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Yang’s Fried Dumplings 小楊生煎

Address: 54-60 Wujiang Road, near Nanjing West Road / 吴江路54-60号 ,近南京西路
Price: 4 RMB/5 dumplings

I feel obliged to blog about Yang’s (even though it’s most definitely not a personal favorite) because this place is reputed as having THE best fried dumplings (sheng jian bao) in Shanghai. Originally a street vendor on Wujiang Road, Yang’s has recently moved to the 2nd floor of a nearby mall  (name unknown, but there is a 85°C cafe on the 1st floor). The line is perpetually long, just like before.

The perpetually long line

An “open” kitchen, steam and hot

So this is what you do. 1. Go to the window on the left and pay for however many dumplings you want to buy (4 RMB/5 dumplings). 2. With your ticket, go line up for the window on the left  (this is the long line), where you pick up the dumplings. 3. Head over the the window right next to it to pick up the sauce. For first timers, this might be a hectic experience especially if you don’t speak Chinese.

The menu

The fried dumpling

So what are sheng jian bao anyway? A specialty of Shanghai. Puffy pork dumplings, shallow-fried in round black pans for a crispy bottom, thick skin sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped green onions, contains hot soup that burns.

The soup

The take-out box

The above picture shows how the Styrofoam take-out box is burnt by the hot dumpling, so you might consider eating the dumplings right there in the restaurant. However, take a look at the picture below to see how crowded this place is, and decide which is the lesser of the two evils. By the way, there have also been rumors saying that the Yang’s dumplings are made with pork that gives you cancer (you can Google this). Well, whether that’s true or not, don’t expect quality meat at 4 RMB/5 dumplings.

Packed

If you have a special thing for fried dumplings, do get yours here – it seems like 99% of the customers are local, which is a sure sign of authenticity.