Shanghai: Tonkatsu Hamachan & Hengshan Cafe
Shanghai: Tonkatsu Hamachan
Tonkatsu Hamachan is a little hole in the wall spot on Jiaozhou Lu with just a couple tables. I read about it onSmartShanghai and made my first visit last summer. For some reason, I haven’t been back since, but I do remember the lighting being very dim, the service very gruff, and the katsu phenomenal! Last night I went back for another round and found the lighting to be brighter and the katsu still amazing. Note to self: visit more often.
The menu at Hamachan is relatively short – listing a few varieties of tonkatsu set meals (around $65RMB), small dishes ($10-30RMB), and some sake & beer offerings. We started our meal off right with their potato salad – the flavor reminded me a lot of the mac salad you get in Hawaii. Perhaps its the mayo they use, I don’t think its your typical Kewpie mayo which you find in most Japanese-style potato salads.
Hamachan’s cold tofu is bare bones and simple, which I rather like. It’s just two hunks of silken tofu sitting in a dish with some grated ginger and a heap of green onion. You add your own soy sauce and dig in!
Here is a glamour shot for ya’ll. You see that on the left? Yes, that is a layer of fat lacing the entire cut of pork. Mmmm hmmm. I got the set meal which comes with a small assortment of tasty pickles, a bowl of perfect white rice, and miso soup (with bits of pork belly in it!? yes, please!). You can choose either pork loin or .. I forget the name of the other cut, but it sounded less juicy so it was of no relevance to me. I am puzzled at how Hamachan can fry up such thick cuts of pork to juicy pink perfection without burning the panko crust. The panko coating is ridiculously crispy and light, and well-adhered to the pork. That, my friends, is pure pork magic. I love that Hamachan serves up their katsu with a ceramic teapot of accompanying Bulldog sauce – I’m a bit crazy about the slightly sweet, slightly tangy sauce, so it’s great to have a giant pot of it sitting next to me.
Afterwards, we went across the street to the Hotel URBN for a drink (which cost more than dinner). They have some outdoor seating and the interiors are worth taking a peek at. I checked out their food menu, mostly American classics with a twist – a bit rich for my blood, but I wonder if the food is any good?
Enjoy!
Tonkatsu Hamachan
176 Jiaozhou Lu at Beijing Lu
胶州路176号近北京西路
＋86 21 6256－8674
Shanghai: Hengshan Cafe
Last week my friend in Hong Kong sent me some photos of the amazing roast goose he was having – and it sparked an insatiable craving that needed to be quelled. No chicken, duck, or big fat burger would do for my dinner .. it HAD to be goose. So that very night I ended up at Hengshan Cafe with this monstrosity sitting in front of me:
Yes, that is half a roast goose ($138). For two diners! We went a little crazy, but my goose craving was definitely satiated. If you’ve never had goose before, you have to try it. It’s a lot like duck, but if a duck married a delicious chicken and was fattier, juicer, more tender, and a little less gamey. It’s really fantastic dipped in sweet and tangy plum sauce and eaten with a bowl of fresh hot white rice.
In addition to roast goose, Hengshan does does great Cantonese food – the restaurant is super clean and even has a yellow smiley face sanitation sign. (<- Though I've heard these are all guanxi-based, is that true?) Definitely mosey on over to Hengshan if you’re ever in the mood for some really good Cantonese, or goose. Lots of goose. Hengshan’s also a great place to go for late-night dining. Their kitchen is open until 4am, and most of their dishes hover around $50RMB.
For more goosey deliciousness, read my post on Siu Mei in Hong Kong.
Enjoy!
Hengshan Cafe 衡山小馆
308 Hengshan Lu at Wuxing Lu
衡山路308号近吴兴路
+86 21 6471-7127
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