Mad About Shanghai

The Library Project

The Library Project collects books & donations to help under financed schools and orphanages in the developing world. Shanghai now has its first drop-off point at Bubba's Texas Saloon, near the Hongqiao Marriott.

If you're in the area, bring a book to Bubba's and help out orphanages & under-financed schools across China.

For more information, check out:
http://www.library-project.org

For what the Library Project has already accomplished, check here:
http://www.library-project.org/results.html

A bit of local press:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2007-12/21/content_6337509.htm

World Expo 2010 Mascot

Ok, I guess most of you in Shanghai might have seen these already. Billboards of "Haibao", the mascot of the World Expo 2010 are springing up in more and more places in Shanghai since its unveiling a couple of weeks ago.

"Haibao" literally means sea treasure. According to one ad, it is "created in the image of humanity and expresses capacity to create wonderful lives and enjoy the fruits of our work. The color blue represents the ocean , the future and technology, all defining elements of the city of Shanghai and reflecting the theme of Expo 2010 Shanghai China - "Better City, Better Life".

For our readers outside of Shanghai, here is a pic of the mascot:

Whats in a Name ?

Got to know a cute lady. She got an even cuter name.

Her name is Lv Pin, written as 吕品 in Chinese. 

I think thats a great pun and play on Chinese words. A unique name consisting of rectangles and squares. Clever~.

Shanghai Jazz 2

Just got these yesterday. I got the boxed set from High Society.

Nothing beats listening to jazz on a rainy day :)

Featuring many of the artists from the first album, Shanghai Jazz  2 returns to the lively sounds of good old Chinese jazz,  bringing a modern and happy touch to the classics.

Try it if you are into jazz. Interesting album.

World's Longest Sea Bridge Finally Linked!

The two halves of the world's longest sea bridge, Hangzhou Bay Bridge were finally linked yesterday! And this happened in Shanghai's very own backyard too.

When fully constructed, the bridge would cut the driving distance from Shanghai to Ningbo by 320 km.

Somehow, this reminds me of the  Millau Viaduct.

Read more about it here.

Image from The Beijing News

All about Xiao Long Bao (Pt 2)

Now that I have whetted your appetite for Xiao Long Bao (XLB), the penultimate questions remains on the lips of everyone surely is:  "Where can I get the best XLB ? ".  Incidentally, this is also one of the most my most common questions I received about Shanghai too.

While this  undoubtedly remains one of the most common and hotly contested question for anyone living in Shanghai, its is also one that remains largely unanswered. Unanswered, due to the differences in palate and tastes of everyone staying in Shanghai and in the mass number of shops and restaurants selling XLB. It is just impossible for a food reviewer or even a local that has lived here all his life to have sample them all.

Imagine this . You could be having a fantastic meal of XLB and La Mian (pulled noodles) in a terrific and expensive restaurant one night and went away thinking you had an excellent meal. Next morning, in your haste to grab a quick bite, you paid 15 RMB for ten from a corner stall near your home and find that it is better than one you had last night ! Way better. Theres just too many such instances one can come across here.

Lets face it, there could never be an agreement !

I believe majority of people living in Shanghai would have voted for Nanxiang Mantou Dian (near Yuyuan) as the "best".  And rightfully so, Nanxiang has a rich history dating back to the days when XLB were literally conceptualized on the bamboo steamer. For me, I belong to "the other half" in Shanghai, where we think the best XLBs are still the ones at Ding Tai Fung. The factors that clinches my vote is in the thinness of the dumpling wrappings, amazing consistency, great blend in the mixture of the meat with the soup and the lightness of the broth. Ironically, Ding Tai Fung originated from Taiwan.

Someone did asked one of the managers the secret of their successes. Just how did they manage to outshine the locals in their signature dish ? The reply was in their no compromise approach to achieving quality, consistency and the freshness of their ingredients. All XLB chefs in their restaurants undergo a stringent series of training before they are allow to do the kneading. You may not notice this. But do you know all XLB from Ding Tai Fung are kneaded to a standard 18 folds? Such the obsession with quality.

And I have to agree this approach pay rich dividends. Taipei, Singapore, Shanghai or Beijing, their XLB taste the same no matter which branch you go to or which hour of the day you patronise them.

They got 2 branches in Shanghai:

Shop 1
Xintiandi, South Block, No. 6, F2, 11A
Tel: 021 6285 8378

Shop 2
No. 18 Shuicheng Rd., Peace Square, Rm. 109
Tel: 021- 6208 4188

 (Below) Recommended! Chinese tea after XLB. Goes like steak and wine!

All about Xiao Long Bao (Pt 1)

Mao once said "If you have been in Beijing and not visited the Great Wall, you aint considered a real bloke" (Literal and loosely translated).

