I am not really a fan of vegetarian cuisine, but the Michelin Guide for Shanghai lists two vegetarian restaurants. As I am trying to visit ALL Michelin-starred restaurants in Shanghai, I had a good excuse to try one. I must say that I was not disappointed.
The restaurant is called Wujie. It has three locations in Shanghai, but only the one on the Bund is starred (one star). It is located on the fourth floor of Bund 22 (in the Southern part of the Bund). It is a very prestigious location shared with wedding venues and some other popular restaurants like El Willy.
The visit
Booking was very easy with Chope.
I found my way easily, but oddly there were no indications outside the elevators. Go on the left inside.
The young staff, all dressed in immaculate linen uniforms, did not speak much English but was super nice and accommodated my quirks.
It was possible to order from the menu on a ipad or one of their set menus. Eventually I opted for one of their set menus called Timeless (the most affordable by the way).
Before getting started with the selection I was offered an amuse bouche: beetroot, some green beans and what looked like corn flakes. Probably the least interesting dish, but definitely what followed was worth the visit.
The first dish of the set menu was a splendid composition of contrasting flavors dominated by the cream cheese. It was fun to play with the ingredients.
Next was a delicate soup with a piece of bamboo fungus.
Next was a bar of tofu stuffed with pistachio and porcini mushrooms.
More zucchini and porcini in a South Asian inspired soup mildly spicy and tomato flavored.
The main dish was lion’s mane (a meaty mushroom) and a lily bulb on a zucchini mash. This was quite a filling dish with some strong flavors.
Before the dessert, a final substantial dish was served: hand made spinach noodles in a spicy soup. The noodles really reminded me of Italian tagliatelle. It was a good injection of starch and helped to fill full by the end of the dinner.
The chilled chocolate was delicious and was made more velvety by the addition of tofu.
The check
In the end, the set meny cost me 439 CNY (or 64 USD). Taking into account location and creativity in the preparation of the dishes, I can accept this price. If you order two or three dishes from the menu, probably you can dine with less than 300 CNY per person.
Trying this vegetarian restaurant was a refreshing experience. Actually, I would like to go back for more (they have a vegetarian tonkatsu that is now on my wish list). Overall, I would recommend this experience both to vegetarians and omnivorous.
Where in Shanghai:
Fourth Floor, Bund 22, Zhongshan Dong Er Lu, near Xinyongan Lu
Address in Chinese: 黄浦区中山东二路外滩22号4楼
Booking with Chope.
Update 2020: The Bund location is closed, pending renovations. It might re-open in 2021. However the restaurant has other locations. I would recommend the location in Xujiahui district that I have tested and serves the tasting menus. There is another location at Shanghai Tower (not tested) and one in Suzhou inside Eslite megastore (no tasting menus).
Address of Xujiahui location: 天平路392号(近肇嘉浜路) – 392 Tianping Rd near Zhaojiabang Rd (徐汇区 Xujiahui District).