私房煮干丝 House Special Julienned Tofu Stew

Pinyin: Sī Fáng Zhǔ Gàn Sī

A soup that isn't a soup. Shrimp, tofu, and veggies in this soupy broth. As it turns out the soupy broth is quite good and worth drinking, even though it technically isn't a soup.

The food in and of itself is good. The tofu and shrimp are nice, a little salty, but extremely tasty. The big green leaves were spinach like in nature which automatically make it good.

I've never had this dish before, but I'd gladly have it again. The shrimp were a bit small and seldom discovered, but the tofu was plentiful and ever so tasty.

油爆虾 Shrimp Stir Fried in Soy Sauce

Pinyin: Yóu Bào Xiā

Shrimp is becoming my new favorite food. As it turns out they are reasonably cheap here in Shanghai and the cooks (calling them chefs is an injustice to chefs everywhere) can do amazing things with them.

These shrimp are simple enough, lots of oil, bit of ginger, and some soy sauce. Stir fry them together and vuala you end up with this dish. It's all shrimp and it's pretty tasty.

Unfortunately those lazy cooks, they didn't bother to remove the heads, shells or tails! Well it's unfortunate right, but not a show stopper. The real show stopper is that in China you aren't supposed to use your hands to touch your food. That means using only your chopsticks and your mouth you need to successfully de-head, de-tail, and de-shell these shrimp. Needless to say most locals are ruthless about it and if you aren't equally skilled you'll walk away hungry.

富贵卤三样 Soy Sauce Soaked Tofu and Quail Eggs

Pinyin: Fù Guì Lǔ Sān Yàng


There's a lot of tofu here, and that's great if you are a vegetarian. Of course you don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy this dish, and eggs are included to spice it up a bit.

With that in mind though, those chunks of tofu, lean on the large size, which can be a little daunting. Luckily this isn't the mushy tofu you might be used to, rather it's the rubberized version that is the primary component of fake meat.

I know you might not be thrilled about this dish yet, but really it isn't too bad. The tofu is a bit salty flavored thanks to the soy sauce and the quail eggs are fun just cause they are a bit unusual. If you weren't aware quail eggs are also a little chewy.

The chewy eggs and rubbery tofu all soaked in soy sauce end up making a decent but not great appetizer.

富贵丁香鱼 Straw Mushrooms and a Dash of Dried Fish

Pinyin: Fù Guì Dīng Xiāng Yú

A fine appetizer this dish douth make. Simplicity is the key to so many Chinese dishes. Primarily composed of straw mushrooms that have been cooked/marinated in soy sauce, the soy sauce isn't overwhelming but just adds a nice mild flavor that complements the mushrooms.

This dish can't be called vegetarian, because just a bit of fish has been added primarily to enhance the taste. In fact as I devoured more than my fair share of this plate of goodness I never once spotted even a bit of fish.