Shanghai Lu Yang Cun Restaurant     上海綠楊邨酒家  

It's Easter Holiday and despite the poor weather, my husband and my mother in law were out for a nice dinner. We made reservation at Shanghai Lu Yang Cun Restaurant .

Overall the experience was very pleasant as the environment is bright and comfortable. It's really good for family dinner with kids since it's pretty spacious.

We ordered the 紅燒元蹄 (Pork Knuckle), 山煎包 (Pork Bun), 象拔蚌 (Geoduck) Sashimi, Shrimp with Sweet and Sour sauce and 海蜇頭 (Jellyfish cold dish)

We ordered quite a number of food for just 3 people but we managed to finished most. First came the Jellyfish, it was pretty expensive (close to $200) but it didn't taste very good. Feels like it was a waste of money as it was quite chewy like rubber.

However, after the cold dish everything tasted really good. The geoduck sashimi was fresh, my mother in law absolutely loved it and finished half of the plate by herself!

The shrimp was recommended by the server to try the daily fresh shrimp at $398 in the same sweet & sour sauce that we wanted, she explained to us that the other shrimp we initially chose was frozen ($198). Since the purpose of this meal was to enjoy a NICE dinner. We went for the more expensive but fresh seafood. Turned out to be a wise choice because the shrimp was big and fatty.

The pork knuckle was tender and juicy, its fat was cooked just right. But it was super filling so we couldn't finish even half of it (had to pack home for lunch the next day).

Finally came the pork bun. Which turned out to be my favourite for the night! It was pan fried so the bottom is crunchy but the top bun reminds soft and the pork inside is juicy with soup. I couldn't believe we each had 2 buns considering we ate so much stuff already.

The final bill came to slightly over $1000 for three people, which I think was reasonable considering the amount of food we ordered, not to mention the fresh seafood.

Will come again.

An old hand who recently renovated along with the makeover of the World Trade Shopping Centre, the restaurant has taken on a modern look, and is no longer a noisy bustling place, but with segregated seating areas, making it more exclusive and more importantly, quiet. Acoustics could still do with a bit of work though. Service was brisk and efficient but not warm, unless you're a regular. No complaints though.

We started with 2 appetisers. The "hau foo" (四喜烤麸) which is essentially is gluten pieces braised with Chinese mushrooms, peanuts and wood ears is a healthy dish which is high in protein and low in fat. Lu Yang Cun's version is also not oily but very tasty. One of my favourites owing to the texture of the gluten and how it manages to soak up the sauces and take on a very different persona and completely mask its own.

The other appetiser of the chilled clove chicken （丁香鸡）is a specialty of Lu Yang Cun, and I was strongly advised to reserve it when I called for reservations. It is similar to Cantonese Sha Geong Kai (沙姜鸡) and the sauce has a strong hint of cloves with a tad of ginger, sesame oil. Although it was good - chicken pieces well steamed so that it was still moist, I would have preferred a wine-soaked chicken as a test of a good Shanghainese restaurant.

J hadn't tried hairy crabs before and I was hoping for some tail-end inventory but unfortunately she will have to wait till next autumn. We did have the flower crabs, which are in season, stir fried with edamame in a thick soya sauce. The crab was very fresh, with fall-off-the-shell sweet flesh, and extremely generous in roe, which the sauce complemented well, to take any hint of "fishiness" away, and to lend a creamy finish. Of course, the edamame is addictive with this sauce, and we continue to pick at them even after the meal is said and done.

The other dish you are advised to reserve is the stewed belly pork called Dong Bo Pork or 东波肉 for those who read Chinese. The gravy was impeccable and one can easily down 2 bowls of rice with it. Not an obvious pork gravy, it had hints of spices and wine, with a touch of sweetness. I was not that impressed with the meat though. While the skin was braised to a melt-in-mouth texture, the meat itself could have been a little more that way. I found certain parts still a little chewy for my liking, and detracted from a 100% enjoyment of the dish.

For J's benefit, who is on a low-carb diet, I ordered the broad mung bean vermicelli (Fun Pei or 粉皮) stir fried with seafood. I love fun pei, and can eat it all day long. The slightly chew texture is especially good stir fried with hand-picked hairy crab meat and roe but this dish wasn't bad either. Well fried to not retain an oily finish, it was tasty and absorbed the goodness from the seafood.

