Food
Forget fusion, for Shanghai cai, old school is best
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-28 10:39
What irritates me is the sudden new wealth restaurants are finding in the simple act of calling themselves a "fusion" restaurant. Chinese eateries dress up their outfits with Western-style decor and fancy table settings instead of actually putting efforts into serving, well, decent food.
These tricky, underhand attempts to lure customers in - and raise prices - are something of an annoyance, or to say distasteful.
That's why I was so relieved to find comfort during the frigid cold snap in Shanghai last week in a homey restaurant serving more-than-decent Shanghai and Cantonese cuisines - and ever-piping hot ginger tea.
Liu Yuan, a restaurant that sticks to purely Chinese flavors, and atmosphere, helped me recover much-needed warmth in the pit of my belly, and gave me the energy needed to venture back out into the damp cold to make my way home.
What first meets the eye when you step into the diner are sparks of gold and tones of deep red, colors that represent fortune and happiness for Chinese.
The dishes are as tasty as they are colorful, which reminds me of the good old days, when foods was not filled with MSG ingredients, nor so Westernized.
Cold dishes here are diversified so patrons are sure to find something to sample that will please their taste buds. A must-try though is a classic Shanghai dish called you bao xia (stir-fried shrimps). With a hint of sweetness, every bite is as juicy as it is tender.
The real highlights are the hot dishes with plenty of options to warm the heart and stomach in the coming winter months. The nong tang gui yu (Mandarin fish with broth, 128 yuan), is served up with a whole fish in the soup, but the real essence of this dish is the broth itself.
Boiled for hours to salty perfection, it incorporates chicken, pork, ham, beef and shark-fin. The fish is then braised in the broth, together with an assortment of Chinese vegetables, chopped into small bits, to which thin sweet potato noodles are then added. A heater kept under the pot which keeps the broth bubbling hot is a nice touch. It is hands-down the best fish soup I have ever had in Shanghai.
Shanghai jiang fang (Shanghai-style braised pork with soy sauce, 82 yuan) is another local favorite. Though it may appear a little oily at first glance, it is actually less fatty and oily than it looks. Hours of braising has, in fact, removed much of the original fat of the meat. Wrap a piece of the savory pork in a lettuce leaf before plopping it in your mouth - and let the immediate melt-in-your-mouth satisfaction take over.
Another dish sure to comfort winter chills is the Shanghai-style hotpot (nuan guo). It is less work than traditional hotpot because everything is already put in the soup: white fish meat balls, yellow egg dumplings, red shrimps, black mushrooms and green vegetables. It is reminiscent of Spring Festival times from childhood, when families would prepare this dish to conclude a celebratory Chinese New Year dinner.
An added bonus: the service here is friendly and efficient. The restaurant also offers set menu dim sum options during lunchtime.
Liu Yuan
141 Shaanxi Road S., near Huaihai Road M.
陕西南路141号
Tel: 3406-0379
