be wrong!


“Pork Chop Fried Rice.” Pretty much exactly what you’d expect.


Yum yum, drown that baby!


“Fish dumplings.” I haven’t had a lot of fish dumplings, but these were superb! Almost as good as the pork. Well not quite, but they were really good.


Now the dessert buns. First the “black sesame.”


This were really good, with a sweet nutty taste. The bun itself is identical to the pork bun.


Then two other experimental types: “sweet taro” and “red bean.” All were pleasant, but the taro was like a bun stuffed with whipped sweet mash potato and the red bean — well like red bean.


Some kind of specialty “sweet rice” with bits of fruit and red bean paste.


I actually enjoyed this dessert. It’s sickly sweet with a peculiar Chinese flavor and very sticky.

Overall, Din Tai Fun was awesome. I’m so hungry just writing up this post and I want to go back right away. I don’t want to drive the better part of an hour just this second, but I want the “juicy pork dumplings.” It’s also a good deal. Four of us completely polished off the above. And yeah we pigged out. And it cost like $65!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Mark’s Duck House
  2. Food as Art: Ping Pong
  3. More Mark’s Duck House
  4. Christmas is for Dim Sum
  5. More Modern Dim Sum
By: agavin
Comments (7)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: China, Chinese, Chinese cuisine, Chinese Food, dimsum, Din Tai Fung, Din Tai Fung Dumpling House, dumpling, Dumpling House, Hot and Sour Soup, Noodle, pork, Restaraunt, Restaurant Review, Shanghai, Taipei
Watch the Trailer or

Buy it Online!

Buy it Online!

96 of 100 tickets!

Find Andy at:

Follow Me on Pinterest

Subscribe by email:

More posts on:



Complete Archives

Categories

  • Contests (7)
  • Fiction (404)
    • Books (113)
    • Movies (77)
    • Television (123)
    • Writing (115)
      • Darkening Dream (62)
      • Untimed (37)
  • Food (1,481)
  • Games (100)
  • History (13)
  • Technology (21)
  • Uncategorized (16)

Recent Posts

  • OOToro Double
  • Robo Eats – Anarbagh
  • Fred loves N/Naka
  • Major Major Major
  • Far East – Beijing Tasty House
  • Home Sweet Spicy Home
  • Quick Eats – Bafang
  • Quick Eats – Peking Restaurant
  • Quick Eats – MK BBQ
  • Wolfing it Down

Favorite Posts

  • I, Author
  • My Novels
  • The Darkening Dream
  • Sample Chapters
  • Untimed
  • Making Crash Bandicoot
  • My Gaming Career
  • Getting a job designing video games
  • Getting a job programming video games
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  • A Game of Thrones
  • 27 Courses of Truffles
  • Ultimate Pizza
  • Eating Italy
  • LA Sushi
  • Foodie Club

Recent Comments

Archives

  • March 2023 (9)
  • February 2023 (11)
  • January 2023 (14)
  • December 2022 (11)
  • November 2022 (13)
  • October 2022 (14)
  • September 2022 (14)
  • August 2022 (12)
  • July 2022 (9)
  • June 2022 (6)
  • May 2022 (8)
  • April 2022 (5)
  • March 2022 (4)
  • February 2022 (2)
  • January 2022 (8)
  • December 2021 (6)
  • November 2021 (6)
  • October 2021 (8)
  • September 2021 (4)
  • August 2021 (5)
  • July 2021 (2)
  • June 2021 (3)
  • January 2021 (1)
  • December 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (11)
  • March 2020 (15)
  • February 2020 (13)
  • January 2020 (14)
  • December 2019 (13)
  • November 2019 (12)
  • October 2019 (14)
  • September 2019 (14)
  • August 2019 (13)
  • July 2019 (13)
  • June 2019 (14)
  • May 2019 (13)
  • April 2019 (10)
  • March 2019 (10)
  • February 2019 (11)
  • January 2019 (13)
  • December 2018 (14)
  • November 2018 (11)
  • October 2018 (15)
  • September 2018 (15)
  • August 2018 (15)
  • July 2018 (11)
  • June 2018 (14)
  • May 2018 (13)
  • April 2018 (13)
  • March 2018 (17)
  • February 2018 (12)
  • January 2018 (15)
  • December 2017 (15)
  • November 2017 (13)
  • October 2017 (16)
  • September 2017 (16)
  • August 2017 (16)
  • July 2017 (11)
  • June 2017 (13)
  • May 2017 (6)
  • March 2017 (3)
  • February 2017 (4)
  • January 2017 (7)
  • December 2016 (14)
  • November 2016 (11)
  • October 2016 (11)
  • September 2016 (12)
  • August 2016 (15)
  • July 2016 (13)
  • June 2016 (13)
  • May 2016 (13)
  • April 2016 (12)
  • March 2016 (13)
  • February 2016 (12)
  • January 2016 (13)
  • December 2015 (14)
  • November 2015 (14)
  • October 2015 (13)
  • September 2015 (13)
  • August 2015 (18)
  • July 2015 (16)
  • June 2015 (13)
  • May 2015 (13)
  • April 2015 (14)
  • March 2015 (15)
  • February 2015 (13)
  • January 2015 (13)
  • December 2014 (14)
  • November 2014 (13)
  • October 2014 (13)
  • September 2014 (12)
  • August 2014 (15)
  • July 2014 (13)
  • June 2014 (13)
  • May 2014 (14)
  • April 2014 (14)
  • March 2014 (10)
  • February 2014 (11)
  • January 2014 (13)
  • December 2013 (14)
  • November 2013 (13)
  • October 2013 (14)
  • September 2013 (12)
  • August 2013 (14)
  • July 2013 (10)
  • June 2013 (14)
  • May 2013 (14)
  • April 2013 (14)
  • March 2013 (15)
  • February 2013 (14)
  • January 2013 (13)
  • December 2012 (14)
  • November 2012 (16)
  • October 2012 (13)
  • September 2012 (14)
  • August 2012 (16)
  • July 2012 (12)
  • June 2012 (16)
  • May 2012 (21)
  • April 2012 (18)
  • March 2012 (20)
  • February 2012 (23)
  • January 2012 (31)
  • December 2011 (35)
  • November 2011 (33)
  • October 2011 (32)
  • September 2011 (29)
  • August 2011 (35)
  • July 2011 (33)
  • June 2011 (25)
  • May 2011 (31)
  • April 2011 (30)
  • March 2011 (34)
  • February 2011 (31)
  • January 2011 (33)
  • December 2010 (33)
  • November 2010 (39)
  • October 2010 (26)
All Things Andy Gavin
Copyright © 2023 All Rights Reserved
Programmed by Andy Gavin