CW's Chinese food lover, Katya Knyazeva, takes a stroll down Wujiang Lu, highlighting all the delicious local treats you absolutely need to try before they disappear.

A Short List for a Long Block

Doom is neigh, live for today, and grab a proletarian bite on Wujiang Lu before it's all torn down. Begin your eastward advance with a skewer--the Xinjiang Flavor (No. 102) team grills outstanding rabbit, beef and lamb (RMB5-10). If one skewer makes you crave another, get peppery wings (RMB10) at Turkish Shao Kao (No. 107). The working man's delight--garlicky, baked oyster--is best at Xiao Hei Hao Qing (No. 82, RMB15 for two) or at the trusted Manchurian Si Bei Shao Kao (No. 69) who grill everything so well the line curls down the street at all hours. Tired of upright munching? Take a bench at Zi Zi (No. 120) in the northwest corner for their delicious Wuhan noodles (RMB5) topped with sesame paste and onion. Across the lane, Yang's Fried Dumplings (No. 54-60) capable competitor, Sheng Ji (No. 111), makes delicate crescent pot-stickers (RMB4) that taste ravishing with a dollop of pimento chili sauce. Little Hua Hua (No. 81) does (by far) the best Sichuan on the block, while the target demographic of the future "fashion street" patronizes Wala Wala (No. 66), a plastic-paneled frog parlor where young couples dip frog limbs in fragrant broth. The block-long affair concludes in the northeast corner with spicy Zhou Shi Malatang (No. 26), whose crew of Sichuan natives laugh off the imminent renovations and grind more pepper into their unforgettable broth (RMB9). --Katya Knyazeva

Find It Wujiang Lu (near Shimen Er Lu) 吴江路 (近石门二路)