Old fashioned "Chiang Che" style restaurants A Review of Siangyu Mansion, Old Jheng Sing, and Tong Mao / 老牌江浙館 祥鈺樓、老正興、統茂
Old fashioned "Chiang Che" style restaurants
A Review of Siangyu Mansion, Old Jheng Sing, and Tong Mao
◎Text by Hsin-Yi Peng
◎Photos by Wei-Ren Yang
Siangyu Mansion, Old Jheng sing, and Tong Mao are authentic, old fashioned "Chiang Che" style restaurants located in the Kaohsiung area. All highly recommend by locals who enjoy this kind of cuisine.
※Siangyu Mansion
Siangyu Mansion was recently reopened as a revival of the old fashioned Chiang Che restaurant style. Mr. Jin-Hung Chu also rehired his original staff, so the original clientele could once again enjoy the delicious gourmet they had missed so much.
Mr. Chu is a native of Shanghai. His father was also a chef. It was because of this influence he too entered the industry. Over the decades, the father and son team have tried their hands at almost every Chiang Che style cooking method. These include: quick fry, stir fry, braise, deep fry, steamed, roasted, clear stew and soy sauce stew. It is no exaggeration these chefs have mastered the art of Chiang Che cuisine.
One example of Chian Che cuisine and one of Shanghai's most popular appetizers is Kaofu. Kaofu is made of spongy wheat gluten squares. These are fried until it has the appropriate texture and has absorbed a delicious amount of dressing. The little squares relinquish a sweetish taste and a soy sauce that contributes a wonderful flavor.
※Hu Ning Old Jheng Sing
Old Jheng Sing is the oldest Chiang Che restaurant in Kaohsiung City and was opened more than half a century ago. One of their core values is to uphold the authenticity of Chiang Che cuisine. This persistence has paid off and the restaurant is still going strong. The authenticity of Old Jheng Sing's food continues to receive praise from customers, young and old alike.
Executive chef, Mr. Chi-Long Hsieh, began as a fifteen year old apprentice. Under the tutelage of an older Shanghainese chef, he learned the secrets to creating authentic Chiang Che cooking and became an expert at presenting the freshest, tastiest and aromatic food. However, that was just the beginning. Over the years he has made various adjustments to his cooking methods. He makes sure his food isn't overly greasy, salty or sweet, short comings Chiang Che chefs are often criticized for. On the menu are all the classic Chiang Che (sometimes referred to as Hu Ning) gourmet dishes Popular dishes include fried eel filet served over mung bean spouts, Wu Hsi style smoked fish and Chen Chiang style cured pork.
※Tong Mao Chiang Che Seafood Restaurant
Tong Mao Chiang Che Seafood Restaurant offers a wide rage of food to choose from. The cooking methods are innovative and great efforts are made to change the stereotypical impression of the greasiness of Chiang Che food. Ton Mao offers a large selection of seafood dishes and strives to make the food low in fat, sodium and sugar in order to cater to health-conscious dinners.
Scallion braised crucian carp (Carassius auratus) is the restaurant's most popular dish and a Chiang Che classic. This dish is made by oil-frying fish in medium heat until it is crispy inside and out. It is then soaked in a special vinegar sauce, which softens the bones so they can be eaten along with the meat. Finally, the fish is cooked in a sauce of rice wine, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and scallions. This dish is made from almost exclusively female fish. This is because each one holds a full egg pouch, adding to the texture and flavor of this slowly cocked dish.
老牌 江浙館
祥鈺樓、老正興、統茂
◎文．攝影／楊為仁
提到高雄道地江浙餐館，喜愛江浙料理的饕客，一定不會錯過祥鈺樓、老正興和統茂。
※祥鈺樓
高雄市知名的江浙菜館「祥鈺樓」３年前於三多路重新開張，老闆朱金鴻號召餐廳老班底，讓顧客品嚐到懷念的滋味。
老闆朱金鴻是上海人，受父親影響從事餐飲業，兩代幾十年來，對於各式江浙菜烹飪手法：爆、炒、燴、炸、蒸、烤、燉、紅燒，無不精通透澈。
由老師傅掌廚的江浙菜，味道就是不一樣！就拿上海菜中最具代表性的烤麩來說，恰到好處的火候讓醬汁滲入烤麩裡層，稍微一咬，湯汁就溢了出來。
※滬寧老正興
「老正興」可說是高雄市歷史最悠久的江浙餐館，超過半世紀的歲月，這家老字號的招牌始終屹立不搖，靠的就是純正道地的江浙口味。
由於「老正興」菜餚口味獨一無二，不只老主顧讚不絕口，就連年輕的顧客也一吃就上癮。
主廚謝智隆15歲入行，跟著上海老師傅學做菜，廚藝精湛，不但保留江浙菜鮮香味美的風味，還改正過油、過鹹、過甜的缺失，讓銀芽鱔糊、無錫排骨、鎮江肴肉等經典滬寧料理，重現風華。
※統茂江浙海鮮樓
統茂江浙海鮮樓的菜色琳瑯滿目，創新的烹飪手法令饕客耳目一新，不但提供豐富的海鮮料理，為了符合現代人飲食健康需求，也儘量以低油、低鹽、低糖來烹飪，扭轉客人對江浙菜過於油膩的刻板印象。
蔥烤鯽魚是店內最為饕客津津樂道的經典江浙菜，鯽魚經過浸醋、慢火油炸的程序，魚骨幾乎完全軟化，極易入口，再用酒、糖、醋、醬油和蔥段一起燜燒收汁，每尾鯽魚都可嚐到飽滿的魚卵。