Shanghai Dining, Tsukuda (上海ダイニング,佃)

Geez, when the weather turns good, it brings out the dogs. And the dogs, and their owners, want to sit on cafe terraces and sip lattes, and the like. Barring that, for instance if they’re unfortunate enough to live in Tsukuda, home of huge apartment buildings and not much else (and a short walk only to the mythical Land of Monja), they want to sit in any ol’ outside place and do whatever. If they went to Shanghai Dining, they’d be sitting outside eating…dim sum.

The terrace was full when Maccha and I arrived, so we sat inside. I did really want to sit outside though, and when a table opened I asked. The waiter immediately launched into a semi-tirade about how outside was extremely windy, and the sun was very strong, and if we moved, and the inside tables filled up, and we decided outside wasn’t good, we would not be able to come back in. Under no circumstances. Suitably chastised, we stayed put, repentant for even thinking such selfish thoughts.

The menu is big in a Chinese way – Ye Olde Beef Section, Ye Olde Chicken Section, etc. There’s a decent dim sum selection (as if I would know a decent dim sum selection) that we got into in a good way – fried tofu skin and shrimp spring rolls; steamed shrimp and rice dumplings; regular meaty steamed wheat dumplings. All decent stuff. Crab fried rice was adequate, and chinese sausage with onion and spicy sauce was good, in that uniquely disturbing way that Chinese people have with meat products – the texture is somehow different from meat in any other culture. Hmmmm…

This is actually worth a return visit, but mainly if you can sit outside. That’s not to say the inside isn’t nice, and there was a table of 20 that turned over only to be replaced by another table of 20 – a popular Sunday-lunch-with-the-family kinda place? It’s open straight through, for everyone who wants to lunch outside at 3 PM. Not sure about the latte situation though.

Phew, watch out for the sun and wind! Nature is a harsh mistress.
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