Let the dim sum begin!
Two words (three?): Gourmet dim sum! Located in the Peninsula Hotel on the fourth floor, Shanghai Terrace serves up some scintillating dim sum adding the gourmet touch on traditional dim sum plates. Having gone from Uptown to digging through new and old Chinatown, dim sum is #1 on my list of favorite cuisines.
In Shanghai Terrace’s private dining room there was no shortage of beautiful art lining the walls as well as a simple, yet distinguished table set up. The decor was a throwback to the 1940’s, and it felt like a scene out the neonoir classic, Chinatown. We were introduced to a refreshing cocktail before dinner and soon after came a dazzling array of dim sum enough to whet this veteran’s appetite!
Assorted Dim Sum Plate (Clockwise from bottom left: shrimp & chive dumpling, vegetable dumpling, BBQ pork bun, spicy beef gyoza, shanghai dumpling (center))
Chef de Cuisine Ivan Yuen guided us through the dim sum meal with recommendations on which dipping sauce to use for maximum impact on the palate. The dim sum was served with a vinegar, hoisin, and hot sauce – traditional sauces for complementing a classic dim sum meal. The Shanghai Dumpling offered a hot broth in the dumpling, which surprisingly the perfect refreshment for freezing outdoor conditions. When indulging in such table delights, it’s best recommended to take your time to chew your food extra carefully to extract the maximum flavor and enjoy the texture of refined gourmet dim sum.
After eating this gourmet dim sum, you might ask me what was my favorite? Hands down it was the shrimp and chive dumpling, it was the perfect blend of traditional dim sum colliding with the high quality gourmet touch with fresh shrimp, light oil, and a texture that just left my mouth remembering every bite. Most of the table I would say agreed, which is to say that if you get the opportunity to order Shanghai Terrace’s shrimp and chive dumpling: do it!
The Shrimp and Chive Dumpling
Who could resist the family style dishes over at Shanghai Terrace? Dishes of steamed market fish, Kung Pao chicken, Hong Kong Beef Tenderloin appeared along with simple ginger garlic fried rice. The Ying and the Yang was notable with some dishes with oil being the main flavor for some of the Kung Pao and rice while a deeper sauce worked in the flavor for the beef and the fish. There’s a certain degree of poetry and artistry that matched the decor that could be appreciated with dinner.
Dinner was accompanied by new best friend Clos La Chance and dessert consisted of chocolates and a very subtle pistachio parfait which featured pineapple in a green sauce with coconut pearls. In summary, Shanghai Terrace lives up to vaunted expectation in terms of food and service. The waitstaff was particularly hard-working and did the most to accommodate my excessive amount of belongings that I drag around. Dinner was fantastic and I look forward to a return to Shanghai Terrace!
