Restaurant: The Grand Hyatt

By Chris Fuchs
CONTRIBUTING REPORTER
Friday, Sep 03, 2004, Page 19

The shad is just one of the colorful dishes on the menu at the Grand Hyatt's Shanghai Shanghai restaurant. PHOTO COURTESY OF GRAND HYATT

Longing taste Shanghai cuisine without leaving Taiwan? The Grand Hyatt Taipei might just satiate that craving.

Last Wednesday, the hotel began a 12-day-long journey back to what it says was the Shanghai of yesteryear, giving customers a chance to eat an authentic Shanghai meal in an authentic Shanghai setting.

Naturally, Chinese cuisine varies from province to province, with some dishes saltier than others and some sweeter than others. Shanghai cuisine incorporates sweet and salty tastes with a healthy dose of oil, lending a somewhat slippery texture to each dish.

"The Shanghai style of food served in Shanghai, compared to Taiwan, is stronger," said Johnny Liao, the head chef who has been cooking Shanghai style for almost four decades.

Among some of the dishes on the "Shanghai Shanghai" menu were steamed shad with pickled cucumber and Yunnan ham wrapped in a crepe; braised seafood bean curd parcel in a crab roe sauce; steamed pork dumplings; and a creamy walnut and peanut soup for desert.

The steamed shad, a type of fish, was unique in that it was not scaled. Each piece was wrapped in a thin, filmy substance resembling Saran-Wrap. (Don't worry, it's edible.) The fish was then steamed using nothing but its own juices, creating a taste that was both clean and light on the pallet. Just remember, though, to watch out for the bones.

Another on the menu was braised seafood bean curd parcel. Like the shad, this dish also used a thin, edible material -- the skin of bean curd -- to wrap up the seafood. The bundle is then sauteed using a technique that makes it slippery and wet. The bean curd skin, lightly fried, was rather fun to eat.

Apart the seafood dishes, there was also steamed marrow and pork dumplings. Many dumplings in Taiwan are often over steamed, leaving the inside bone dry. These dumplings, however, were oozing with juices, so much so that a spoon was required to avoid spillage. The dumpling's filling was heavy on the chopped scallions, lending a biting though zesty taste.

For desert, there was a creamy walnut and peanut soup, served luke-warm. The sweetness, mixed with nuts, somehow successfully managed to counterbalance the main dish's salty and oily flavors, satisfactorily rounding up the entire meal.

Liao, the head chef who has been plying his trade for over three decades, said it's seldom one comes across a restaurant in Taiwan serving genuine Shanghai-style cuisine.

As for the different types of cuisine offered at the Grand Hyatt, Liao said, "It's important to keep changing styles. You have to add fresh feelings, otherwise guests will not come back."

The Shanghai Shanghai special ends on Sept. 12. Apart from the food, the atmosphere of the Shanghai Court conjures up the feeling of 1930s Shanghai, complete with the decorations and music of the time.