Restaurant review: Lao Xue Yuan – classic Shanghai dishes that are comforting, and generally full of flavour
The decor has some odd touches, such as a painted plate of Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan, but on the plates that matter there is plenty to admire – avoid the xiao long bao with their bland filling, though
As I hurried down the street on my way to Lao Xue Yuan, I saw signage outside that said the restaurant was still in its soft opening phase, although it had opened more than two months ago.
The news of a good new restaurant gets around fast, it seems, and as I walked down the stairs to the basement space, I saw that the large dining area was almost full, and filled primarily with Mandarin speakers.
The room was elegant, with a few odd touches, such as the painted plate with a portrait of Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan waving against a blue sky, and too-large bolsters for the banquette seating, which we had to set aside to make room for ourselves.
Almost every dish we tried had the icon next to it indicating that it’s a speciality. This proved good strategy for the starters. The home-made salty chicken (HK$98) didn’t look like anything special – just ungarnished shredded chicken, with no attempt at presentation, but the subtle seasoning showed off the inherent flavour of the bird.
