Pearl TV, dim sum and hotpot
(Background: The Pearl Television tower. Foreground: a pocket of small, old houses, shops and warehouses in amongst the rising skyscrapers)
We were shown around Shanghai by one of Ying’s old friends, JieFeng. He was a magnificent host and took us to some of his favourite places. In China, being shown around means being driven to see the sights in a car. In a day, you can sample several delights of Glasgow at a leisurely pace, even London, but Shanghai (and other Chinese cities) are just far too huge to contemplate walking and too busy to park. He took us past the Bund, the famous Pearl TV tower, the large Sino-Russian built museum, the 2010 Expo sites still in progress and the tallest tower in Shanghai (the one that looks like a bottle opener).
We were driven to brunch on Saturday at a hotel for what he professed to be “the best dim sum in Shanghai”. Having seen the gigantic city sprawling from the elevated motorway, I was practically giggling with excitement at the prospect of good dim sum above it all. It was amazing; this was some of the city I hoped to experience with the delightful dim sum, spectacular interior architecture and tanks of huge fish in the background (for eating, of course).
He also treated us to a hotpot dinner at ‘Hai Di Lao’ which is the most enormous restaurant I have ever seen. It specialises in Sichuan Hotpot; it’s spicy, hot and spectacular and on request, includes a noodle dance. I was not familiar with this spectacle, but I recommend it, just for fun. A boy in top to toe white adidas sauntered in, carrying a handful of dough. Duringan intricate routine, he created ‘pulled noodles’ from the dough; swirling around, waving his entire body with the ribbon of noodles and flicking it past my ear. Everything was unbelievably tasty, the parts I remember (though there were more) included lamb and beef in ultra thin slices, tofu (bean curd), various mushrooms, kale, duck’s blood, pig intestine and stomach, and noodles, of course.
In fact, this place is so delicious and well known that when we left, (as JieFeng promised) there were literally hundreds of people waiting for tables – all provided with free packs of cards, mahjong, nuts, popcorn, and drinks to keep them in the mood for dining; they were on seats near the bathrooms, outside at lantern lit tables, standing chatting to staff, there were people everywhere. I was told there are one hundred waiting staff on duty at any time – and they are monstrously efficient, clearing tables in a matter of single seconds, still maintaining a smile for the next set of customers who may well have waited an hour for it.
