Late Night Snacks at M Shanghai Bistro & Den

"I'm convinced there's something addictive in this sauce," said my friend as she dipped a plump seafood dumpling. "Unfortunately, we always seem to crave it on Mondays, when this place is closed."

All the delectable little bites at M Shanghai (fried chive egg pancakes, juicy pork buns, wontons, sticky rice shumai, dumplings) are served with a quartet of sauce components. The server expertly mixes them; you just indicate your spice tolerance. M Shanghai's appetizers are a perfect solution to the midnight munchies (the kitchen is open till 12 a.m., and delivery requests are accepted until the witching hour).

If you long for something more substantial, you can fill up on shredded beef with chili pepper, salt-and-pepper shrimp, sliced crispy chicken with ginger, noodles with oyster sauce, and much more. Or, you could make a choice from the "specials" menu, which never seems to change! Peel-and-eat ginger shrimp are a favorite.

M Shanghai just celebrated its fifth anniversary with a basement electronica party. The quirky joint was around long before the era of Williamsburg condos and south-of-the-BQE gentrification. So eat up some thin-skinned, juicy dumplings and enjoy one of Williamsburg's most enduring restaurants.

M Shanghai Bistro & Den: 129 Havemeyer St., Brooklyn, (718) 384-9300.