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

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.

Hong Kong - Benson Cuisine & Wine

Autumn...  hairy crab season!  My first taste of the crustacean this year since I discount the negligible morsel in my xiao long bao.  First taste and no messy peeling necessary.  Benson does a Shanghai Hairy Crab Set Menu this season where it's not quite the traditional way of eating Hairy Crab but uses the crustacean as a basis for a Modern European meal with Italian influences to create a pretty decent dinner.

Shanghai Hairy Crab Set Menu

Seasonal Fresh Oyster (2 pcs)

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Prawn Bisque with Shanghai Crab Meat

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Sherbet

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Shanghai Crab Ravioli with Spicy Tomato Sauce

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Shanghai Crab Linguine or Risotto

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Ginger Soufflé

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Ginger Tea

At HK$680 per person, it's pretty good value since there are quite a few courses, and at least 3 of which come with the crustacean.  Here's my take:

1. The oysters were fresh..  but think they weren't the best.  Especially since my recent experience at Casa Fina is still in my mind.

2. The prawn bisque served in a coffee cup, was a very tasty but not heavy concoction just lightly laced with cream.  And there was more than just a couple of pieces of crab in a fairly tight space and the first tastes of the crab meat were that they were firm, sweet and certainly very much this season.

3. The sherbet was forgettable.  Way too creamy to be sherbet for me, and so a tad much.

4. I liked the crab ravioli.  The skin was al dente with the right amount of bite and chewiness, and the crab meat this time was broken down further with bits of crab roe.  Served on a light tomato pureed sauce, there was also a side dish of Zhejiang vinegar with chopped ginger to add a little acidity and heat.

5. My favorite was my choice of the Shanghai Crab Risotto (see pic above).  There was a generous serving of a well sauteed mix of crab meat and roe over a bed of al dente risotto.  So tasty I had to make it last.  So generous I had no problems doing so.  I would have preferred a Japanese sweetish vinegar with this since the Zhejiang vinegar had way too much heat from the aged ginger that they used and interfered with the freshness of the crab after a while.  

6. Ginger souffle and tea were ok, nothing to shout about.  I am not the hugest fan of ginger but since Chinese believe that the hairy crabs have an overly cooling element, one must consume ginger to balance out the "yin" from the crabs.  So I dutifully do so. 

My only complaint to the meal is that since it's supposed to be the season to consumer male crabs, we did not get any male specimen, which we eat for the gelatinous "sperm".  Instead, we only got the orange roe from the females, which aren't quite seasonal until in about 2 to 3 weeks or so, as I'm told.  

Good thing Benson has a supply outlet just across the restaurant that we might just order from.  They steam it for you and deliver for free if you're in the Happy Valley area, complete with the vinegar, and ginger tea.  Tempting for a Sunday dinner this weekend..

No. 12 Sing Woo Road

Happy Valley

Tel: +852-28936900