Nan Xiang mini bun, 南翔小籠包

The original shop of this one is in Shanghai Yue Yuan (豫園). I have been to Yue Yuan a few years ago and was told it's the best at making mini bun. In seeing the long queue, I decided to skip because personally I don't like mini bun that much. That's also why I visited this HK branch a few years after their opening. Actually I found out those famous restaurants like Siu Nam Kuo (小南國) are not that good as compared to the Shanghai restaurants in Taipei and Hong Kong. It's not about the taste. It's about the cooking technique and the source of ingredients. Those famous restaurants in Shanghai even picked up some cheap sauce and unfresh shrimp, but charged at the same price level as those of restaurants in Taipei and Hong Kong. So I personally don't recommend people to try Shanghai food in Shanghai. If you want to, try those in Taipei. However, if you want seafood, then HK may be the best. I noticed the Japanese and HK people know how to keep seafood fresh. The key is at the time when the fishermen catch the seafood.

1. Ordered a rose tea. It's pretty good. 2. the mini bun - the dumpling is a bit thick. Supposed this one should be a thin one. However, personally I like it thicker as I prefer the flour taste to the juicy soup inside.

3. Egg plant in thick soy sauce - a bit disappointing as it doesn't have the "burnt" aroma and silky texture, but for health reason, it's a good one because when having the "burnt" aroma and silky texture means the eggplants having been cooked at high heat and with a lot of oil. 4. Shrimp, chicken/ham fried rice - a typical Shanghai style fried rice. I think this shop needs to have a more powerful stove or the Chef didn't turn on the high heat. Supposed the egg should be quick stir fried first at ultra high heat and put on the side of the wok, and put the shrimp/chicken/ham and rice...in and quick stir frying it. However, the egg is a bit too well-done and dried. That means the Chef didn't use ultra high heat to quick stir fry it. To this texture of fried egg means it is cooked for quite a long time at low or medium heat. So that's the point of cooking technique and in fact 100 people would cook to 100 different tastes on the same recipe. Those people saying "oh this is my secret recipe or this is supposed to be the eldest son to keep it and pass it to his next eldest son...etc.". I hope they should go to the book store and see why there are so many famous chefs writing books of cooking. Wouldn't they want to keep those recipe for themselves?

5. the classic dish that I often try in various Shanghai restaurants, just like I try Pad Thai and SomTam in most Thai restaurants in Thailand. If a Shanghai restaurant can't do this one well, then it can't be named as a Shanghai restaurant. So this one is quite ok but the sauce is not that good. Supposed this one should be with a bit of "burnt" aroma. However, the meat balls are good - juicy but not mashy. 6. This soup bun with crab roe is really disappointing to me. They used some smelly crab roe. So I dropped it.

7. Sesame dumpling in ginger sweet soup - it seems the Chef didn't do a good job on the flour part. The dumpling is quite mashy. However, the ginger soup is really nice - strong ginger taste. 8. mini dumpling in wined rice sweet soup (酒釀丸子) - another disappointing sweet I have tried. Trying this one often reminds me of my favourite Shanghai restaurant on Chatham Road in Tsimshatsui - Shanghai Garden上海花園. It moved to the mid-level in late 90's but then disappeared. I really miss their food. They put peeled tangerine in it and made the whole sweet a lot different and yet their mini dumpling is chewy but not hard. After that, there is no other Shanghai restaurants in Taipei, Hong Kong and Shanghai making this lovely sweet with tangerine.