Pictures of the Day: Traditional Shanghainese

For dessert, sticky black rice stuffed in a pumpkin

Earlier this week we were invited to dinner at the Shanghai Fraternity Association on Wyndham Street in Central.

The food here is traditional Shanghainese and it's a pity this place is member's only as the dishes are fantastic.

We had typical dishes such as stir-fried river shrimp, very small ones that were fresh and well complemented with vinegar. Another was a dish of sweet peas that were a vibrant green and each bite was sweet and delicious.

The delicious taro duck soup presented in a large soup tureen

Next came a giant soup tureen that was placed on the table and inside it was a whole duck with chunks of taro and Chinese ham. The oiliness from the duck had been carefully scooped out leaving behind a thin flavourful broth, and the taro melting in the mouth.

We also had some pea shoots in season now with fresh crunchy bamboo shoots, and a labour-intensive dish featuring a fish with its meat filleted, thinly sliced and stir-fried.

For dessert we had a squash that was hollowed out and stuffed with black sticky rice and topped with nuts and seeds. After it was sliced up for each guest, we drizzled some syrup with osmanthus flowers in it. The taste wasn't too sweet or filling -- it was so good most of us polished it off easily.