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Feng Yu ShengJian, Shanghai


I visited this eatery after seeing some very good comments on food sites.  I stood for a minute before lining up, looked at the menu that hung above the cashier and watched how people ordered.  Everything here was in Chinese, there were no pictures to point to, and the line was moving too fast  for my miming silliness.  I was in trouble.  I spotted a young woman who was already waiting to order.  I find that, usually, young people have at least some knowledge of English.  Well, she didn't.  However, she was very kind and grasped that I needed help with ordering.  I pointed to a plate of dumplings that one person was eating, showed her 4 fingers and made the sound of a pig.  I was not sure if the dumplings come with different fillings.  They don't, it's just pork.  The young lady ordered for me, I paid and took my ticket to a window where I got a red plastic plate with four piping hot dumplings.  My ordering friend also helped me get a seat.  The seating is cafeteria style, so basically one can sit wherever there is an empty seat. 






The menu


This is the pick up window.


This is a busy eatery where locals come for breakfast and lunch.


Dumplings waiting to be fried.






They had plenty of take out options.


The buns were pan fried in oil til nicely brown.  They were thick and chewy and had a minced pork filling. 

Dumpling is more of a general description.  These were really a cross between a dumpling and a baozi.  Baozi is a breadier kind of a dumpling, it has a fluffier dough.  Bao, baozi is made of wheat dough with yeast, it has time to rise, is stuffed with a filling, wrapped by hand and pinched to close.  It is then steamed in bamboo steamers. 

The dumplings I tasted here were decent.  I think that I am a strictly dumpling kind of a person and prefer a less puffy dough. 


Feng Yu Sheng Jian
locations throughout Shanghai

Joanna


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