Shanghai 2012: Tang’s Cuisine

It was my third day in Shanghai and by this time, I had already consumed enough rich and greasy food to probably last me a month. But this trip was purely to catch up on all the food in Shanghai, and we didn’t see ourselves (or at least I didn’t see myself) returning anytime soon so we kept up the pace.

L woke up early to queue for some of Xiao Yang’s sheng jian for breakfast. I lazed in bed until he came back with two boxes of those ultra-sinful calorie bombs, still sizzling hot when we started eating.

Sheng jian, a sort of love child of xiaolongbao and guo tie, are fried on a cast iron pan until the bottoms turn deep golden brown and deliciously crispy. What makes them so addictive and yet, so tricky to eat, is the scalding hot pork broth which surrounds the juicy meat filling.

– CNNGo

We savoured every drop of the broth in the bun while waiting for Ben to wake up. When he finally did, I was all ready for our next meal.

L had always wanted to me try Tang’s Cuisine (or Tanggong Yihao) because they do some really great dim sum. Fortunately or unfortunately, it was packed with the lunchtime crowd and required an hour’s wait, so we decided to squeeze in a foot massage just next door.

By the time we were done with our hour-long massage, the crowd had more or less dispersed and we were seated very quickly. Very pleased I managed to get a shot of everything we ordered (I usually miss a dish or two once we start eating) so here goes.

Hungry after a massage
 

Me and Mr. Ben, our lovely host
 

Scallop congee with shredded chicken
 

Barbecued meat platter
 

Pan-fried bean curd roll with shrimp
 

Stir-fried turnip cake with XO sauce
 

Steamed shrimp rice flour roll
 

Truffle dumpling with wild mushrooms
 

Barbecued pork bun
 

Siew mai
 

Ben’s almond dessert

If I had to pick one place to go to for dim sum the next time I visit, this would be it. The food was top-notch, every dish was well-presented, the service was attentive (a wait staff showed us all the way to the escalator after the meal), and the bill was reasonable. It unquestionably beats Maxim’s in Hong Kong any time. I now hold Cantonese restaurants to such standards (in terms of both food and service), so it’s going to be difficult to find me raving about another one in the near future.

Sigh. Shanghai, what are you doing to me?!
 

Tang’s Cuisine (Tanggong Yihao)
3/F Jinjiang Dickson Center
400 Changle Road
Shanghai, China
Tel: +86 21 5757 5777
 

Read the rest of my Shanghai travelogue:
Part 1 – A Charme-d lunch
Part 2 – Brunch at Jean Georges
Part 3 – The Spice Spirit service
Part 4 – Tang’s Cuisine
Part 5 – Brunch at Kommune
Part 6 – Fabulous dinner at 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana