Hong Kong - Wu Kong Shanghai Restaurant 滬江大飯店

It's an institution in Hong Kong.  It is as the cliche goes: tried and tested.  It is also a great bet, as I've learnt, to get modern renditions of traditional tastes from the Shanghai region without feeling like you've sold out.  And the late-ish Friday night craving for a hairy crab set menu didn't disappoint.  Set A, that is.  Yes, it's more expensive but it was good value compared with my similar hairy crab meal at nearby Shanghai Min a couple of weeks ago.  

Braised Hairy crab and Sharks' Fin

Un-politically correct but a nice way to warm the soul after sitting at a freezing salon for 3 hours.  Not the best bowl of fins I've had but it was generous for the crab roe and tasted more like roe soup than sharks fin.  With a dash of vinegar, we were off to a good start.

Stir fried hairy crab on steamed glutinous rice with stir fried Dou Miao

Although I found the glutinous rice a tad sweet, the stir fried hairy crab was just unadulterated goodness concentrated.  With a different vinegar laced with smashed ginger, same but different.  Very enjoyable.  An accompanying bowl of dou miao (pea shoots) ensured we got our fiber intake for the day.

Hairy Crab Xiao Long Bao

I'll be honest.  I'm not a big fan of XLBs.  I don't generally like eating the unknown and many a meals which I've had on the mainland guessing to myself what meat they use in the XLB filling...  This was was generously laced with hairy crab meat and actually quite good.  My benchmark is Din Tai Fung, which I still crown as my fave.

My trick for eating the XLB without sacrificing the soup is to actually nip a little hole at the top, pour in some vinegar, then pour all the liquid onto a spoon and drink.  I devour the rest slowly.  Not the most traditional way, but hey, I get the goodness first then decide if I want to even eat the rest.  For the record, I finished this one.

The real McCoy

Not the biggest..  but get real, this is a prix fixe offering.

Dissected

Could do with a little more roe but at least this one tasted real and good.  Roe was flavorful and rich.  Out of this world with yet another vinegar that was sweet - think balsamic.  Very good.  A little deeper into the season when the crabs are pregnant with more, and we're talking serious business here.

Glutinous rice balls with a sweet sesame filling in ginger broth

To finish, a typical dessert of glutinous rice balls stuffed with a sweet sesame molten paste hits the spot. Although the skin was not thin and chewy, the filling was pretty good and made up for a thick, powdery skin.  Ginger broth was milder than the last cuppa ginger tea, which had enough heat to chase any Yin-ness away from the crab.  

Yes, Chinese believe hairy crabs are extremely Yin by nature and so to harmonise the body during and after consumption, a lot of ginger is introduced (in sauces, teas, and desserts).  What we didn't order at this eat-and-run was an aged bottle of Huadiao, a Chinese yellow wine typically consumed with preserved plums, which also provides enough Yang-ness to balance.  And for those who are dying to ask, no, dining with a male companion is not enough.

Unit B, 17/F, Lee Theatre Plaza

99 Percival Street

Causeway Bay

Tel: +852-2506 1018

Autumn Achievements - Hairy Crab

This year's hairy crab season was enjoyed entirely outside of the home.  A touch of lazy, a touch of convenience.  No messy steaming, no messy washing up.  Smiles..

Go traditional at Hong Kong Lao Shang Hai, one of Hong Kong's oldest Shanghai restaurants, where waiters are still in the traditional white shirt and black trousers, but both garments are washed thin and have seen better days.  But the knowledge of the waiters on the food is unsurpassed and if you find one that's friendly enough to share, he is going to tell you what the real deal is and you shall follow his bid and enjoy a traditional Shanghainese meal in the heart of Wanchai.

Goose liver pate smeared with Zhejiang vinegar and honey

Yes, even the Chinese know a thing or two about their foie.  And this is one fine way of enjoying it.  Smooth liver paste served chilled and given a breath of acidity from the vinegar and honey "jam" over the top.  Not greasy and very enjoyable.  Only complaint - it's a mighty small serving.

Steamed hairy crab

Then the real McCoy arrives.  And yes, please Mr. Waiter, I would like you to help open it up.  And this one does not disappoint.  The golden yellow hue of the roe is a sight for sore eyes and the accompanying crushed ginger in Zhejiang vinegar is an excellent way to cut through the richness of the roe.

