Hi!!!! I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted, but I’m back!!! Yesterday, one of my mom’s college friends came over from Nanjing to visit. Usually, I’m usually not interested in these meetings, but she’s been working in Sweeden for a while. I was interested so I asked to tag along. Of course, lunch was a must. She happened to arrive by rail at the Shanghai Railway Station, so we knew just where to go.

The Century

 (I know, not the best picture)

The Century is an upscale dim sum restaurant at the Pullman Shanghai Jin’An. It’s literally less than a block from the south plaza of the railway station. Alternatively, take metro line 4 to the railway station and any exit will get you within 400m.

Unlike many other dim sum places, it follows more of a traditional, western, breakfast-lunch-dinner schedule. We arrived around 11, and it was pretty clear lunch hadn’t started yet. We had the staff and fish as company.

Of course, that wasn’t a problem. Less people means less waiting right?

Food

My mom and I have been here a couple of time before, so our expectations were through the roof. It was only the three of us, so we couldn’t order everything I wanted. We did get some of my favorites:

Steamed Items

Har Gao- Most, if not all, dim sum places have har gao. This place, however, takes it to another level. The skin is delicate and thin, but the star is the filling. It’s literally whole pieces of incredibly fresh shrimp with bits of bamboo shoots mixed in for another layer of texture and flavour.

Abalone Siu Mai- Siu mai is another must order dim sum dish. To me, it’s actually the true test of a dim sum place. I’ve only ever remember going to one or two places with truly good siu mai. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of them. The flavor was definitely there, but the filling was overcooked and the skin was soggy and sticky.

Truffle and mushroom dumpling- While siu mai and har gao are traditional, this dish is definitely not. This was actually the best dim sum item I had there, every time. When having one, the gel-like skin melts away to reveal an incredibly aromatic and light, yet surprisingly meaty, filling. The textures were also on point. This is a must!

Char Siu Pastry- I’m not a fan of pastries, but my mom’s practically an expert. According to her, the Char siu pastry is the bomb. We ordered it, and sure enough, they didn’t disappoint. The pastry was crispy on the out side while flaky, buttery, but not overly rich inside. Definitely a good choice

Durian Pastry- Durian isn’t for everyone, but this place has got it down. The rich, slightly savoury pastry and incredible quality of ingredients really tones down the unpleasantness of durian. Again, highly suggested.

Roasts

No dim sum meal would be complete without some roasts.

Crispy skin roast pork- This dish was literally the best thing we ordered. The meat was perfectly tender, juicy and seasoned as well as not too fatty. The skin could not have been crispier. No reheating here! Of the 12 pieces, 10 were gone within 2 minutes

Mixed roasts platter (three item, half order)- I was just missing my pork, when this dish arrived. The three item platter consists of char siu, roast goose and, of course, more pork. The pork was still the star. The char siu had great flavor, but lacked much texture- too soft. The goose was cooked perfectly, but WAY too fatty. Honestly, this dish is overpriced (118rmb/ half order). I suggest ordering the pork and char siu separately.

Other items I highly recommend

Tofu casserole

Enoki mushroom in soup

Pickled Turnips

Roast squab (pigeon)

any of the steamed seafood

Service

Overall, the service was amazing. The food came out very fast and the staff were extremely polite and attentive. However, compared to the last few times, service quality has dipped, but that’s probably because we came at a very awkward time

Overall, this restaurant is AMAZING for any occassion, but come with a group for the best experience!

That’s it for this week… and the rest of summer. Until August, Bye!

• Dining