August 14, 2010
小楊生煎
Both English and Chinese foodie sites seem to acknowledge Yang's Fried Dumpling as one of the best purveyors of the classic Shanghai pan-fried dumplings, which is quite a rare agreement. The location near People's Park is the most convenient, and we decided to stop by for breakfast, before meeting up with wife's dad. We were there early so there wasn't any lines and we even got ourselves a table. The chain is big enough to have cleaned themselves up a bit compared to the typical hole-in-the-wall place. Hair-capped workers behind glass diligently stuffed and folded the dumplings with the pork filling. The flat grill is right up front visible to passers-by, convenient to scoop into a box for take-out, or into a bowl for eating in.
Considering the explosive rise in Shanghai's cost-of-living, four-yuan for four dumplings is a real gourmet bargain. I was expecting the dumplings to be bite-sized like xiaolongbao, but they turned out to be a good bit larger and more filling than they look. The hot-off-the-pan fried dumplings has a crispy crust, a chewy skin, and filled with meat juices inside. So it takes some skill (that I lacked) to bite into the bun, sip out the juices, all without it all bursting out or burning my tongue process.
The dumplings are good as a hearty breakfast, a quick lunch, or a late-night snack. It's no wonder they have good business all times of the day.
小杨生煎 (黄河路店)
上海市黄浦区黄河路97号
021-53751793