Ben and I went to a new restaurant in Chinatown on Saturday night while it was pouring rain outside. It’s called Lao Shanghai (which means old Shanghai). Ben’s Chinese co-worker Huijun Dong recommended it for it’s West Lake soup. We ordered the soup, xiao long bao (steamed juice dumplings, a Shanghai specialty), braised pork belly, Tony Hu’s special fried eggplant and a fancy steamed fish dish. Everything was very good, especially the soup and the bao. Service was very attentive and friendly for a Chinese restaurant and we had plenty of leftovers for a second meal. The prices are somewhat high ($60 including tax, tip and drinks–2 $4 Qingdao beers) but well-worth it in comparison to the unsanitary Chinese places we usually go to in Chicago (Double Li, Ed’s Potsticker House, Mei Shung). We plan to return to this restaurant in the future and take some photos. Lao Shanghai is part of Tony Hu’s mini-empire which also includes Lao Sze Chuan and Lao Beijing.