Comfort food

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I joined a couple of friends for dinner tonight at the Shanghai Fraternity Association (上海總會). None of us were really in the best mood, but for a couple of us having some comfort food certainly helped.

Smoked duck egg (薰蛋) - the last time I had this dish was here a few months ago. I do love a good smoked egg...

Smoked fish (薰魚) - nicely deep-fried and juicy from the marinade. Sweeter than what I'm used to, but not bad.

Drunken chicken (醉雞) - this was pretty good, both in terms of the flavor and the tenderness of the meat. But I still think the pigeon I had last time was really, really good.

Vegetarian goose (素鵝) - this was actually fairly moist, which was OK because it's what I'm used to growing up.

Honey-soaked ham (蜜汁火腿) - each of us got a "ham and tofu" sandwich, with a slice of honey ham and deep-fried tofu skin between the folded steamed bun. I really should have asked for the plate of honey sauce so I can dip the bun into it.

Fish fillet in rice wine (糟溜魚片) - made from Mandarin fish (桂魚), this is classic Shanghainese and is popular because of its sweetness due to the use of fermented rice wine.

We had a simple plate of veggie, then finished with xiaolongbao (小籠包), potstickers (鍋貼), and a very delicious bowl of noodles with fried scallion (蔥油拌麵). The abundance of dried shrimp made the noodles really tasty.

We shared a bottle of 2004 Blason d'Issan, which was pretty drinkable with some nice fruit and smooth tannins.

One of the friends also bumped into a colleague celebrating their 20th anniversary, so somehow we got ourselves a glass of 1989 Talbot. The amber rim of the Talbot was very obvious, with very soft tannins and it was made in a much drier style.

Business was certainly good here, and it's no surprise given the quality of the food and the very reasonable price for the meal. I hope to be invited back soon for some more comfort food.