Up to Shanghai (as an expat) - November 17th 2009 and onward

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February 2010


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Dinner at Home on February 9, 2010
I thought this dinner looked good enough to photograph. Little did I account for the steaming eggplant. We had dressed cucumbers, eggplant with pork, and pork chops on baby (Shanghai) bok choy.
I thought this dinner looked good enough to photograph. Little did I account for the steaming eggplant. We had dressed cucumbers, eggplant with pork, and pork chops on baby (Shanghai) bok choy.
Dinner at Japanese BBQ Restaurant on February 10, 2010
No Picture Associated With These Comments
On Wednesday, February 10, 2010, Di Yin and I returned to the all-you-can-eat (and drink) Japanese BBQ restaurant. Sorry, I didn't have my camera. We went for the pricey selection and ate boneless short ribs, assorted vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, banana (good grilled), fish (some kind of white fish that we grilled ourselves (as with the other items I listed before this)), salad (still delicious), salmon sashimi, assorted sushi rolls, bibimbap, cucumber kimchi, chawanmushi, and Japanese seaweed soup (Di Yin eats this when she's sick; I can see why: it's appealing and soothing). I think that's it. We drank plum wine, orange juice, and oolong tea. I did the grilling (rather well, if I do say do myself).
Incidentally, these shiitake mushrooms weren't as good as the shiitakes we grilled ourselves at a Korean joint. Most of these were flatter and had a tapered edge. I think the fatter ones without the ridge taste better.
Dinner at Home on February 11, 2010
Given that I took a picture of our dinner on February 9th, I knew I had to photograph this larger, more impressive spread: rigatoni and mushrooms in a spicy tomato sauce, eggs scrambled with fish and green onions, dressed cucumber (freshly made, as with everything else in this picture), bok choy, cherry tomatoes, and (not visible) soup.
Given that I took a picture of our dinner on February 9th, I knew I had to photograph this larger, more impressive spread: rigatoni and mushrooms in a spicy tomato sauce, eggs scrambled with fish and green onions, dressed cucumber (freshly made, as with everything else in this picture), bok choy, cherry tomatoes, and (not visible) soup.
Dinners and Dessert on February 27, 2010
Din Tai Fung, where we ate dinner, has an open kitchen. Here's a video of the chefs making wontons.
A video of a chef twisting tiny xiao long bao (soup dumplings).
Braised bamboo shoots, along with a small tower of shredded baby ginger. The shoots were pleasing, though I didn't appreciate the older, tougher ones.
The menu description for the braised bamboo shoots.
Din Tai Fung, where we ate dinner, has an open kitchen. Here's a video of the chefs making wontons.
A video of a chef twisting tiny xiao long bao (soup dumplings).
Braised bamboo shoots, along with a small tower of shredded baby ginger. The shoots were pleasing, though I didn't appreciate the older, tougher ones.
The menu description for the braised bamboo shoots.
Our pork xiao long bao (soup dumplings). Though made well (delicate, thin skin, proper folding), the flavors were poor: both the broth and the meat were under-seasoned, and Di Yin says the pork was overcooked.
The menu entry for the pork xiao long bao.
Our pork and crab xiao long bao. These were neat in that one could instantly smell crab when one bit the wrapping open. However, they didn't taste any better than the pork xiao long bao.
The menu entry for the pork and crab xiao long bao. Note, incidentally, the menu is very pretty.
Our pork xiao long bao (soup dumplings). Though made well (delicate, thin skin, proper folding), the flavors were poor: both the broth and the meat were under-seasoned, and Di Yin says the pork was overcooked.
The menu entry for the pork xiao long bao.
Our pork and crab xiao long bao. These were neat in that one could instantly smell crab when one bit the wrapping open. However, they didn't taste any better than the pork xiao long bao.
The menu entry for the pork and crab xiao long bao.
Note, incidentally, the menu is very pretty.
No Picture Associated With These Comments
A steamed rice cake with red bean paste. It was nice to have a steamed rice cake for a change--it's been a while. These weren't bad, likely the best part of the meal. Di Yin described them as complex but not too sweet.
The menu entry for the steamed rice cakes.
