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2018-01-25
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上海弄堂菜肉餛飩 (English name: Shanghai Lane) has several branches in Hong Kong. But the one in Happy Valley is the one I usually go to as I live about 5 minutes away. So, one afternoon, I woke up after a very busy night shift and wanted something warm to eat. Not sure what to eat, I headed out and went to the bank where I bumped into a couple of friends who I haven't seen in a while. We decided Shanghai Lane was just around the corner so that is where we headed to eat.For those not familiar with the
For those not familiar with the Happy Valley area, Shanghai Lane is on the side street right next to HSBC. It's smaller than the other branches. But I think it was the first branch. Gough Street, being the second one. However, this branch did undergo some renovation. It was once a bit old looking but now the decor matches the other branches. So, it's now more modern and less of a Chinatown feel like before. It also has free wifi and I think that's why I come here a lot.
They have a la carte but during lunch session, they offer lunch sets at a very reasonable price. Menu is in English and Chinese. Lunch sets come with a main and cold soy milk.
Or you can have pricier sets for one that have an appetizer as well.
And they have sets for two and four people.
The three of us just ordered off the regular lunch menu.
The soy milk that is included was pretty sweet. A bit too sweet for me but my friend loved it.
Wuxi Ribs with Vegetable Rice ($56). My friend ordered this. The ribs were moist and had a nice balance of sour and savory at the same time. The sauce was rich and went well with rice.
The bowl of rice was actually a decent portion. It was also packed with a lot of vegetables.
Pork Chop with Dan Dan Noodles ($59). My other friend ordered this. He felt it wasn't as spicy as he would have wanted. But the noodles were chewy and pretty good. He said it reminded him of eating this in Chinatown back home in the US.
This came with a fried pork chop. This was decent. The coating was not too thick and nicely seasoned.
The meat was still most and tender.
Pork and Bak Choy Dumplings ($48). I ordered this. You can choose any dumpling from the a la carte menu and make it a lunch set with a drink. So I chose this version as it is always my favorite from all their dumplings. I didn't want noodles and just had dumplings. There were about eight of them. The skin was not too thick and the filling was plump and delicious. A good ratio of meat to vegetable. I saw the staff wrapping them in the back so these are all made fresh from here and not shipped from some factory from who knows where. I'm unsure if the other branches do that? The only thing I didn't like is the soup. It was way too salty. Usually, it isn't so but I don't know why it was on this day.
Marinated Chicken with Yellow Wine Sauce ($75). We decided to share a plate of drunken chicken. It's always a favorite of mine and my friend said he had never tried the one here. The chicken was great. The meat was still moist but had that firm texture that I like from it being a cold dish. The wine sauce was strong but not too strong that you get a bitterness from the wine.
A nice little neighbourhood restaurant. The staff are friendly. The food is decent. Prices not expensive. I think that's why I come here for lunch when I don't want to fight the crowds in Causeway Bay.
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