Shanghainese pulled noodles with stir fried hairy crab

A wonderful way to retain the taste of the hairy crab is to have more of it - finishing with stir fried hairy crab, generously slathered over an al dente hand pulled noodles.

Glutinous rice dumplings in Osmanthus and Fermented rice syrup

This is probably one of the best of its kind.  Extremely fragrant and without the usual cloying and tongue clinging sugariness in lesser bowls.

Xin Ji Shi's hairy crab bowl

For those really lazy and happen to be in Shanghai, just go to any Xin Ji Shi restaurant in the city and order a bowl of hairy crab.  No peeling, snipping and digging necessary.  It's all right there, stir fried with a hint of ginger and served in a generous deep terracotta bowl celebrating the crab.  Just open up and say aaaaaaaah........

For those who want a touch of swank, with awesome views from within the No. 1 Peking Road building, another Shanghainese brand has set up its "premier" outlet there.  Unfortunately, the Xiao Nan Guo in Hong Kong is not anywhere close in food standards to its Shanghainese mother.

Stir fried river shrimps with hairy crab

Spicy rice topped with hairy crab in a stone pot

The quality of the hairy crab used was unlike its name.  It certainly wasn't premier since it didn't taste or smell like the crustacean we are used to.  So despite clever creations, the punchline wasn't delivered and the joke was on the diner.  Quite unfortunate.

A decent enough season but lesson learnt - enjoying hairy crab season is an aged old Shanghainese tradition which can only be enjoyed at timeless places.  Forget the swank and just get down and dirty.  You'll be a lot happier.

老上海飯店 Hong Kong Lao Shang Hai Restaurant

UG1, Novotel Hong Kong Century, 238 Jaffe Road, Wan Chai

Tel: +852-2827 9339

新吉士酒楼(久光店) Xin Ji Shi Restaurant (Jiu Guang Department Store branch)

静安区南京西路1618号久光百货8楼(近静安寺) 

8th Floor, Jiu Guang Department Store, No. 1618 Nanjing Xi Lu, Jing An District (near Jing An temple)

Shanghai
Tel: +86-21-62883658

小南國壹號 Xiao Nan Guo Premier
10F, 1 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852-2527 8899

Hangzhou - Long Jing River Shrimps (龙井虾仁)

Picture taken at Jin Sha, the Chinese restaurant of the Hangzhou Westlake Four Seasons Hotel.

Quintessential dish of Hangzhou (the capital of Zhejiang province) which marries its renowned young tea leaves with the fresh sweetness of the river shrimps.  Apparently, the leaves must be harvested around the time of Chinese all souls’ day (清明节).  The result: a subtle dish that is fragrant from the leaves and appropriately textured from the sweet crunch of the shrimps, and a visual that is almost virginal. 

Folklore has it that the Qing emperor Qianlong fell in love with this dish on his “undercover” visit to the region in his time.  The dish was apparently an accident created by an anxious chef who mistook the tea leaves for scallions, scattering them over stir fried river shrimps for color and fragrance.

Jin Sha

Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake

5 Lingyin Road

Hangzhou

China

310013

Tel: +

86-571-88298888

浙江省杭州市灵隐路5号

Hairy Crab Season

Still on the hairy crab season and theme, we decided this time to get down and dirty with the real McCoy ie. steamed whole and eating with bare hands (assisted only by crab scissors).  And the best place and best value place to eat it is at home.  During the season, many places in Hong Kong offer free delivery above a certain order and all you have to do is steam it, get ready the condiments, and enjoy.  Of course, lazy people like me with small kitchens prefer to have everything done and delivered.  All I have to do is unpack and enjoy!  Piece of cake!

Since Benson does the latter, inclusive of steaming the crabs, and delivering them complete with chopped ginger, a bottle of vinegar, and home-made ginger tea, it was perfect.  As a bonus, we bought extra crab scissors and scoop, as well as a bottle of aged Shaoxing wine.

The Shaoxing wine can be warmed up if you like (which I do)..  comes across as more fragrant and smooth, and overall more comforting to drink up.  Since the hairy crab is believed to have an abundance of "yin" energy, it is important to balance it up with some "yang" and the wine helps.

