Shing Lung Hong (成隆行 蟹王府)

It's almost that time of the year!!!  Time for mooncakes and hairy crabs!!!  Hairy crabs are native of Yangcheng Lake and considered an autumn delicacy in Shanghai cuisine.  The best time to enjoy this crab is between the ninth (female) and tenth (male) lunar calendar month.  Due to over-fishing and pollution, the yield of this delicate crab has been declining steadily.  Most crabs sold these days are no longer from the Yangcheng Lake.  On the other hand, these crabs were spotted all the way in Germany when they are considered an invasive species there!  (Just send a few Chinese hairy crab tasting tours and we will take care of the problem.)

I happened to be in Shanghai in November a few years ago.  Of course I won't miss this perfect opportunity to enjoy this delicacy and went to one of the restaurants who is a popular destination for all the hairy crab lovers - Shing Lung Hong (成隆行 蟹王府).  (I revisited the place again in October 2011... hoping I could go again this year or next!)  Shing Lung Hong originated from Hong Kong in the 1950s and is selected by the PRC government as one of the three main distributors for the hairy crab!

A crab eating set~

They even have live music to entertain the diners

They have set and a la carte menu.  We decided to go for the RMB588 set and order a drunken crab a la carte.  Oh, we also got a bottle of osmanthus wine~  The drunken crab is so good (it's quite cruel though)

The first course, presentation is nice but nothing too special. 

I really wish they can substitute the shark fin with something else in the menu in the future.  Shark fins soup is tasty but I don't order it anymore and don't want to be put into a situation I have to eat it... (I will eat shark fin if the alternative is to waste the soup)

 

I don't remember which course this is per the menu.  It is a quick stir fry of shrimp and crab cream.

Another dish using crab cream, this time with tofu.  Best eaten with rice!

And finally~ the star of tonight's dinner!!!  When enjoying the hairy crab, you have to allow yourself ample of time.  They have a service at this restaurant where the servers will de-meat the crab for you but I think that kinda defeats the purpose.

Among all the animals out there, crab is the only thing I can tell you whether its male or female in less than 5 seconds!  I personally prefer the male hairy crab but this is just my personal preference :)

male crab

female crab

Below is a video for the uninitiated on how the pros de-meat the crab...

The soup is very rich and the soup dumpling is not bad... could have been better but I am here specifically for the steamed hairy crab (and the drunken crab).  The desserts can be skipped.  You can't taste any almond in it.

Shing Lung Hong (成隆行 蟹王府)

上海市黃浦區九江路216號A舖
Tel: +86 (021) 6321 2010