A delicious double!

We had the good fortune of enjoying lunch and dinner at the same restaurant on the same day while we were in Hong Kong.  It was great that it is Shanghai style food which we only eat very occasionally at home so we were not in danger of having too much of a good thing. The food at this restaurant,  Shanghai Lu Yang Cun (上海綠楊邨酒家) is very good so it was double the treat!

The tough thing at a Shanghai style restaurant has always been knowing what to order. If there is expertise, one can end up with a delicious and exceptional meal. If we just go by the popular offerings which is usually what we ultimately fall back on when we order on our own, there is nothing special. In this case, our lunch host had specially consulted Shanghainese friends about the menu and we got to try some really different dishes. 

馬蘭頭百葉卷  Soy rolls with Indian aster - nice contrast in textures between the soy and the greens.  (Indian aster is a wild herb from the sunflower family, fairly common in household meals in China although not so common in North America)

An unusual presentation of the Compoy broad bean cake 瑤柱豆瓣酥 - but it's tasty

My all time favourite - braised bamboo shoots - still have fond childhood memories of these

Briased soy "goose"

Love this fried rice with salted meat and pine nuts even though I'm not usually a rice eater

This fish head soup, with mushrooms and yam noodles among other things, was the most delicious concoction I've tasted in a long time.  I love how the cartilage from the fish head is both soft and chewy at the same time. It was so good I must have had at least three bowls and then in the evening, suggested to our host at dinner to order it again!

Dinner was more regular fare but we were again lucky to have someone at the table familiar with the regional cuisine so the right dishes were ordered.  The food was well-prepared and flavourful.  And the soup was just as good the second time around!

Starters:

Jellyfish, drunken chicken and smoked eel - all very nicely done

 

The shrimp went very well with the sauce

This is one dish I've never tried before - cured ham, lotus seed and a piece of fried potato (?) put together in steamed buns - all succeeded in providing a delicious combination of textures and tastes - soft, salty, crunchy in a hot steamed bun

"Squirrel fish" (deep fried with sweet and sour sauce) - always a favourite - not as crunchy I would have liked but still good

And the crowning glory - meringue puffs stuffed with red bean paste 高力豆沙 ! I like how the icing sugar was served on the side.

 

Bonus:  Nightview from restaurant