I verified with the dealer and they confirmed that it is the season for male crabs so we each decided to have 2 male crabs.  It took me a full 2 hours to get through them..  the premium to enjoy the creamy yolky goodness of the male sperm mixed with the roe.  A glorious combination.  Although the meat from the hairy crab is nothing to shout about, this is really secondary since it is prized for the roe under the shell.  While any description with references to the sexual anatomy and product of the crab does not sound the slightest bit appetizing, people who have had a taste of the manna is likely to want to have more.

Overly rich by itself, the special vinegar for crabs from Zhejiang, spiced up with the heat from the ginger, it is a perfect accompaniment and facilitates a sustained feast of the crustacean.

Finish off with a cup of warm and sweet ginger tea to replenish lost "yang", relax, reflect and savor God's gift from the Yangcheng lakes just outside of Shanghai.  And then, wait for the female season to arrive (soon!) before doing this again.

Singapore - Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant

Happy National Day, China!

So how apt for me to do a post about one of China's greatest inventions.  The dumpling.  Although Nanxiang seems to have done the literal translation of 包 which is bun.  I guess they do buns too.

I try and avoid Chinese food when I visit Singapore since I always feel that I can get much better in Hong Kong, where I live, and for greater value too.  I also try to avoid Bugis Junction since the parking is horrendous.  So on this very odd occasion when the 2 no-nos met, Mom and I found ourselves at Nanxiang.

It's a fairly comfortable place to eat at - bright (read stark white and made even brighter with natural lighting in the day).  First time - so we limit our order to "chef favorites".

To start, we got the Homemade Tofu.  It was surprisingly very firm - almost bouncy - from the abundance of meat and seafood infused into the tofu.  So it was really a slab of meat/seafood roll infused with tofu.  Served with a sweet chili dip, it was pretty tasty - most deep-fried things are.  Personally, I would have preferred the presence of more tofu and a softer texture though.

The Bean Sauce Minced Pork Noodle (炸酱面) was mediocre if you have had the same in Beijing.  This is a less oily version but while the mince was salty enough to give the noodles a little bit of lift, it was a pretty flat taste.  Hardly a hint of anything else to allow the eater to think about what else went in to make the sauce.  The noodles were borderline firm enough, and the julienned cucumbers were a tad soggy even if chilled.

The stir-fried string beans (干煸四季豆）were pretty addictive though.  Well fried to still retain a good juicy crunch, even if this ain't the most healthy way to eat vegetables, it sure is tasty.  There was just enough minced pork to give the beans a salty and smoky flavor, they did not overpower.  Would be nice with steamed rice but not too salty to have on its own.

Our finale was the quintessential reason for this place's existence.  The Crab Roe and Pork Filling Steamed Bun (蟹黄小笼) is 2 prices up on the traditional pork only but what the heck, the other being the crab meat and pork filling.  Note the little wooden sign in the bamboo basket which says crab roe in Chinese - so there is no confusion in delivery.  The skin was thin enough for the most part, but I had to spit out the part where they pinch it at the top of the bun to make the ripples down the sides of the bun.  It was far too thick and had been dried out for some reason so it tasted crusty.  The filling had a little more pork bite than the traditional which I tend to like, since it's not so fatty, but the roe was probably not the best kind as it did little to add any hint of the sea at all.

Overall verdict: if you happen to be stuck in the area, it's ok to grab a quick one here.  There are definitely noticeable differences in standards from its home in Shanghai, and I think you can probably get better ones, even in Singapore.  Besides, the price point at Nanxiang isn't low enough for that to even be a consideration.

200 Victoria Street
#02-53 Bugis Junction
Tel: +65-68357577

Hong Kong - Din Tai Fung

If dumplings are your thing, then Din Tai Fung is your place.  It's not great for much else but the dumplings definitely steal the show.  I'm not a dumpling fanatic but I always leave satisfied.  The only exception was the outlet in Singapore's Paragon.  I haven't verified this but I'm told that there is definitely a difference between a real Din Tai Fung and a franchisee and that's the reason for the variation in quality.  I've had the good fortune to try the original in Taipei and am happy to say the one in TST's Silvercord mall is pretty darn close, and a lot more comfortable.

The winning appetizer to start is the jelly fish and radish salad, julienned to be the exact same size and blanched to be almost similar in crunch too.  Tossed lightly in sesame oil, the only difference between the 2 is the taste of the sea from the jellyfish and the sweet taste of the earth from the radish.

