/ Reviews / Shanghai
Family Banquet
by Tom Lee
on Friday, January 14, 2011 12:00 AM
Shanghai Uncle looks like a place that's always set for Chinese New Year, with blood-red roses overflowing from pots and floral-decorated chairs circling the tables. Scarlet lanterns and imitation firecrackers dangle from the lofty ceilings, while waitresses in skirts and dresses slit up to the thigh weave amidst the customers. It has the unmistakable aspect of an old-fashioned Chinese banquet hall, with the atmosphere of a time-honored institution much older than its seven years.
Fresh from its recent renovation late last year, the Shanghai Uncle branch on the Bund looks unspoiled, in contrast to the antiquated aura it attempts to emanate. It feels like a place where business deals are informally confirmed and families gather to celebrate grand occasions - a place, in short, to impress.
Most of the dishes on the menu are based on age-old recipes given a unique twist. For instance, the Stir-fried Rice Cakes with 8 Stuff (RMB58) originated in a simpler mix of tofu, chicken and mushroom. The restaurant's version replaces bean curd with heaps of niangao (made from sticky rice), which is fried with shrimps, pork, chicken, pine nuts, mushrooms, miniscule pieces of bamboo shoot and the restaurant's secret sauce. Borrowing a few Japanese influences, the Sautéed Beef with Garlic (RMB78) has soft meat that's clearly been ferociously tenderized prior to its burial in the mound of deep-friend garlic slices. Every day, Shanghai Uncle uses a whopping 50 kilograms of garlic to create this one item alone!
Of course, the place also serves the cornerstones of Shanghai cuisine. The well-known steamed dumplings, xiaolongbao (RMB28), have thicker skins here than is typical, making them infinitely less fragile for the clumsier breed of chopstick user. Also very characteristic of the region is the Traditional Smoked Fish (RMB38), a sizable portion of black carp cooked in a sticky and sweet sauce.
However, it's not really the food that sets Shanghai Uncle apart from others of its type; it's the style of the venture, the glittering surfaces that are awash with colors and symbols tied to surviving Chinese superstitions about luck and fortune. Above all, especially for timid international visitors, it's the friendly staff and the easily understood display of foods that makes Uncle a welcome addition to any family.
The Bottom Line: A banquet hall that gently ushers diners into the world of Shanghai's food delights.
