Delicious dim sum transports you to Shanghai

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Every time I go to Shanghai, I have a feast of xiaolongbao at the famous Nanxiang Mantou Dian. Peering into the restaurant’s madhouse of a kitchen, I’m always in awe. Out of the organized chaos of giant bellowing steamers manned by scores of white-clad cooks, thousands of the restaurant’s signature juicy pork dumplings will be served before day’s end to the crowds that have been patiently waiting outside. Near-perfect, thin-skinned, plump with scalding-hot broth, and enriched with the meat and roe of local river crabs, these xiaolongbao—more accurately translated as “small steamed-basket buns”-are the gold standard by which all others are judged. This is where my love affair with Shanghai-style dim sum began years ago.

But I don’t have to travel that far to get my fix anymore. Thanks to the recent surge in the number of high-quality Shanghainese restaurants in the Lower Mainland, notably in Richmond—which meet the demand of an increased number of immigrants and visitors from mainland China and Taiwan—I can even get a little promiscuous with my dalliances.

While xiaolongbao, with or sans crab, always takes top spot as our family favourite, shengjianbao (a fried pork bun) comes a close second. With a wrapper that is more breadlike in texture and is fried until crispy on the bottom, it is juicy with the same tasty natural aspic that dissolves to become the “juice” sealed into both types of buns.

Another perennial favourite that I highly recommend is luobosibing (fried crispy turnip cake). The closest thing to puff pastry in Chinese cooking, when you bite into the visibly flaky crust you’ll find a wonderfully savoury-sweet filling of shredded daikon and finely minced Chinese ham. Be warned, though, that they can be wickedly hot inside (as can the aforementioned dumplings), so approach with care. Start with little bites.

Albeit not as common in these parts as its Cantonese counterpart, Shanghai dim sum is not a meal short on options. Look first under the dim sum (dianxin) section of the menu and you’ll find much that satisfies: vegetable spring rolls; fried dumplings or guotie (potstickers); green onion pancakes (congyoubing); wontons in spicy garlic and chili sauce; shaobing (sesame cake) stuffed with pork or spiced beef and pickled cabbage; stuffed sticky rice balls that are sweet (with bean paste) or salty (with dried pork or pickles); half-moon-shaped chive and shrimp (or cellophane noodle) boxes (jiucaihezi). For dessert, there’s pumpkin cake; sesame balls in rice soup; or red-bean-paste puffs, made from egg whites and coated in icing sugar, which are airy in texture like angel food cake.

Be aware that while an item—say, green onion pancake—may be similarly named at different restaurants, it may be made in different ways.

I also suggest diving into the cold appetizer section of the menu, where you’ll find a treasure trove of small plates, priced not much higher than dim sum items. Zuiji (chicken in wine sauce or “drunken chicken”); jellied pork (which resembles a French galantine); Hangzhou or brined duck (tender and saltily reminiscent of duck confit); crispy smoked fish (soy-braised and then deep-fried, rather than smoked); five-spice beef shank; and sliced pork belly with garlic chili sauce are classics. Vegetarians might favour sesame-scented gansi (julienned pressed tofu) tossed with slivered cucumber or celery, or a dish of braised bamboo shoots seasoned with but a pinch of salt.

Still hungry? How about a comforting bowl of braised chicken noodle soup or a platter of everyone’s favourite, fried Shanghai noodles with shredded pork and Napa cabbage?

If you enjoy Cantonese-style dim sum, you’re sure to like the stouter charms of its Shanghainese cousin. Start your exploration at the following restaurants, which, by the way, have all passed the xiaolongbao taste test.

Long’s Noodle House
(4853 Main Street; 604-879-7879)
Great neigbourhood joint; limited menu; excellent zuiji and chicken wonton hot pot. Go early, as it’s getting hard to find a table there past 6 p.m.

Northern Dynasty
(1180-8391 Alexandra Road, Richmond; 604-303-1192)
Stylish décor mixes mock-traditional teahouse furnishings with modern banquettes. Fine food; great variety; gorgeous, easy-to-navigate bilingual menu with pictures.

Shanghai River
(110-7831 West-minster Highway, Richmond; 604-233-8885)
Good all-round food, service, and atmosphere. Interesting goose-liver sticky rice shao mai; terrific Hangzhou duck and jellied pork.

Shanghai Wonderful
(110-8380 Lansdowne Road, Richmond; 604-278-8829)
The former Shanghai Wind relocated to get away from the No. 3 Road Canada Line construction. Very good food; generous portions; still excellent value.

Top Shanghai Cuisine
(120-8100 Ackroyd Road, Richmond; 604-278-8798)
Good, country-style food and dim sum. Be prepared for lineups and indifferent service, but I’d go back just for the deep-fried-seaweed-battered yellowfish.