Not to detract from the dumplings, the Xiao Long Bao（小笼包）are perfectly done.  The skin is thin but strong enough to hold a juicy meatball on the inside.  The meatball is loosely packed so as to be able to disintegrate as you pop it in your mouth, and the accompanying soup stock within the dumpling is sweet and satisfying.  Dunked in the accompanying Zhejiang or black vinegar with thin strips of young ginger, it is the perfect mouthful.

The other dumplings we like are the meat and chive dumplings in a vinegared chili oil（红油抄手).  The dumplings are a tasty combination of meat and vegetables also wrapped in a thin but firm and slightly chewy skin which pick up the sauce adequately to give it the taste and with enough heat so as not to overpower.

The other dinner is actually the fried rice with deep fried spareribs (炸猪扒炒饭).  The spareribs are competently done but what is most impressive is actually the rice.  The use of pearl rice grains means the rice is individually tasty and each grain absorbs the flavors of the frying process and firm to the bite.  The  simple accompaniments of egg and spring onions give it rough flavor for you to enjoy the rice just on its own.  If you don't like pork, there is a shrimp version which is equally good.

Stick to the favorites, and you'll have a wondrous meal here.

Shop 130, 3/F, Silvercord
30 Canton Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852-2730 6928

Shanghai - 點石斋小宴 Dian Shi Zhai Restaurant

  

It's an interesting name to begin with.  But as CG's wife E explains over a pretty poor phone line, Dian Shi Zhai used to be a comic tabloid in the old days of Shanghai..

.. and so the explanation for the boy and girl caricatures at the entrance, etched onto old-style glass.  So in literal terms, it's a comic dining party.  The joke ends there though.  As you enter, it's like visiting a middle-class Shanghai family home in the '30s.  There is eager anticipation as we walk up 3 flights of stairs to our dining area, and happily to a table by the window.  As you soak in the atmosphere, you can almost imagine what it would have been like 70 years ago..

Since it was my first time, and I got the privilege of ordering, I chose some Shanghainese staples to test the place out.  After all, it would be such an anti-climax if they don't even do the classics right.  

The appetizer of chilled jelly fish heads were competently done.  However, unlike most places which deliver it tossed with a vinegar-based dressing already, this version came separate.  Interesting.  Chinese eat jelly fish heads for texture - it's also more expensive than the body for its slightly softer crunch.  Jellyfish is tasteless and so it acquires the taste of whatever it's dressed with.  In more cases than not, it is served cold and with vinegar which is dressed up, in this case, with soya sauce and a touch of sesame oil.  The dressing is a little bit more salty than usual but nevertheless went well.  

The deep-fried little yellow fishes were excellent and while done to a perfect crisp, it had a slight sweet-finish marinade which made it even tastier.

  Perfect with the aged Hua Diao wine we ordered, if only our servers remembered to bring it timely without our reminders.  It is the middle of summer but on a rainy day, it was cool enough to still enjoy a smooth yellow wine which I like for its almost herbal qualities, and a very subtle alcoholic finish.  

Our favorite appetizer was the bean curd sheets, a Shanghainese specialty, which were done the thinnest I have ever seen but still retaining enough elasticity to lend towards a chewy texture and soaking up the clean flavors of simply sauteed Chinese mushrooms, and made fragrant with Chinese parsley and sesame oil.  So simple but so very well executed. 

Our first mains was the quintessential dish which marries both the fresh river shrimps and the flash-fried crab meat, painstakingly extracted from crabs in nearby local lakes.  The freshness of the dish is apparent from the extreme crunch from the prawns and the creamy flavorful crab mixture.  My only complaint is that it seemed to lack much taste - perhaps after the good appetizers - that I thought the ginger in the crab overpowered everything else and became inadvertently bland.

However, the shrimps were still a lot better than the only disappointment of the night.  Our lion's head in a similar crab meat mixture was awfully bland, and unfortunately did not deliver the expectations we had placed on this - yet another Shanghainese classic.

For fibre, I get my favorite local loosely-translated into chicken-fur vegetables.  I never got round to asking why they are such and can only imagine its the way they look when plucked.

To finish, the Shanghainese noodles tossed in simple scallion oil and made even tastier by the adornment of deep fried dried shrimps.  阳春捞面 or Yang Chun Noodles is definitely a flavorful staple which any Shanghainese should be proud to call his/her own.  Such a simple way to blend otherwise none-too-exciting ingredients together for a brilliant taste.  

