Da Hu Chun's shengjian use leavened dough, a pork filling and no heavy soup inside. The result is a soft, bread-like wrapper and a firm, savoury filling — the old-Shanghai style we recommend trying.
What makes them different
- Leavened dough
- The fermented wrapper is soft and chewy rather than a hard, brittle shell, with a wheat aroma reminiscent of a small steamed bun.
- Pork without soup
- A springy pork filling with natural juices, sesame and spring onion rather than a mouthful of hot broth.
- Vinegar and spring onion
- Add the shop's mature and red vinegars and fresh spring onion to sharpen the flavour and cut the richness.
What to order
- Fresh-pork shengjian
- The signature: a generous pork filling, spring-onion aroma and a wrapper that absorbs the cooking juices.
- Prawn and pork shengjian
- Prawns added to the pork filling for a sweeter flavour and more varied texture.
- Curry beef soup
- A rich soup with substantial beef slices and gentle curry spice, recommended alongside the fried buns.
- Scallion-oil noodles
- Springy noodles tossed in fragrant scallion oil for a more substantial breakfast.
Branches
- Sichuan Middle Road
- The busiest main branch, with frequent queues and a simple setting that emphasizes the old breakfast-shop atmosphere.
- Yuanmingyuan Road
- Near the Bund, with a relatively tidier dining room and a convenient location for visitors.
- Jiangning Road
- A neighbourhood option described as popular with residents and usually less queued than the main branch.
Timing and eating them safely
- Go for breakfast
- We recommend 07:00–09:00, when the freshly cooked wrappers are softest. Later arrivals may find the buns sold out, and wrappers left sitting lose their texture. At the busy Sichuan Middle Road branch, decide your order ahead and let one person queue while another finds seats and prepares the dipping sauce.
- Let the heat escape
- Fresh buns are extremely hot. Open a small vent first, let the steam escape, then add vinegar and spring onion. The central branches can be combined with the Bund or Nanjing Road.