Beijing and Shanghai dining help.

[david li]

David; Thanks again...Any more specifics about Shanghai would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!
Marshall

Almost forgot..you are very lucky to visit Shanghai in the fall. This is the season for local hairy crab. It is a real delicacy. (you can check out Bourdain's shanghai episode). The best place in Shanghai is called Cheng Wang Fu. They offer some set menu to give you a full experience of the crab. If you decide to go, I can give you some recommendation on the dishes that you should try there.

David; I would love to hear about the hairy crab as my sister in law is planning for us to try it. I do realize that it is a seasonal delicacy.

Cheers!
Marshall

This is a meat ball stuffed with crab roe and steam for hours. It is very tender and delicious. Just be aware it is made from hand chopped pork belly with added pork fat.

[Marshall Gelb]

Marshall

If your sister in law can read chinese, I would suggest her to check out this place
http://www.dianping.com/shop/500102

Following this link you can reserve table and buy a groupon like voucher for a set menu (at 60% off). Also, there is another little secret you will love. You can bring your own wine. Just ask for glasses. You should try to pair it with tradition Shanghai rice wine. (Huang Jiu). They are sweet and resemble sweet sherry. Also a nice bottle of chablis pairs very nicely with the rich crab. The best part of the crab is its roe. They also have a dish which the fat part of the roe is extracted and served on rice. If you bring a bottle of bubbly, it will be heavenly. I hope you enjoy [/quote]


David; Thanks again and my SIL is totally fluent in a couple of different Chinese dialects. My brother, Andrew, who is also on this Board, is certainly monitoring this thread and will point her to that website.

Thanks again!

Cheers!
Marshall

[Mark Y]

Marshall

If your sister in law can read chinese, I would suggest her to check out this place
http://www.dianping.com/shop/500102

Following this link you can reserve table and buy a groupon like voucher for a set menu (at 60% off). Also, there is another little secret you will love. You can bring your own wine. Just ask for glasses. You should try to pair it with tradition Shanghai rice wine. (Huang Jiu). They are sweet and resemble sweet sherry. Also a nice bottle of chablis pairs very nicely with the rich crab. The best part of the crab is its roe. They also have a dish which the fat part of the roe is extracted and served on rice. If you bring a bottle of bubbly, it will be heavenly. I hope you enjoy

wow $30 for a hairy crab feast.. that's pretty cheap.. good reviews too.
mmmmm the roe.. is.... ridonkulous..

[c fu]

so good. so little suckers are expensive. But that roe.

[Andrew Gelb]

She's the good looking one on the right....

I will make sure she sees the link! She was born in Shanghai and our family is there. Thanks much!

Andrew

[david li]

so good. so little suckers are expensive. But that roe.

The preserved roe in pork fat and served over warm rice...Heaven...
I am trying to come up with a recipe without using the pork fat..so I can bring in into states.

[John Coop]

Yes, this gal will become my wife.

[Marshall Gelb]

Yes, this gal will become my wife.

Congratulations! Any food tips to add ...very quickly!



Cheers!
Marshall

[Marshall Gelb]

A little fun update from Shanghai. We have been on a bit of a dumpling quest and had a lot of fun! I have to admit that I am not a real "chain restaurant" guy. So, we did try Din Tai Fung, ( I have been to the one in Arcadia) and it was quite good. Very clean and actually rather antiseptic. For me, it did not hold a candle to Nan Xiang in Old Shanghai or Tai Kang Tang Bao on Nanjing Road. They were both great experiences and believe it or not, actually full of Chinese people! Tai Kang was also the soupiest of the dumplings and had a bit of a smokey flavor to the filling.

Anyway, things have gone amazingly well and I will eventually get some pix up on FB.
Thanks for all the tips, more comments to come!


Cheers!
Marshall

[Andrew Kotowski]

Best duck I had in Beijing below. Have no idea what it says; I had handlers

I really liked this place. Again, need someone to translate. Probably better with a local, but hey, it was good enough for Joe Biden

They say cleanliness I next to godliness; you'll need to forget about that when eating at the above place (and quite a few others). That said, food was great.