Overall, I thought it a great place to enjoy a local Shanghainese meal that wasn't too oily at all, and especially great for people looking for a touch of the old Shanghai.  If you're lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of the neighbor enjoying his shower, modest only through very frosted glass.  The only thing you might not like is that China still allows smoking in restaurants, and it's not a big enough place for the smoke to not get in your eyes..

徐汇区永嘉路 320号 

(No. 320 Yong Jia Road in Xu Hui District)

Tel: +86-21-54650270/1 

Hong Kong - Liu Yuan Pavilion 留園雅敘

It's not your typical Shanghainese restaurant but this is quintessentially Shanghainese.  A comfortable layout, not too squishy, and if you're lucky, you can ask for a booth seat.  But it can still get noisy, but the food distracts you from that pretty quickly.

Crispy eel - done so well - of course it's crisp and the flavours of the sauce and the eel are quickly amalgamated in very hot oil, and served with chilled slivers of preserved young ginger.  Appetites whet..

Chilled heads of jelly fish in a scallion laced sesame oil - crunchy coolness with a fragrance that is unmistakable.  Perfect for summer.  Appetites really raring to go now..

Not easily available, this dish of "Wo-Ba" ie. deep fried rice cakes smeared generously with multiple layers of salted egg yolk paste is a delight in itself.  Forget the cholesterol factor when you're eating this.  Order a beer or a coke and just savour the delightful burst of flavours exploding in your mouth.  A definite order every time I come here.  Just make sure you have company but not too much..

For those who like all manner of burgers, try this one.  A beautiful cut of Yunnan ham (tender and not stringy at all), topped with a crispy dried beancurd skin, served in a Chinese steamed bread and drizzled generously with an Osmanthus honey..  Ooh ya..

Needless to say, Shanghainese wantons here are ridiculously good.  Al dente skins wrapped around a well seasoned minced pork filling, given crunch by finely chopped up vegetables, served in a clear but wholesome Chicken broth.  Comfort food at its best.

I like my Dan Dan noodles.  I try to eat it everywhere so I have a very clear picture of what I like and the one here is right up there with my favourites.  Suitably spicy but flavourful from the variety of dried shrimps, peanuts, chillies, and goodness-knows-what other secret ingredients they cook this one with.  Very very good.

For those who come during Hairy Crab season, order anything with the hairy crustacean and it'll be good.  I could not resist posting last autumn's yummy dish of hairy crab and roe with Shanghainese mung bean sheets.  A dish to savour and remember until next season..

3/F The Broadway
54-62 Lockhart Road
Wan Chai
Tel: +852-2804 2000

Hong Kong - Shanghai Lu Yang Cun Restaurant 上海綠楊邨酒家

This has got to be one of the busiest come-back weeks in my career.  With projects and crises boiling over, there was hardly time to breathe, let alone eat.  So Friday night was a welcome treat, and of course catching up with people I have known for over 2 decades, OMG!!  If I were to lie about my age, I would say that I knew that from my previous life.

I finally decided on going Shanghainese, and to take them to Shanghai Lu Yang Cun.  An old hand who recently renovated along with the makeover of the World Trade Shopping Centre, the restaurant has taken on a modern look, and is no longer a noisy bustling place, but with segregated seating areas, making it more exclusive and more importantly, quiet.  Acoustics could still do with a bit of work though.  Service was brisk and efficient but not warm, unless you're a regular.  No complaints though.

We started with 2 appetisers.  The "hau foo" (四喜烤麸) which is essentially is gluten pieces braised with Chinese mushrooms, peanuts and wood ears is a healthy dish which is high in protein and low in fat.  Lu Yang Cun's version is also not oily but very tasty.  One of my favourites owing to the texture of the gluten and how it manages to soak up the sauces and take on a very different persona and completely mask its own.

The other appetiser of the chilled clove chicken （丁香鸡）is a specialty of Lu Yang Cun, and I was strongly advised to reserve it when I called for reservations.  It is similar to Cantonese Sha Geong Kai (沙姜鸡) and the sauce has a strong hint of cloves with a tad of ginger, sesame oil.  Although it was good - chicken pieces well steamed so that it was still moist, I would have preferred a wine-soaked chicken as a test of a good Shanghainese restaurant.

