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Guang Ming Cun, Shanghai


During the day there is a steady stream of people who line up for the delicious roasted meats, other delicacies and seasonal mooncakes at the take out window.  The sit down restaurant part is on the second floor, the third floor has a bit of a fancier restaurant with tablecloths and hostess service.  

Guang Ming Cun is a very well known restaurant which specializes in traditional Shanghainese food.  While traveling, we really make an effort to eat what the locals are eating, to a certain extent.  On this vacation we ate some more adventurous things than at the typical NY Chinese restaurants, but not exactly what the local people ate.  We encountered some pretty funky stuff that the Chinese people enjoy but I would never consider eating.  I am sure that there are plenty of foods consumed by Americans that gross out people in other countries.  This is what makes us all different, interesting and wonderful.




During dinner time, the take out windows are closed and the restaurant looks a bit more peaceful.


As per research, we headed to the second floor.


 Now, the next step of this dining experience is something considered rude or even unimaginable in many parts of the world.  This is a very popular and busy restaurant, all the tables will most likely be taken and there is no hostess to turn to for assistance.  So, one has to basically find a table where the diners are close to finishing their meal and hover over them guarding the seats.  This felt completely unnatural and we were really bad at it.  Thankfully, a lovely couple saw my discomfort and called me over to show that they were about to leave. 



And this is when the real fun began.....  This is what the menu looked like.  We tried google translate but for some reason it was showing the text sideways.  So, I got up, took the menu with me, and walked around looking at what people were eating.  If I liked what I saw, I would ask them to point to it on the menu.  They all had fun, laughed and some even mimed the international signs for "delicious" by rubbing their bellies and licking their lips.  Note, that you will have to pay at the beginning or middle of the meal, not at the end.  


I saw that the most popular dish in the restaurant was the braised duck.  


The braised duck had a crispy skin which was lathered in soy sauce reduction.  It was sweet, tender, not gamy and fantastic.  It was one of the most perfectly cooked ducks I have ever enjoyed.  


Funny that even ordering a drink was difficult.  For some reason the waitress did not understand the word Pepsi, I had to google a photo of a can of Pepsi.  It finally arrived with a jazzy straw.


 I forgot the name of this dish, but it was a very delicious white fish with shrimp.  The fish and shrimp were very delicate yet flavorful, we really loved it but had to eat the fish in small bites since there were plenty of bones in it. 


The star of the dinner were these wonderful xiaolongbao, soup dumplings.  I learned that the proper way to eat these is to bite the bottom of the dumpling, slurp out the delicious broth, dip the rest in the vinegar and enjoy the rest. The dumplings were filled with pork, crab roe and ginger.  They were truly wonderful and memorable.


 As a creature of habit, I needed to taste the local shrimp fried rice.  This was so terrific, I wished that I had a place to store and reheat it in my hotel.  This would be a perfect midnight snack. 


All in all, this was a perfect dining experience.  We had some entertainment, and great food.

Guang Ming Cun,
588 HuaiHai Road
Shanghai

Joanna
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