The Taste of Suzhou Canglang Pavilion
姑苏风味·沧浪亭

Founded in May 1950, Canglang Pavilion Restaurant has an international reputation for its Su Style Dim Sum and rice cakes.

The founder of the restaurant, Mr. Wang Shouping, was a store assistant at a silk shop on Guanqian Road in Suzhou. After coming to Shanghai, Mr. Wang spent 950 Yuan and purchased a room of less than 10 square meters on 122 Chongqing Road (near Fuxing Park). In this tiny space, Wang opened a small eatery called "Canglang Pavilion". Named after a famous garden from his hometown, the eatery served classic Suzhou-style noodles. Despite the numerous compliments from the satisfied customers, the eatery did not catch the attention of the "elite class" connoisseurs or food critics due to its unnoticeably small size. In order to establish a solid reputation, Mr. Wang used two marketing strategies: developing unique product theme and designing attractive packaging.

To create a unique product theme, Wang recruited renowned Suzhou Style Dim Sum chef Zhou Jingqing to join his restaurant. Zhou created dishes full of ancient Suzhou flavor like "Noodles with Dried Shrimp and Spring Onion" and "Three Shrimp Noodles". To prepare the gourmet noodle soup, a savory broth was made by boiling hen, pork knuckle, pork feet and pork bones. Then high-quality Longxu noodles were boiled in the broth and cooked with dried shrimps and scallion oil. The noodles are well known for its smooth, tender texture, mouthwatering shrimp flavor and intense aroma from the spring scallions. "Three Shrimp Noodles" originated from the famous Suzhou style dish "Fried Shrimp Trio". The so-called "shrimp trio" actually refers to peeled river shrimp, shrimp caviar and shrimp brain. The combo of the three shrimp parts were regarded as "three treasures of the river shrimp" by the Suzhou natives. Zhou added this celebrated "shrimp trio" to the noodle soup and created the classic Suzhou Style "Three Shrimp Noodles". At the same time, Wang went to a teahouse in Fuxing Park every day to drink tea and promote Canglang Pavilion. Wang vividly described the "Three Shrimp Noodles" which attracted many customers to the restaurant. The tender shrimp, fragrant shrimp roes and the flavorful noodle soup delighted every teahouse customer and earned high praise from everyone. "Three Shrimp Noodles" had since gained instant popularity.

One day, Mr. Zhang Baorong, the son-in-law of the owner of Shanghai Great World Entertainment Centre, passed by Canglang Pavilion and was drawn to the wonderful aroma of the fresh green onions. After sampling a bowl of "Noodles with Dried Shrimp and Spring Onion", Zhang was very impressed. A few days later, Zhang brought his entire family to Canglang Pavilion. With 20 or so family members, the restaurant was so crowded that there was no place even to stand. The family had to take turns to enjoy the delicious food, with elders being served first and then the younger generations. Wang took this opportunity and launched an "advertising campaign" at the Fuxing Park teahouse and significantly raised the reputation of Canglang Pavilion. Customers hurried to the restaurant; some came by rickshaw and some drove cars. Sometimes when the restaurant was fully packed, some customers would eat the noodles in the car. Since then, Canglang Pavilion developed a distinctive style of cuisine.

Glutinous rice cake stuffed with red bean paste and sweet osmanthus flower is another brilliant innovation by the chefs at Canglang Pavilion. Water Chestnut Cake is a traditional Suzhou specialty food. Based on the traditional recipe of Water Chestnut Cake, the chefs at Canglang Pavilion substituted regular rice flour with high quality glutinous rice flour. They also improved the preparation process by steaming well-blended rice flour batter instead of dry rice powder. This modification prevented the cake surface from hardening after cooling and also gave a soft, supple texture. This delightful specialty dessert is characterized by the abundant filling, a thin layer of delicate pastry skin and the sweet fragrance from Osmanthus flower.

Later on, Canglang Pavilion was moved to the intersection of South Chongqing Road and Middle Huaihai Road. Advertisements such as "Famous glutinous rice cake" and "three shrimp noodle soup" were written in Chinese characters on paper scrolls hanging in the restaurant. Canglang Pavilion's regular clients including Artist Wu Hufan and Liu Haisu; entertainer Yan Huizhu, Xu Yulan, Yao Mushuang, Zhou Bochun, Jie Hongyuan, Wang Pansheng, Ding Shier, Yan Xueting, Xu Lixian; celebrities of the industry and commerce community like Xu Renchu, Shen Ruizhou; and famous figures of the medical society such as Chen Danian, Shi Xiaosan, Shi Yousan. Inspired by the extraordinary foods, some artists composed great poems and drew beautiful Chinese calligraphies in the spur of the moment, which was then given to the restaurant as gifts. Artist Wu Hufan wrote the restaurant's first signboard, which was unfortunately destroyed during the "Cultural Revolution". The present signboard is the art work by the prominent calligrapher Qian Juntao.

The main feature of Su Style rice cakes at Canglang Pavilion is the "multi-colored Rice Cakes", different rice cakes made to match the changing seasons and special occasions. In spring and winter, the restaurant primarily serves "Hundred Fruit Rice Cake" and "Sweet New Year Glutinous Rice Cake", and also Suzhou Style Green Dumpling for the Clear and Bright Festival. In the summer, there is Dumpling Stuffed with Fried Meat, assorted "Cold Dumplings", Square Rice Cakes, Tuckahoe Cake and more. In autumn, the restaurant prepares Chongyang Rice Cake for the Double Ninth Festival and Pork Moon Cake for the Mid-autumn Festival. Furthermore, there is a year-round supply of Dingsheng Rice Cake, Longevity Rice Cake, Red Bean Cake, Honey Fruit Cake. At the same time, the restaurant has also developed a modern dessert menu which includes Coco Sponge Cake, Butter Shortbread, Lemon Rice Cake and more. The Lemon Rice Cake has been awarded "high-quality product" by the former Ministry of Commerce.

