Home Town 荷唐 @ Shanghai (2020)

Taking the spot vacated by the Michelin 1-star Terrior Parisien, I was glad that Home Town was not affected by the pandemic and still operating when I visited a couple of months ago.

They serve very good and reasonably priced set lunch for the office crowd in Raffles City Changning. The menu is often refreshed to give a variety and seasonality to the diners.

Signature Drunken Conch 招牌醉香花螺

An ala carte appetiser, this boiled conch marinated with yellow wine. Served in an ice bowl (the bowl is made using a mould), the refreshing conch would definitely be a great snacks with your tipple.

Sichuan peppery chicken with century eggs, bean curd straw & daikon sprouts 松腐竹麻香鸡

A bit like “saliva” chicken, but upgraded with a century egg and Sichuan pepper sauce for that kick.

Winged beans sautéed with XO sauce XO 虾酱炒龙豆

Reminded me of the belachan kang kong in Singapore. Winged beans have gained quite popularity recently given the crunchy texture and good healthy properties. And this tasteless vegetable is excellent sautéed with sambal belachan.

Peppery crispy pomfret with daikon cress 麻辣鲳鱼

A cold appetiser, the pomfret was fried to a crisp and the smoother with a peppery sweet glaze.

“Crispy not greasy” Peking duck 北京经典“酥不腻”烤鸭

Home Town special lunch set billboards the classic “crispy not greasy” Peking duck which have really crispy skin but not greasy because of the selection of duck. Ducks used are around 35 days old. The “cherry duck” feeds on small fish, small insects and soybeans. The average adult duck is 2.3-2.5 kg and only about 800 g can be served from the duck.

The surprise was the popiah skin used for the wrapping the duck. They were separated by layer of paper to avoid them sticking together. Very delicious.

Wok-fried fresh cane shoots with tiger prawns & Cantonese pork sausage 腊味茭白笋黑虎虾仁

Simple dish in terms of technique but unique with its combination of ingredients – tiger prawns, Chinese sausages bamboo shoots. Very flavourful and excellent as accompaniment to rice.

Stewed yellow croaker with iced cherry tomatoes with plum & mushroom 梅子樱桃番西红柿烧黄鱼

Marinated cherry tomatoes with a sweet plum sauce with stewed fried yellow croaker. Didn’t enjoy this dish.

Tomato sauerkraut duck soup 番茄酸菜烤鸭汤

And to round up the lunch set was a huge bowl of tomato sauerkraut duck soup made from boiling the bones of the roast duck with Chinese mustard sauerkraut and tomatoes.

Braised deer tendons with abalone sauce 鲍汁烧鹿筋

This was the best item, and it’s ala carte. It’s a Lu cuisine 鲁菜 technique with leeks and tendons simmered in abalone sauce. The original version would use sea cucumber and actual abalone, but this was good enough for lunch. It’s an excellent dish to finish off those extra white rice.

The restaurant was the first foray in Shanghai for a fellow Singaporean, Chef Jack Aw Yong. In Home Town, it’s like a homecoming for Jack. You can find Singaporean favourites like Bak Kut Teh and Hainanese chicken rice, and also his adopted hometown of Beijing like Peking duck, and his culinary roots with the terrine and beef courses. So good to be back in Shanghai!

荷唐 Home Town
长宁路1195号莱佛士广场4号古建6号商铺，T3写字楼隔壁
Tel : (021) 60881677

Date Visited : Dec 2020