We had our follow-up dinner at Yang's stir-fry dumplings. Here's a video of the chefs making the dumplings, both slamming the wrappers on the table to flatten them and filling the wrappers.
Also, Di Yin observed the vinegar at the table was of rather poor quality.
A steamed rice cake with red bean paste. It was nice to have a steamed rice cake for a change--it's been a while. These weren't bad, likely the best part of the meal. Di Yin described them as complex but not too sweet.
The menu entry for the steamed rice cakes.
We had our follow-up dinner at Yang's stir-fry dumplings. Here's a video of the chefs making the dumplings, both slamming the wrappers on the table to flatten them and filling the wrappers.
Our pan-fried soup dumplings (shen jian bao). Delicious fatty goodness. Large dumplings filled with tasty, fatty, flavorful soup and similarly good meat. This is exactly what soup dumplings should taste like. They emphasized truly how much Din Tai Fung's dumplings failed.
For dessert, we had a kiwi-banana ice cream at the chain Iceason. Though it had a bit more assertive flavors than I prefer, it was nonetheless decent.
Iceason's spoons look like shovels. :)
Our pan-fried soup dumplings (shen jian bao). Delicious fatty goodness. Large dumplings filled with tasty, fatty, flavorful soup and similarly good meat. This is exactly what soup dumplings should taste like. They emphasized truly how much Din Tai Fung's dumplings failed.
For dessert, we had a kiwi-banana ice cream at the chain Iceason. Though it had a bit more assertive flavors than I prefer, it was nonetheless decent.
Iceason's spoons look like shovels. :)
Scenes Near West Nanjing Road on February 27, 2010
Along West Nanjing Road, I really like the look of this giant rose. The christmas tree and the towers aren't bad either. Excellent?
Decorated trees also along West Nanjing Road. Across the street, the trees have stars hanging from them. In this picture, they're red, but they change colors over time (to blue and to white).
On the pedestrianized Wujiang Road. The lines in the ground (at the bottom right, then continuing on the left) change color.
Lines of glowing red lanterns elsewhere on Wujiang Road.
Along West Nanjing Road, I really like the look of this giant rose. The christmas tree and the towers aren't bad either. Excellent?
Decorated trees also along West Nanjing Road. Across the street, the trees have stars hanging from them. In this picture, they're red, but they change colors over time (to blue and to white).
On the pedestrianized Wujiang Road. The lines in the ground (at the bottom right, then continuing on the left) change color.
Lines of glowing red lanterns elsewhere on Wujiang Road.
A video of the lines in the ground changing color.
A video of the lines in the ground changing color.
Dinner at Family Friends on February 28, 2010
Cold appetizers at a dinner party hosted by friend's of Di Yin's parents. Center: a salad Di Yin made because the family friends wanted to see how a Western-style salad was made. Clockwise from upper-left: sweetened lotus, fried fish, an unusual salad, and bbq pork. The unusual salad was supposedly from a type of melon a la a papaya salad, though I originally believed it was some form of pasta salad. I think the toppings were strange mushrooms. Regardless, even though I wasn't sure what this was, I liked it.
Fried shrimp. Good.
Squid. Well cooked, not rubbery in the least. It's easy to cook squid poorly.
Stir-fried small pea shoots. The taste was some combination of the bitterness that I associated with mustard greens with the meltingness I associate with pea shoots. Also, something made me think of lemon.
Cold appetizers at a dinner party hosted by friend's of Di Yin's parents. Center: a salad Di Yin made because the family friends wanted to see how a Western-style salad was made. Clockwise from upper-left: sweetened lotus, fried fish, an unusual salad, and bbq pork.
The unusual salad was supposedly from a type of melon a la a papaya salad, though I originally believed it was some form of pasta salad. I think the toppings were strange mushrooms. Regardless, even though I wasn't sure what this was, I liked it.
Fried shrimp. Good.
Squid. Well cooked, not rubbery in the least. It's easy to cook squid poorly.
Stir-fried small pea shoots. The taste was some combination of the bitterness that I associated with mustard greens with the meltingness I associate with pea shoots. Also, something made me think of lemon.