:: the dishes ::• sesame balls with red bean paste
• braised pork belly with roasted chestnuts
• sesame crusted pork and chive pan fried dumplings
• green onion pancake (size of a pillowcase)
• portuguese egg tarts
• nepalese dishes
:: the must try dishes ::
• [his pick] nepalese food from Nepali Kitchen
• [her pick] sesame balls with red bean paste at Da Hua Hotel
[ he says ] mmm the balls! I thought I would never say this...but I fully enjoyed stuffing my mouth with juicy succulent balls. The outside was paper thin and crispy the inside was warm azuki beans...besides the balls my fav had to be the Nepali Kitchen. Literally a hole in a wall and by luck we found the place. Once inside, you find yourself transported to a different place. The restaurant was small but intimate and adorned with Nepalese art and furniture. We weren't too sure what to order so we ordered a bit of everything. The most memorable was the lentil soup and the mutton. The soup alone can convert me to a vegetarian...no seriously, it was the freaking good. The juicy, tender pieces of mutton definitely was something I always yearned for (Mrs. Bunnie who hates gamey meats, including lamb, was able to eat and enjoy this dish...so that alone says alot)...forget Shanghainese food I can eat this everyday!
[ she says ] Good cheap food all around in Shanghai but I'm only going to focus on one. I've had many variations of sesame balls growing up in a chinese household that went to dim sum places every weekend. Yet it was only until I was Shanghai a few years ago had I truly experienced how great a sesame ball can be. The skin or outer fried mochi-like layer was practically PAPER THIN. Couldn't wrap my head around how they were made but they absolutely delicious. Generally, most sesame balls are quite chewy and ususally after a few more chews, the stickier they get – leading you to then wash it down with some hot green tea.
These, however, were different. Every bite burst with the perfect amount of aromatic bean paste surrounded by delicately laced sesame seeds in this crispy paper thing shell. Ahh... I could have eaten the whole plate. Really. The WHOLE plate. But unlucky for me, we were with a tour group so the being "lady" that I am, everyone got their own fair share of sesame ball heaven.