In the 1980s, due to the constructions in Shanghai, the restaurant was moved to Middle Huaihai Road. Since then Canglang Pavilion has revamped the specialty foods and focused on developing its own brand name. In 1996, Canglang Pavilion developed specialty fast food series and established a franchise chain of retail stores. Today, the business has built a 1250-sqaure-meter "headquarter kitchen", a centralized manufacturing plant and distribution center that supplies products to each franchise location. Canglang Pavilion's noodles and snacks have been awarded the title of "Distinguished Shanghai Specialty Noodles" by the Shanghai Food Association and "Famous Chinese Snack" in 2000 by the National Bureau of Trade.

In recent years, eating noodles at Canglang Pavilion is a popular trend. Celebrities such as Liu Dekai, Zhang Mingmin, Hua Junwu, Yao Mushuang, Wang Wenjuan, Mei Duo, Nen Niang, Zheng Xinyao, Hong Huang and Ding Jiayuan have all become Canglang Pavilion's VIP clients. The restaurant has received excellent reviews in the foreign newspapers.

Noodles with Shrimp and Crab 虾蟹面

Nourishing blood, and strengthening bones and cartilages. In autumn, during the river crab season, most restaurants are busy preparing crab dishes. Noodles with Shrimp and Crab at Canglang Pavilion are prepared with braised peeled shrimp and crab meat. The soup has the golden yellow color of the crab roe and is garnished with finely chopped green onions. The shrimps are stir-fried to achieve a translucent crystalline appearance. The pairing of pale pink shrimps with golden crab roes makes an elegant visual presentation. The noodles are moist and smooth, and instilled with the subtle aroma of the shrimps and crabs. The more you chew the more flavors you can savor.

Three Shrimp Noodle 三虾面

The noodle soup is repared with shrimp caviar, shrimp brain and peeled shrimp, it is a traditional Suzhou style dish. It used to be very popular in Jiangsu Province and Shanghai. However due to the complexity involved to make the dish, its popularity was diminished. Canglang Pavilion has taken great efforts to revive the dying art, and become the only business that sells this noodle dish in Shanghai.

Shrimp is believed not only to fortify kidney and Yang, but also have the health benefits of replenishing vital energy. Shrimp dish is considered a must for any non-vegatarian meal, and shrimps add a savory flavor to any food that is being cooked with. Three Shrimp Noodle features clear broth, green spring onion, white shrimp and red shrimp caviar. It is best to use spoon and chopsticks when eating the smooth and tender noodles. While eating the dish, enjoy the shrimp flavor infused in the noodle, while sipping the delightful soup gives you a mouthful of aromatic broth. It is truly a rare delight.

Sweet "Chicken-Head Rice" 甜食鸡头米

In Chinese, "Chicken Head Rice" is the common name for Euryale Ferox. Sometimes it is also called "Chicken head" and "Spiked Lotus". A traditional gourmet food in Suzhou, it is available in autumn.

"Chicken head" normally grows in wild ponds and swamps in China. It is now farmed in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The common variations are "northern Euryale Ferox" and "southern Euryale Ferox". The former grows in the areas of Hongze Lake in Jiangsu Province; the latter can be found in the Taihu Lake region of the same province. However, the best is produced in the town of Tiandang. Canglang Pavilion purchases the seeds directly from the farm. The production season lasts less than two months and the total supply for the restaurant is only about 100 kilogram, which makes less than 2000 orders. The "chicken head" dish is usually pre-ordered, customers includes many Suzhou natives.

"Chicken Head" is a sweet dessert featuring piles of tiny snow-white "chicken head" pellets in clear broth, which is best enjoyed with a spoon. The fragrance of the delicate "chicken head rice" balls permeates the entire room, taking diners to a divine realm. In a vivid description by the book "Chinese Materia Medica", it is stated that "Soft seeds encased in the "Chicken Head" are covered by a shell. The white kernels look like the eye balls of a fish and resembles taro after being cooked."

Sweet Taro Cake with Osmanthus Flower 桂花糖芋艿

Sweet Osmanthus is a flowering plant also known as sweet olive. It has the health benefit of reducing phlegm, suppressing cough, "warming" stomach and alleviating pain. Taro has the effect of strengthening gastrointestinal system and helps nourishing liver and kidney. Every autumn when the cool winds started to blow, Osmanthus taro cakes were sold in the famous cake houses in Shanghai. Unfortunately this tradition has disappeared with the passage of time.

Again, Canglong Pavilion took the initiative of making Osmanthus taro cake when no one else wanted to do. Surprisingly, the dessert captured customer's attention. Being served on small size plates, the light purple sweet taro cake is sprinkled with the golden dust of the Osmanthus flower petals. So delicate and graceful, the taro cake is not only a visual feast but also a delicious treat to satisfy your palate. Moderately sweet and intensely fragrant, this dessert is a legacy good to the last bite.

Address: 689 Middle Huaihai Road

Telephone: 021-53066780

Hours of Operation: 06:30-10:00

11:00-20:00