New Shanghai's Pork and Cider Dinner

Howdy all! I hope everyone have been well. Apologies for my recent blogging absence as I have been busy flying in and out of Sydney recently. More of that gossip will come very shortly but for today we have on the menu, a date with... *drum rolls* Mr. Piggy and his bad ass cider friends at New Shanghai. I welcome you to the pork and cider dinner.

New Shanghai's pork and cider dinner

Course number 3
Left: Apple Thief pink lady cider
Right: Pan fried dumpling set - pan fried pork bun, pan fried dumpling and shallot pancake

Lets be honest here people, most of us are probably guilty of having a continuous inkling for alcohol but for me in particular, my body goes weak at the knees every time I see a chilled cider (especially in summer). I heart cider, full stop. It's probably because I can barely taste the alcohol in it, it has a nice fruity taste and it is no where near as nasty as some of the strong spirits out there (yes go laugh, I am a light weight)!
New Shanghai is now combing two strong loves: pork and cider over a 7 course meal plus matching wines for $65 per head. I know that 7 courses plus matching ciders might not appear to be filling, that's what I thought at the very beginning but trust me, I was fooled. I was so full by the end of it, I could have passed out.

Course number 1
Left: Fog city cloudy apple
Right: Sweet and sour pork rib in dark vinegar sauce

Course number 2
Steamed dumpling basket - Xiao long bao, crab meat Xiao long bao and vegetarian dumpling

When these dishes came rolling out, I ate ALL the dumprings. The fog city cloudy apple wasn't as sweet as the apple thief and like the name, it didn't have a clean cut distinct apple flavor. In saying that, the cloudiness of the drink helped balanced out the strong sweet and sour flavours of the pork.
The pink lady apple by apple thief was a good match for the steamed and pan fried dumplings, especially because the cider was much sweeter than the first. The apple thief was probably one of my favorite ciders of the night because it wasn't overly sweet and yet so refreshing. It makes me want to get up, pack my things and head to the beach where I can bask under the sun with one of their icy chilled drinks.

Course number 4
Left: Montieth's pear cider
Right: steamed meatball with crab meat

Course number 5
Left: Ecusson Rose cider
Right: stewed pork belly sandwiched in steamed bun

The soup with the meatball and crab meat was sooo comforting. It was so warm and hearty and was probably my favorite dish of the night, I would come back just for that soup. The sweetness from the pear cider went well with the juices from the meatball, especially as pear is less acidic than apple.
The Ecusson rose cider was sweeter than most of the ciders so for me, that was nice. Although I generally have a savoury tooth but when it comes to drinks, sweet drinks are always a winner for me.

Course number 6
Left: Small Acres Cider, medium sweet
Right: Pork belly braised overnight in sweet soy sauce

Top: Rekorderlig Strawberry-lime
Bottom: Fresh mango pudding

Finally it came to 'dessert'. The small acres cider was also my top favorite. I warn you though, it is super duper sweet. It is the sweetest cider I have ever had and I loved every single drop of it. Sadly though, the braised pork belly was overly sweet for me to handle. By this stage, I struggled tackle the sweetness from the pork, let alone for my stomach to digest.
Annddd lucky last came to the mango pudding. When it arrived, my stomach smashed right into it. I needed something refreshing, I needed it then and there. It was sooo good, perhaps it tasted better because I was in the moment of things but it is pretty difficult to get a real mango pudding wrong. The Rekorderlig with the mint leaves were also refreshing but I do find with Rekorderlig, I struggle to find the right balance between the sweetness and the fruitiness.
Nevertheless, it was a satisfying meal and I walked out extremely full. For $65, it is worth giving Mr. Piggy and his bad ass cider friends a go.