J hadn't tried hairy crabs before and I was hoping for some tail-end inventory but unfortunately she will have to wait till next autumn.  We did have the flower crabs, which are in season, stir fried with edamame in a thick soya sauce.  The crab was very fresh, with fall-off-the-shell sweet flesh, and extremely generous in roe, which the sauce complemented well, to take any hint of "fishiness" away, and to lend a creamy finish.  Of course, the edamame is addictive with this sauce, and we continue to pick at them even after the meal is said and done.

The other dish you are advised to reserve is the stewed belly pork called Dong Bo Pork or 东波肉 for those who read Chinese.  The gravy was impeccable and one can easily down 2 bowls of rice with it.  Not an obvious pork gravy, it had hints of spices and wine, with a touch of sweetness.  I was not that impressed with the meat though.  While the skin was braised to a melt-in-mouth texture, the meat itself could have been a little more that way.  I found certain parts still a little chewy for my liking, and detracted from a 100% enjoyment of the dish.

For J's benefit, who is on a low-carb diet, I ordered the broad mung bean vermicelli (Fun Pei or 粉皮) stir fried with seafood.  I love fun pei, and can eat it all day long.  The slightly chew texture is especially good stir fried with hand-picked hairy crab meat and roe but this dish wasn't bad either.  Well fried to not retain an oily finish, it was tasty and absorbed the goodness from the seafood.

To finish, we ordered the 酒酿圆子 or mini rice dumplings in an osmanthus-flavoured fermented rice soup.  Not for the uninitiated, the slight sourness from the fermentation process is an acquired taste, as S found out.  Lu Yang Cun's rendition is pretty authentic and if you like this dish, it is not a bad place to order this.

A very decent venue with authentic Shanghainese goodies to catch up on more than 2 decades of friendship.  My best wishes to J on hitting the big 4-0 before any of us, and also as she embarks on a new chapter with her family in Melbourne.  Cheers!

11/F, World Trade Centre Shopping Arcade, 
280 Gloucester Road, 
Causeway Bay
Tel:+852-2881 6669

Hong Kong - ye Shanghai 夜上海

From what little I know about Shanghainese cuisine, Ye Shanghai could in my book, be considered one of the pioneers in modernising the cuisine for today's more health-conscious palates - little less sweet and a little leess oily. It's not going to classify as health food, but it certainly is going to leave you a little less heavy after a typical Shanghai dinner.

The smoked egg is possibly one of the better ones around - with a very moist centre and a subtle smokiness. If you're not an egg lover, you'd think it's just another hard boiled egg but if you appreciate eggs, the methodology behind it is something unique to the Shanghainese and a source of pride in getting it just right.

For the summer, a more luxurious version of the standard cold noodles - Seafood cold noodles. The generous toppings of shrimp, scallops, and clams added to the freshness of the appetising noodles, which comes with 4 sauces for you to add to taste, depending on what you fancy - sweet hoisin sauce, sesame sauce, soya sauce and chilli oil. The taste options are limitless. And you can add as you go along too!

The Shanghainese cabbage, made tastier with salted pork and ultra smooth tofu in a tasty superior stock, was better than most and although I don't ueually make a huge fuss about vegetables, I thought this was worth more than a mention.

The minced chicken and pine nuts served with sesame pockets is a huge winner with most although after you have had the hairy crab version in the autumn, this becomes ordinary. But worth a try if you've never had it but remember to eat it as soon as it arrives at your table since the pockets go flacid pretty quickly.

The usual winner of stir fried river shrimps with Long Jing tea leaves was a tad oily last night and therefore disappointing.

The other dish of Jin Hua ham with a crispy bean curd sheet served between a steamed Chinese bun in an osthmantus honey did not taste as good as it looked. But if they had used better cut of the ham and bean curd sheets, this is usually a great sandwich to dig into also.

Desserts were very mediocre - so while the glutinous rice balls in fermented rice wine and osthmantus was decent, the red bean pancakes were not fried in the freshest of oil. Edible but not worth the calories to finish.

I still perfer the Pacific Place branch and have had better experiences there but if you're shoping in the Harbour City complex and crave Shanghainese in a comfortable setting, the HongKong hotel branch is still worth a visit.

6/F, The Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel,

Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel: +852-2376 3322