上海鼎 Shanghai Ding House of Dumplings, Queensbay

One lazy afternoon during my recent visit to Penang I was driving along the coastal highway in Bayan Baru and found a Shanghainese restaurant in Bayan Bay (where the new Queensbay Mall is).

Shanghai Ding is a new Shanghainese restaurant recently opened in Penang. I love Shanghainese food and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try a new restaurant. Penang is no Shanghai, but I was pleased with the food there.

This is their flagship specialty: Crab Meat Xiao Long Bao / 蟹肉小笼包. I am not a novice in this delicacy and have had the best Xiao Long Bao in Shanghai, Taipei, and Hong Kong. Theirs were authentic and quite tasty–the skin thin and the dumplings were filled with hot and juicy broth. The traditional Shanghai Xiao Long Bao / 上海小笼包 (with just pork meat) were pretty good, too.

I couldn’t keep my eyes off these precious buns when I saw them on their menu. Called Pokey Mouse / 奶皇刺猥, these little porcupine buns were filled with sweet custard. I loved the “popping” texture of the bun as they were sparsely coated with poppy seeds…(check out more Shanghai Ding’s specialities after the jump)

This is pan-fried Shanghainese Bun / 上海菜肉包, the buns were steamed and then pan-fried, the contrasting texture of steamed softness and pan-fried crispiness complemented the light filling of minced vegetable and meat.

I am a huge fan when it comes to red bean paste, interestingly their red bean paste bun / 南乳豆沙饼 was like nothing I have had before. With a tint of red fermented bean curb cheese (南乳), these buns were soft and aromatic.

I had two desserts: Ginger-flavored Rice Balls with Black Sesame/ 姜茶汤圆 and Durian Pancake / 榴莲煎糕. Unfortunately, my pictures didn’t turn out right. Both were equally delectable especially the Durian Pancake (with real durian wrapped in a thin crepe-like pancake).

Other specialties of Shanghai Ding:

Shanghainese La Mian / 上海拉面–a simple noodle dish with spicy meat sauce topping.

Sweet Yam Bun / 香芋包–baked buns with sweet yam paste.

Deep-Fried Mango and Cheese–mango with cheese wrapped with vermicelli and then deep-fried. Yummy!

Char Siew Pastry / 叉烧酥.

Pineapple Buns / 菠蘿包–baked buns with sweet crusty toppings; good as a takeout for breakfasts or tea.

Shanghai Ding / 上海鼎 (MAIN)
Blk H, 4G, Persiaran Bayan Indah,
Bayan Bay, 11900 Penang
Tel: 04-644-1644 (Close Wednesdays)

Note: Below is their poetic Chinese tagline. It basically outlines the basic steps to eating Shanghai Xiao Long Bao. To learn more about the proper ways of eating Xiao Long Bao, please refer to my eating guide here.

慢慢移, 轻轻提,
先开窗, 后吮汤,
馅儿滑, 肉更香,
别把嘴儿烫,
莫让包儿凉.

Related Posts:

1. Durian, The King of Fruits