Shanghai's best hairy crab

Recommended: Ling Long Ge

Ling Long Ge takes simple dan dan mian noodles to a whole new place -- and you'll want to be there when it does.

When Ling Long Ge isn't serving hairy crabs from the legendary Yangcheng Lake, it imports them straight from a freshwater lake in Denmark. That's the secret to how the restaurant keeps fresh crab on its menu year round.

“I like that Ling Long Ge has private rooms. They’re beautifully decorated and you can hear pipa or erhu music wafting from the corridors where musicians play,” says Tian Xia Mei Shi magazine food critic Peipei Yang.

The numerous private rooms also allow some discretion while fumbling open dozens of tiny crab legs.

According to Yang, “the xiefen [crab roe] is a good bet at Ling Long Ge. The sautéed crab roe is a classic here. They also have this starter, crab meat and roe jellied in aspic broth. I love how it melts in my mouth,” she says.

There are two other must-have items that aren’t to be missed. First is the the dan dan mian, which comes with an entire bowl of crab roe and meat to accompany it. Simply pile the crab onto your noodles and wait for the island of roe to soak into the ground sesame sauce and toasted chili oil.

The other is yin yang fried pastries, which are made with half lotus, half curried crab filling. Ling Long Ge's menu is extensive to say the least, and you're always in good hands.

Ling Long Ge, 2/F, 951 Hongxu Lu, near Yan'an Xi Lu 虹许路951号2楼, 近延安西路, +86 21 3207 1177, hours 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

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