Like the Great Wall in Beijing but in a Shanghai context, you cannot considered to have lived, been to, or call yourself a Shanghaiese if you have not tasted the humble Shanghai Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings). It originated many years ago, in a small town off Shanghai call Nanxiang. Thus, the association with many  shops by the name of Nanxiang. No other food represent this city better.

Xiao Long Bao literally means small basket dumplings. These buns are traditionally (and still) steamed in bamboo baskets, hence the name.

As I have always have a penchant for small dianxi, primarily for its variety, it is little wonder that Xiao Long Bao, ranks high in my list of favoured Chinese food. There was even a stage in my life I got to eat this every Friday at my favourite stall !

Lets call it XLB for short, just for this post.

Broadly speaking, XLB can be split into three different categories: Small, Medium, Large. I know I would be whipped for this by the locals, but thats how I categorize them!

Xiao Long (Tang) Bao (Small)
Its the small version you can get. I usually eat a dozen at a go if I have no other complementary food. Its the most common in Shanghai and is deemed by many as the authentic version.

Xiao Long Bao (Medium)
It is bigger but has a thinner and a juicer soup base. Still available in Shanghai but more commonly found in Wuxi.
(below) Vava striking a pose with the Wuxi dumplings.

Xie Huang Tang Bao aka Dumpling with crab roe (Large)
This is like the king of XLB. Its massive! So massive that it fills an entire small basket steamer! You need a straw to sip out the delicious soup cos theres no way you can put the entire bun in your mouth or try and sip out the soup using just your chopsticks and spoon without making a mess. Like an icing on the cake, hairy crab meat and roe are included in the fillings. If you think the smaller version is flavourful, this more is even more wicked.

What makes  a good Xiao Long Bao?

According to a chef:

1) Freshness of ingredients.

2) Must be prepared (wrapped, eat and steamed) and eaten on the spot. No takeaways or reheating.

3) Dumpling skin must be thin and easy on the bite. Strong enough to hold the soup and trapped in the mixture of flavours.

4) Filling must be substantial.

5) The pork used for the filling must be slightly fatty to bring out the flavour of the entire dumpling.

Have you ever wondered how they managed to get the soup into dumplings ?
The traditional way is to prepare the soup before hand, chill it till it congeals and then mix it with meat filling. When the dumpling is cooked or heated, the congealed soup liquifies and having extracted the flavour from the marinated meat, gives a wonderful but rich soup base. If you are trying an authentically made one, dip it with a bit of vinegar and ginger sticks for a guaranteed explosion of flavours on your first sip/bite.

So whats the best way to consume the dumpling?

When served, the seasoned XLB eaters would know when is the right time to pick this up with chopsticks and into the mouth, to prevent his/her lips and mouth to be scalded by the steaming hot broth. While there are no hard and fixed way to consume the dumplings, there are quite a few ways. Most Shanghaiese would recommend the first method.

Method 1
Hold the dumpling with your spoon, bite off a small section of the dumpling skin, sip out the soup, dip the rest of it into vinegar and eat the rest. I have seen Angel, a local girl doing this....so elegantly and exquisitely done.

Method 2
Put the entire dumpling in your mouth, give it a gentle bite. "Experience" the burst effect.

Method 3
Pry apart the skin, meat and soup and consume them separately.

This wraps up our part one on XLB. All this writing is making me hungry! Would be back soon for the second installment!

James Bond & Vista

Great ! Casino Royale managed to pass through the censors uncut. I have always been a fan of the ultracool British superspy. Hopefully, this would pave the way for more western blockbusters on the big screens  in Shanghai.

Daniel Craig was in China, for the very first time, to attend the premiere of the spy-thriller and to lend some star power the hundreds of publicity events held across the country.

In Beijing,  an entrepreneurial DVD peddler,  totally oblivious to the fact that he was dealing with the on-screen double- o agent himself, offered him a pirated copy of the same movie he was trying to launch the next day(!)….leaving the super spy both shaken and very stirred…

Makes me wonder if he was in Shanxxi Lu as well….:P

On the subject of piracy, hundreds of copies of pirated Microsoft Vista can already be seen  on Shanghai streets before their official launch worldwide. 

You can read more about this  here.

Men in Pyjamas

More MIPs (Men in Pyjamas) spotted.

Saw one brave bloke in his PJs in the cold winter night in ChangNing District.

Makes me wonder if I should have a go at doing the same, since this is probably one of the few places in the world you can get away with PJing in the streets. :P

We Found The Crackers!

I found that the girl that had recently been dancing on my coffee table was now on a packet of crackers!

You might remember this story about the crackers.

I vowed to find where the photos were going to appear, and so I am happy to report that they are on Danone crackers!

I was grabbing a packet of crackers out of the cupboard at home when I almost dropped it. I caught it but it was now back to front. On the back I noticed an image that immediately caught my eye - it was the girl that had been recently dancing on top of my coffee table!

The crackers are pretty tasty - I eat a packet just about every day with my coffee and tea. At only 2.3RMB who can complain.