[Andrew Kotowski]

Re: Da Dong. I didn't think it was in the running for best duck in Beijing, but hey, I only went to three places and I'm no expert on duck.

That said, it was a hell of a restaurant, and a great foodie experience. Couple of highlights below.

Wasabi duck feet. Crazy dish, but tasted great. Gotta be ready for the texture thought...

This mushroom/broth dish was amazing. My friend talked about picking these same types of mushrooms out on a mountain side when he was a kid, so I may have gotten caught up in the nostalgia thing

I've cooked several steak dinners for my friends that took me out; this was their payback. Chinese equivalent of Kobe. Was very good, but I don't want to know what the price point was.

[Andrew Kotowski]

Two more Da Dong pics for you.

Vegetables were incredibly fresh. This was a pretty simple dish and believe me when I say I'm generally a red meat kind of guy... but this was fantastic.

Same thing here, insert shrimp.

As noted, I never saw a bill, so can't speak to that. I can tell you it was a great dining experience.

Other note, seemingly random, but I don't want to make another post - if you're going to see Chairman Mao, bring your passport. I still managed to get in, but blowing past security with your thumb over a Chinese guy's face on his national ID card is generally not a recommended approach :O Fortunately, I made it inside before the guard could catch up with me.

[Marshall Gelb]

Great pictures Andrew. I have put up a bunch on FB as I am not too good at getting pix onto this site.

Cheers!
Marshall

[doug johnson]

A few good and interesting places I recently found:

Hang Teng Ge Li - Xinjiang food in the Xinjiang provincial government representative office in Beijing, a short walk from the Bai Shi Qiao South subway stop. Serves a mean da pan ji, wicked lamb kebabs, tasty breads, and a great lamb and rice dish.

Fuzhou City of Jiangxi province representative office - somewhere in Fengtai. Never had this food before. The food was at turns spicy like neighboring Hunan (a wicked hot mi fen dish), but also featured light and delicate soups and stews that would fit in a Zhejiang restaurant.

Din Tai Fung - many locations of this Tawainese xiao long bao chain in Beijing, I'm sure. A nice one in the Parkview Green building close to Ritan Park.

Caspi - get your Azerbaijani fix in a little walking mall directly across the north gate to Ritan Park. A bit like persian, a bit like turkish, and a nice break from chinese.

Xibei You Mian Cun - several locations. Go for the oat noodles dressed with lamb sauce and an eggplant/tomato sauce.

Pleasant Seascape Restaurant - perhaps the best food I've had in Beijing. Mostly cantonese style dishes - excellent honey glazed roast pork, scallops stir-fried with asparagus, lilly bulb and gingko nuts, and a vinegary salad of manchurian wild rice. On the 3rd floor of the shopping mall attached to the Financial Street Ritz-Carlton, on the opposite side.

[ClarkstonMark]

Marshall, I was just in Shanghai last year (check out my FB album for pics) and had a wonderful time, so I am very envious of your upcoming trip. One of my musts whenever I visit is the Din Tai Fung in Xiantiandi. Yes, I know there is one in Arcadia and (now) in Costa Mesa, but these two US locations really do not hold a candle to the one in Shanghai (and of course Taipei). In the same mall, there is also Crystal Jade, which does outstanding hand-pulled noodles and dim sum. I especially recommend their crispy pork belly. For a bit of a spurge and a nice view of the Bund, Mr & Mrs Bund is whimsical and delicious, especially the foie gras with pomelo and the short rib teriyaki. For a cheap but absolutely delicious snack, try Yang's Fried Dumplings. I was not impressed with Table No. 1, however. Even though Jason Atherton is a Gordon Ramsey protege, the food just did not live up to the hype.

Have a great time!

I am not sure for how long, but for anyone like me who glanced at this 'old' thread and went out in Shanghai, both Din Tai Fung and Crystal Jade are currently closed in Xiantiandi (the entire 2/3 floors of the building are closed).
Xiantiandi was a great place to walk around, and ended up getting a Didi to DTF in Kerry Centre.