Lei Garden is a Hong Kong based restaurant chain. Established in 1973, the brand has become synonymous of Cantonese fine dining in Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China and Singapore. Their restaurant are regularly awarded stars by the Asian editions of the Michelin Guide. In Shanghai they have two branches and both of them were awarded one star in the 2019 edition of the Shanghai Michelin Guide. This review is based on a visit to the IFC branch in Pudong and part of my Shanghai Michelin Guide Scramble. (IFC is a luxury mall in Shanghai.)
Before delving into the review, it is worth noting the story of the founder, from their website:
Mr. Chan Shu Kit, founder and chairman of the Lei Garden Restaurant Group, was born in Guangzhou, China. His father was the famous Kuomintang military general Mr. Chan Ji Tang, who governed the Guangdong and Guangxi provinces of China in the 1930s… When Mr. S.K. Chan was young, his family residence was frequented by social dignitaries and he had the rare opportunity to taste the exquisite cuisines prepared by master chefs. These experiences have engendered in him a refined sense for gourmet food and a cultivated knowledge for what it means to be served.
The visit
I had made a phone reservation for a Saturday evening. They tried to reach me for a confirmation in the morning (but the caller did not speak English). Anyway, they had my reservation when I arrived. Thanks. By the way, all the service was impeccable.
One good thing of Lei Garden is that they are organized to cater to solo diners or couples. They have small tables and not all of their dishes come in huge platters to share.
Unfortunately most of the dishes I was interested in (crispy pork, prawns, a type of scallop) were already sold out (but it was only 7pm!).
I ordered some aged pur’er tea that was replenished throughout the dinner.
Then I decided to have a little splurge and try a bird’s nest soup. I believe it was the first time I tried it. It tasted as glass noodles (the bird’s nest is the jelly-like substance on top of the soup pictured above). I do not think I am going to have it again. This particular soup came with 50 grams of bird’s nest (quantities are indicated in the menu), some small bits of crab meat, minced chicken and egg white.
Then I had a dish with sauteed scallops and vegetables (the vegetables included yellow fungi). This was quite good value considering that there were at least 8 scallops (150 grams) and it also tasted good, but nothing exceptional.
Finally I had a noodle soup with rice vermicelli and some pieces of grouper fish. It was quite good.
The check
Final check was 840 CNY (122 USD). Not a cheap meal by any stretch of the imagination. It should be mentioned that almost half of the bill paid for the bird’s nest extravaganza. So you can definitely eat for a little less, but not that much considering the quantity of attractive and expensive dishes on the menu (a lot of expensive seafood).
I need to try more Cantonese restaurants before making up my mind about Lei Garden.
Where in Shanghai:
IFC Pudong, 3/F, 8 Shiji Da Dao,
near Lujiazui Huan Lu
In Chinese: 世纪大道8号， 国金中心IFC商场3楼， 近陆家嘴环路
Nearest metro station: Lujiazui (one exit is connected directly to a lower level of the IFC mall).