typsy shanghai

 

A Charming looking Chinese restaurant in the heart of Greenwich Village seems out of place.  This part of town has always been bohemian.  Nowadays, some transformation is taking place.  The street, still charming now filled with foodie heavens like BBQ (Pig Bleecker) Contemporary Mexican (Toloache).

The sign outside flashed authentic dishes.  I am drawn by the vibe and the potential.  Inside, vibrant reds room dividers and benches define beautiful refined dining areas.  It’s traditional with modern zen.  

Even the menu was beautiful with delicious looking authentic shanghai dishes page after page. I wish we could sample more but we were outnumbered.  

Our menu:

Appetizer:  Bran Dough (Braised Kao Fu)

Soup: Famous Assorted Soup

Entrée:  Sautéed shelled shrimp (Crystal Shrimp)

Dessert:  Asmanthus flower with dumpling soup (Sweet Fermented Rice Soup)

Our favorite is called Bran Dough here, aka Kao Fu or gluten braised (red cooked) in soy and sugar sauce accented with lily flower and peanuts.  In Asia, gluten is widely used in Buddhist vegetarian cooking for thousands of years.  If you are not gluten intolerant, it is an addictive dish!   It’s hard to stop eating all the little squares filled with delicious burst of the sweet and salty sauce, best accompanied by a big bite of white rice.    

Next course is the Famous Assorted Soup, a steaming bowl of soup full of delicacies like egg dumplings, stuffed gluten ball, pork belly and Napa cabbage.  We were super excited for the golden egg dumplings, a labor-intensive traditional Shanghai New Year delicacy.  Each egg dumpling must be made over the stove.  As a thin egg omelet wrapper is poured into a hot pan, it must be folded over meat fillings and sealed before the omelet is fully cooked.  It’s resemblance to golden nugget of old China makes it a new year’s must.

Crystal Shrimp cooked in a delicate white sauce was quickly enjoyed as our main course.  It’s reminiscent of the beautiful dim sum Ha Gao, shrimp dumpling.  

For dessert, Sweet Fermented Rice Soup served hot in a beautiful cone shaped bowl with tiny floating pink and white sticky rice balls. It’s hard to believe the desert of my childhood is featured here.  Even more shocking is that my kids loved it.  

Try Typsy Shanghai to experience the for authentic traditional banquet Shanghai cuisine.