Xia Fei Shanghainese Restaurant

Xia Fei
Shop 26-7, B2
K11 Mall
18 Hanoi Rd
Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong
Ph : +852 2801 6111

Before arriving in Hong Kong I'd gone trawling online for places to try. Xia Fei, a relatively new restaurant at the time, ended up on the list, but I can't seem to recall the whys and wheres of it. The name "Xia Fei" comes from the road of the same name back in the era of foreign concessions in old Shanghai - Avenue Joffre (now called Huai Hai Lu).

And so it was that I found myself at this restaurant, which is situated at the end of one of the myriad of corridors in the K11 mall.

Wonton with Hot and Sour Soup (HIKD32)

My oddly flattened photo does not give an accurate representation of the size of this bowl. The bowl was sufficient to fill four or so rice bowls. Unfortunately, I forgot to note how many wonton there were in this serving, but the soup was not that chilli (I would have liked a bigger chilli kick), had a nice balance of vinegar, and good amounts of tofu/ wood ear fungus/ meat etc.

 Xiao Long Bao (HKD24)

The quality of these was comparable to the XLB that I'd had at Crystal Jade and was marginally cheaper. The skin was transluscent, the soup had a nice depth to it and was suitably almost-scaldingly hot, and the filling full of flavour.

 Dan Dan Mien (HKD40)

If it's on the menu, the chances are that I will order Dan Dan Mien. This rendition had a good thick soup with the marked peanut taste that I prefer, and was not too oily. As was the case with the hot and sour soup, my personal preference would have been for a stronger kick to the soup. Nonetheless, the thin white noodles were plentiful and cooked perfectly, still firm to the bite.

 Pan Fried Buns (HKD26)

It seems that when I try a new Shanghainese restaurant, I inevitably want to eat the same dishes. Partly as a point of comparison, but mainly because I simply enjoy them. The pan fried buns fall into this category. A fairly light exterior, but thicker than Crystal Jade's (I prefer the latter). Filling wise, good flavour, but nothing exceptional.

 Braised Cabbage with Yunnan Ham (HKD52)

Yunnan is most famous for its ham, a salty, long-cured product that is aged for over a year and a half. Because of the strength of its taste, is often used as a means of flavouring a dish. This cabbage combination is a classic one, but the cabbage is sometimes almost shredded into thinner slices and the presentation a little bit more precise than this one above. Tastewise, it was an agreeable enough rendition.

The best point of comparison for me was with Crystal Jade, since they seem to cover a similar ground and be targetted at the same market. The decor of Xia Fei is more appealing, harking back, as it does, to an "old Shanghai" look, but the tables are rather too close together in the main body of the restaurant. As for the food, overall the two places are not too dissimilar tastewise and pricewise. If I was in the area and in the mood for Shanghainese food, I would be happy to return and try some more dishes.

[AP]