Searching for the city’s best xiao long bao? Here’s a serious contender in Panmure

restaurant
Written By Antony

POP INTO PANMURE - PIN YUE

Pin Yue Shanghai Restaurant is situated in the space that was formerly home to Peach’s Hot Chicken. As the name indicates, the menu includes many Shanghai mainstays but there are also influences from Sichuan as well as a good helping of Cantonese dishes, as the co-owner of the Panmure branch Lily is from Hong Kong (there are two other branches on Pin Yue in Auckland and the menus vary). In fact, the menu is huge and nobody would struggle to find something to love on it.

I’m here to try what Lily says is one of the signature dishes, Sichuan Style Chicken. It’s their take on the Sichuan classic la xi ji. Rather than using diced chicken or soft-bone chicken pieces as is the norm, the chef here Mr Zhang starts with two chicken thigh fillets, gently flattened out. He coats them in a simple flour mix and lays them into the wok in which he has heated oil to boiling. Deftly controlling the flow of gas by adjusting the lever with his knee, Mr Zhang cooks the chicken pieces until lightly golden, then lifts them up to slice them into smaller pieces with scissors, and continues to cook them until they are deep golden and crisp. After draining the chicken pieces of excess oil, they go back into a hot wok with julienned carrot, cabbage, onion, a soy sauce blend, and a dry chilli blend made in house – the kitchen makes three versions so customers can opt for mild, medium, or spicy. After tossing everything together to soften the veggies and coat all the contents of the wok with flavour, the chef turns the dish out onto a serving plate and tops it with crisp fried skin-on peanuts and shallots. 

This is a whopping portion. At $18, it could feed two with a bowl of rice – you can also opt to add on an extra $8 for a bottle of beer (a very good choice with this dish!) or bubble tea. As Lily points out, using thigh fillets means the chicken stays succulent and juicy even after being blasted with that intense heat in the wok. 

But wait … there’s more, because I’ve spotted xiao long bao on the menu and I’m keen to see how it compares with other top versions around the city (I’d include Jolin, Huami, and Chu Long Ji in that lineup). 15 minutes later the basket of eight soup dumplings arrives at my table along with a small bowl and soup spoon, and a dipping dish with red vinegar and julienned ginger. Things are looking good. The xiao long bao are made at the Somerville kitchen and while I leave pleat-counting to the pedants, they are clearly plentiful. The broth and the meatball are clean-flavoured with just the right amount of sweetness and savoury. I’d confidently say these are some of the best in the city and I know I’ll be back for more of these and to explore the Pin Yue menu further.

Pin Yue

1/100 Queens Rd, Panmure

09 218 3188

Tuesday to Sunday 11am–9.30pm

Proudly in partnership with the Panmure Business Association

Antony

http://www.lazysundayclub.nz
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