To finish, we ordered the 酒酿圆子 or mini rice dumplings in an osmanthus-flavoured fermented rice soup. Not for the uninitiated, the slight sourness from the fermentation process is an acquired taste, as S found out. Lu Yang Cun's rendition is pretty authentic and if you like this dish, it is not a bad place to order this.

For the original post and photos, please visit www.edeats.blogspot.com

One of the regular "cafeterias" for my family, but haven't been there since I returned in April. Came on a Saturday night for dinner.

Recently renovated (about a year ago), the dining area is still comfortable, spacious and decor is more modernized. Service is still good as usual.

For 4 people we ordered:

1. Green onion pancakes
Well pan-fried, very crisp yet oil is drained off pretty well, doesn't feel too greasy in the mouth. Thickness is perfect - not a mouthful of dough yet not wafer thin.

2. Deep fried "Foul-smelling" (Chau) Tofu ($90)
Fresh off the fryer! Soft spongy interior, well-bodied exterior. Pungent smell that is really only foul to those who cannot appreciate it! Dipping sauce that it is served with (sweet and thick, quite like hoisin sauce) pairs with it very well.

3. Dan dan noodles
Unfortunately this was not for sharing, my brother had it to himself. Cannot comment. But apparently it was not spicy, and meat sauce is just so-so.

We oredered a special Four person set that was priced at $788 for citibank cardholders which consisted of the following

1. Appetizers: Jellyfish, Pork terrine gelatin, Kou Fu (spiced wheat gluten)
The usuals. My favorite is the wheat gluten, which is served hot here (some Shanghainese restaurants serve it cold), with woodear fungus, shitake mushrooms, edamame and the surprise: peanuts.

2. Shark's fin with chicken floss
Soup is quite thick, especially enjoyed the chicken floss which was so unexpectedly tender yet a good amount of shark's fin is used.

3. Kung pao crystal shrimp
I think this was the best entree of the set - shrimp is piping hot, freshly fried, with a very delicate "crystal", slightly crisp layer. The sauce is sweet and tangy, with a hint of spice too yet it's not as thick as the Cantonese sweet and sour sauce. Shrimp itself is very fresh and the way it's been cooked makes it coil up nicely and has that "darn nga" - a springy bite to it that is always perfected with a Chinese wok. I recommend stirring the sauce with white jasmine rice.

4. Hairy crab stir fried with rice cakes and edamame
Thick, dark and savory stir fry sauce. Rice cakes are quite dainty and thin, nice and chewy, good with the edamame which offers a slight solid bite and contrasting flavor to it. 2 hairy crabs are served in halves - the crabs are fresh with a good amount of crab roe (the orange cholesterol)

5. Bean curd sheets with leafy vegetables in broth
Very mild-tasting broth, slightly sweetened by the soy element of the bean curd sheets. Leafy vegetables are like bok choy but different. Good in-between entrees.

6. Crisp chicken in wine
I don't know what this dish is called in Chinese, but I can describe that the skin is semi crisp yet I am pretty sure it is not fried - definitely involves some oil brushed on the surface during the cooking process resulting in its golden brown skin. It is marinated in wine yet the alcohol flavor is merely subtle, not overwhelming.

7. Small dumplings in wine with chrysanthemum (Jau Yeung Yun Ji)
Dime-sized glutinous rice (mochi) balls in a very light and sweet broth with chrysanthemum flowers, a very refreshing end to a satisfying Shanghainese dinner.

To end the meal I also separately (not on the 4-person set menu)

Souffle balls with banana and mashed red bean paste ($68)
Six deep-fried souffle balls. Traditionally it's with red bean paste but here a piece of banana is smeared with a bit of red bean paste. The texture of the souffle balls is soft and pillowy, the way I remember it to be from childhood. Served with icing sugar and syrup (I suspect it's Taikoo golden syrup, available at your local grocer) which is needed for the otherwise unsweetened skin. The skin is so nicely eggy (as it is after all made with egg white) and it doesn't feel very greasy. My only complaint is that the red bean paste is quite inadequate - while banana pairs with the red bean and the souffle skin well, more red bean would increase the overall taste of this dessert.

The 4 person set is such a BARGAIN! Plus the quality is not compromised, everything is prepared well - even the dishes which I don't personally like. Total for 4 people came to $1400 - for the amount of food we ordered and given its very good quality I do think this is a good deal, very reasonable.

A very promising Shanghainese restaurant that is authentic yet still modernized to suit the less adventurous.