到老吉士吃开年饭

Again, a traditional Shanghainese meal isn't what I can have with just another friend or two. Too many varieties, too much food and too many things I don't eat. We needed a full table to spread the love around. Many friends in Shanghai didn't leave town for a vacation this lunar new year. We've got plenty of company.

We went to the original Jesse's (老吉士) at Tian Ping Lu (天平路) for a dependable taste of sweet and savory authentic Shanghainese food. There's a newer outlet (新吉士) at Xintiandi (新天地), but the friends swear by the original.

Split into 2 units, our 8.30pm timing meant we avoided the first crush of diners. It was a cold night, but we were snug and warm in the tiny restaurant. It got so hot that we asked to turn off some of the heaters. We've also began to appreciate the light bubbly Tsingtao beer. Not so much for the flavors, but literally as a thirst quencher or an appetizer. Many product lines available. We like their pale lager, known as 'Chun Sheng' (纯生).

The meal began with 'Kao Fu' (五香烤麸). It's a wheat gluten based dish marinated in dark soy. At restaurants like this one, it could include Chinese fungus and strings of gluten, also known as '功德烤麸'. Wheat gluten, basically. Pretty appetizer. Am sure many have eaten this in its canned form. I'm more familiar with the Japanese macrobiotic dry version 'yakifu' or raw 'namafu' since that was what the grandmother fed me as a kid.

上海‘烤麸’，又名’功德烤麸‘。

There was vegetable rice and steamed white rice for the accompanying carbs to the meal. We also had bowls of noodles. I love this restaurant's scallion noodles (上海葱油拌面). Before I breezed into town, of all venues, I had eaten at a Shanghainese restaurant in Singapore. Their version of the noodles is horrible. YUCKY. Bad sauce, badly made noodles which aren't at all fragrant. The first bite of those noodles proved heavenly satisfaction. I threw aside the no-carbs preference and finished a bowl!

Unfortunately, the smelly beancurd (臭豆腐) didn't waft up a stink. It was rather mild, and horrors, almost delicate. Half the table wrinkled their noses and said they could smell it! It was either my sinus acting or something, but I really didn't think it stank at all. There was a dish of steamed cold chicken. Of course I avoided it. I could smell that chicken! Methinks cold chicken stinks more than smelly beancurd. Arrrrrgh. Dunno how the friends ate it. Ermmm...there were a number of visible hairs left on the skin.

老吉士酒家的版本：不是很’臭‘的‘虎皮臭豆腐’。

The star dish at the restaurant is the famous Shanghai style braised pork belly (红烧肉). Our table loved it. We had pots of that. I don't know how it's possible for people to eat so much of it. But I guess the sweet dark gravy goes great with steamed white  rice. Bloody unhealthy, but the friends loved it. It amused me to see them and the man picking out the fatty top parts and eating the bottom. People! If you want to eat this dish like for the rare few times in your life, eat the fatty portions! It's pork belly. My grandparents told me the fats are the best. Heh.

Bellies full and warm, we declined dessert. Actually, I don't know if the restaurant serves dessert. I never had any at their outlets. Too full! However, there was space for liquid dessert! We continued the evening with very good fruity cocktails at Cvrve. Absolutely fabulous conversation peppered with alot of wit, laughter and insight about the city.

红烧肉。