Shanghai is known for its vibrant street food scene. Most residents are able to point out at least one or two places in town they frequent for tasty but (usually) unlicensed delicacies. Most food streets located downtown, however, offer largely the same set of street food staples that feature little variation on taste. To truly experience the street food scene in Shanghai one have to venture to the outskirts where vendors strive to develop new kinds of street food and improve old ones to satisfy the appetite of the local community.

Pengpu No.1 Fry is one such a restaurant, famous for their unique deep-fried street food dishes. The small restaurant started as a nameless back-alley food stall in Pengpu Xincun, a residential area in the northern suburbs of Shanghai. Over the years it has gained a large following among the local community and grown into a small street-side restaurant. Actually, calling Pengpu No.1 Fry a “restaurant” is a slight misnomer, as the place is merely a street food stand with a bunch of tables and seats, shelled under a storefront that protects it from regular government crackdowns on street food. Different kinds of raw food are piled in a glass cabinet in front of the restaurant for display, ready to be fried on demand in the huge sizzling fryer right next to it. This may look a bit unappetizing to those who are more used to dining at restaurants where raw foods are stashed away from customers’ sight, but it is way better when compared with conventional street food vendors who simply display their food in the open air.

As is the case with most small restaurants serving street food, there is basically no service at Pengpu No.1 Fry; the customers have to serve themselves. The whole staff at the restaurant are comprised of two people: a cashier who takes orders from the customers and a cook who puts the food into the huge fryer. To get food at the restaurant, customers have to line up to place their orders, and then stand in another line (or grab a seat in the restaurant if they prefer to eat-in) to wait for their food. Due to the restaurant’s popularity among the locals, the wait time can be as long as 45 minutes during peak hours. The staff speak little English, so be sure to ask someone who is able to speak Chinese to accompany you if you feel unsure about your own Chinese skills.

The atmosphere at the restaurant can be a bit off-putting. Most customers in the restaurant tend to be loud while eating, and sometimes they even smoke, despite the recent ban of indoor smoking by city authorities. Those who are more adventurous might be able to appreciate the unruly atmosphere in the restaurant, while those who are not had better ask for takeaway.

The signature dish of the restaurant is the fried chicken leg (RMB 7). The chicken legs are first prepared with a variety of spices before being fried, which adds a special flavor to the meat and ensures that the inside of the chicken leg would not taste bland. However, what really sets the restaurant apart from others is their special sauce, the recipe of which is heralded as a trade secret by the owner. Many regular customers claim that it is the sauce that has kept them returning despite a number of similar restaurants popping out nearby in recent years, for the copycat restaurants have been unable to recreate exactly the original sauce served at the restaurant. The cook will ask the customers about their choice of sauce after he retrieves the well-fried chicken legs from the huge fryer. There are two kinds of sauce to choose from - the sweet sauce and the chili sauce. Most customers would choose both; however, you can opt out of the chili sauce if you want. The sweet sauce resembles the sweet flour paste that is usually served with Shanghainese fried pork steak, but you can also sense a trace of sesame and Worcestershire sauce, which creates an intriguing mix of sweet and salty tastes on the crispy outside of the chicken leg. The chili sauce, however, does not differ much from the ordinary variants found in supermarkets. Despite being fried for a long period of time, the inside of the chicken leg is still juicy and oily, making every bite a true pleasure.

Other dishes available at the restaurant include fried pork steak, fried bacon with mushrooms, fried chicken wings and fried sausages. Prices vary from RMB 2 to RMB 7, which are typical of street food in Shanghai. For about RMB 20-30 you can have a satisfying street food meal at the restaurant, which should fall in the budget range of most college students.

To hardcore street food fans who are willing to venture out of downtown in search of some street food ingenuity, Pengpu No.1 Fry is definitely worth a place on your itinerary. The environment would make you feel adventurous and the food would definitely not let you down. Best of all, you can do all this on a budget. However, those “occasional” street food lovers are better off sticking to the food streets in downtown where they can also get quality food at a reasonable price.

“Ratings”

Overall: 3.5 / 6 (Worth a special visit for hardcore, adventurous street food fans.) Price: 5 / 6 (Great food at a reasonable price.) Food: 5 / 6 (Nobody can resist deep-fried goodness dipped in special sauces.) Service: 2 / 6 (Service is basically non-existent.) Atmosphere: 2 / 6 (Those who are more adventurous would be able to appreciate the unruly atmosphere in the restaurant. Those who are not better ask for takeaway.)

“Want to visit?”

Pengpu No.1 Fry 彭浦第一炸-巧玲炸鸡 Phone: 15921291134 Address: 820-2 Wenxi Rd, Zhabei District, Shanghai 闸北区闻喜路820-2号(近共和新路) Hours: 14:30-23:00 During summer, 15:00-23:00 Nearest Metro Station(s): Pengpu Xincun, Line 1

This article was written by Richard Lewei Huang. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Richard Lewei Huang