The other day I was browsing through the (what else?) cookbook section at a bookstore. Sandy Lam, the HK-popular singer-now-well-married-and-no-longer-singing-much, at least in public, is another famous person publishing their own recipes. So it is not only us bloggers who are into vanity publishing projects. Seriously though, the cookbook features Shanghainese food, and the spread looks very gorgeous and believably delicious. Some are her own recipes, and some are recipes by famous chefs in Shanghai. And all the pictures of her show Sandy Lam looking naturally elegant, even in bermudas and polo t-shirt. She has just the most radiant and delicately drawn face that is hardly diminished by age.
That is not to say that I bought the book. Most of the ingredients seemed very native to Shanghai, and it would be quite difficult to replicate the recipes here. And I am not so enamoured of Sandy Lam to buy the book just to gaze at the perfection of her images. But browsing through the pages made me long for some Shanghainese food, and since we are not planning to visit Shanghai anytime soon, we had to settle for a version of it in Singapore instead.
Which was how we arrived at Hu Cui restaurant at Ngee Ann City, better known as home of Taka. Hu Cui is rapidly becoming one of my favourite Chinese restaurants. It is also run by the Crystal Jade (CJ) group, and I've given this group much good press in my writings, so let me declare I have no vested interest in this company, maybe I have grown so used to their food. Hu Cui specialises in Shanghainese cuisine, and while I am no expert at Shanghainese food, I do like whatever Shanghainese offering that Hu Cui serves. Some of the dishes taste the same whether it is in the upmarket Hu Cui or the more accessible CJ Shanghainese outlets at Great World City (3rd level), like my favourite Green Soya Peas and Tofu Skin or the Band Bang Chicken. Did I say Bang Bang Chicken, yes I did, the menu probably does not describe it that way, but it is the cold dish of translucent noodles bathed in a spicy peanut sauce and chicken slices; this dish was probably created for Western palates but I have a particular liking for it.
At Hu Cui the portions may be smaller, or the price higher, but these factors are offset by the more beautiful and secluded ambience. Apparently it is a popular place for ladies-who-lunch, but the few times that we went for dinner it was easy to get a table without reservation, and the clientele is a mix of families, executives and well-heeled tourists. Once comfortably seated, do order a glass of homemade water chestnut drink to cool the system while studying the menu. The little dish of roasted peanuts is disarmingly delicious, so tiny and more-ish, no wonder they could get away with serving humble peanuts in a fancy restaurant.
Last night I had to try something I saw in Sandy Lam's cookbook, the Yellow Fish. The captain at Hu Cui confirmed that yes, Yellow Fish is a favoured fish in the Shanghai food culture and it is really good. He was right, this small fish (about 7 inches long without the head) needs only to be deepfried whole and served without any need for sauce or accompaniments. Its flesh is delicate and the taste is fleetingly sweet, it literally dissolves in the mouth, the fishy equivalent of candyfloss. Deliciouso, and only $5.50 per fish. Alas, we ate the last fish in the restaurant. There is a temporary halt in supply; although this fish is available all year round in Shanghai, imports have been suspended as the toxin levels in the fish exceeds our local standards.
The rest of our dinner went well too, with subtly fragrant freshwater prawns sauteed with Longjing Tea leaves, a much lighter dish than their prawns with salted egg yolk sauce. A generous serving of fishmaw with fresh crabs meat satisfied husband's newfound delight for the chewy and spongy delicacy. End the meal with perfectly round dumplings filled with the fragrant sesame seed, suspended in lightly sweetened syrup. Good enough to tide one over until there is time and opportunity to actually get to Shanghai.
