Expect a bun fight to get in as restaurant is full steam ahead
The century-old Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant in Yuyuan Garden Malls reopens after a major renovation on Friday, attracting a large number of diners.
A century-old restaurant in Yuyuan Garden Malls that specialises in the city's iconic steamed buns reopened over the weekend after a six month refurbishment.
The Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant near the Zigzag Bridge has served numerous illustrious clients over the years including Hollywood legend Charlie Chaplin and British philosopher Bertrand Russell.
Revamped by famous Hong Kong designer Alan Chan, the restaurant now features classic and vintage environments.
A cultural wall at the entrance showcases the eatery's century-long development.
The historical stories of the restaurant's six generations are painted on tables, napkin boxes, wrappings for chop sticks, delivery bags and menus. China's traditional woodcut paintings, paper-cutting, calligraphy and classic paintings of renowned Chinese artist Feng Zikai (1898-1975) are invoked in the new decoration.
The popular restaurant last underwent a facelift in 2010, so the operator decided it needed a new look to boost its brand image, according to Yuyuan Inc, the owner of the commercial properties in the garden.
The layout of the restaurant was rearranged and the three floors redesigned, but the outer appearance, including the rooftop and eaves, was preserved so its style blended with other buildings.
A new service is being offered at the restaurant.
Diners can order a pot of tea from the nearby Mid-Lake Pavilion Teahouse to drink with their steamed buns, which is said to be a century old tradition.
You Yumin, the sixth generation inheritor of the Nanxiang small steamed bun making skill, showcases the traditional heritage skill.
The Nanxiang small steamed buns, also known as xiaolongbao, are a famous Shanghai treat with their pork fillings and thin wrapping that are both succulent and juicy.
Classic leisure lifestyle
Shanghai citizens were fond of talking and drinking at the Mid-Lake Pavilion Teahouse, the city’s first teahouse which opened in 1855.
Wu Xiangsheng, the first owner of the Nanxiang restaurant then sent small steamed buns to the teahouse, said Shen Jialu, a famous Shanghai food critic.
"A cup of tea and a small steam bun became one of the most classic leisure lifestyles in the city's old town," Shen said.
The restaurant was initially opened in Nanxiang Town in Jiading District and was moved to downtown Yuyuan Garden during the unrest of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1851-1864), according to Shen.
In the 1900s Wu reduced the size of the steam buns so they could be easily delivered throughout old downtown, he added.
The Nanxiang small steamed buns, also known as xiaolongbao, have pork fillings and a thin wrapping making them both succulent and juicy.
Chefs add seasonal treats such as crab meat, shrimp or bamboo shoots, said You Yumin, a sixth generation inheritor of the skills of small steamed bun.
While preserving traditions, the restaurant is also offering new flavors, including a spicy mackerel filling.
The 39-year-old You also serves as the deputy general manager of the restaurant.
She studied steamed bun making skills when she was 17 years old and has developed her own techniques.
You uses two short wooden sticks to roll dough into a piece of thin wrapping. She then quickly fills with pork and wraps the buns with 16 drapes.
With her innovation, each steamed bun can now have 20 grams of fillings from the previous 13 grams.
This allows the chefs to create more flavors with fillings such as sea cucumber, shepherd’s purse and songrong, or matsutake mushroom, she said.
More than a dozen chain stores of the restaurant have been opened abroad such as in Japan and Indonesia.
The century-old Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant in Yuyuan Garden Malls reopens after a major renovation on Friday, attracting a large number of diners.
A file photo shows the Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant and the Mid-lake Pavilion Teahouse in 1930.
Time-honored brands
The renovation is part of Yuyuan Inc's efforts to renovate the Yuyuan Garden Malls and restore a number of traditional Shanghai snacks and dining brands.
The Yuyuan Garden Malls, the dining and shopping centre near the historic Yuyuan Garden, originates from a prosperous market of the City God Temple some 140 years ago.
A previous facelift in 1992 saw many traditional style buildings constructed which cover an area of 53,000 square meters. The gardens are home to restaurants and jewellery stores, traditional Chinese medicine shops and souvenir stands.
As an iconic tourist attraction the malls receive 40 million visitors every year.
But its dining and commercial facilities were thought to be lagging.
According to the blueprint, a "Shanghai cuisine culture experience zone" will be created among the malls to include the city's traditional restaurants such as Lubolang and Songyunlou as well as time-honored dining brands such as Xinghualou, Shendacheng, Deda Western Restaurant and Godly, some of which started business in 1800s.
The century-old Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant in Yuyuan Garden Malls reopens after a major renovation on Friday, attracting a large number of diners.
