Roast goose is a hallmark dish in Southern Chinese cuisine (Hong Kong and Guangzhou). The Shanghai Michelin Guide happens to have one restaurant specializing in roast goose awarded one star: Madam Goose. I had to try it.
Getting to the restaurant may feel discouraging because it is located in a mall in Minhang District, a suburban district of Shanghai. Luckily, while it will take some time, it is not so difficult to get to destination: get on the line 1 of the metro and get off at the last South stop. Then take the South exit.
By pure accident, I think, there were huge advertising posters publicizing the restaurant right out of the South exit.
The visit
I shared a weekend lunch with a friend and we met at the restaurant on the 4th floor of Skymall in Minhang District. Above you can see the entrance.
The restaurant is quite nice. I do not understand why the 2019 Michelin Guide ranks it with a single fork (the fork rating indicates the level of comfort of the restaurant) and seems to suggest that it is not a comfortable place… or maybe it was renovated recently. Anyway, it is a nice place that will get very busy for lunch. I arrived at 11.30am on a Sunday without a reservation and I had no problem finding a table. But just half an hour later it would have been another story.
Staff does not speak English and the menu is in Chinese… but luckily there are some pictures…
We sampled several dishes. The dish pictured above is goose foie gras and it was very delicate. Definitely recommended.
The goose can be ordered in “quarters”. One problem with goose meat is that sometimes it tastes gamy, but not this one. It was juicy and tasty enough, maybe not that crispy. The Michelin Guide praises how they hand pick the best specimens for their dishes.
Well… some vegetables…
This should be fried goose heads. Nicely presented, but not a lot of meat to sink your teeth into.
More meat, but this time char siu pork. I recommend this dish, even if was not anything out of the ordinary.
We also tried their dim sum. The shrimp dumplings were simple but good.
Finally, we had an instagrammable dim sum filled with nut paste (or pork, honestly not sure!). Also very good (but of course dim sum is not their focus).
The check
In two, we spent 382 CNY (56 USD, or 28 USD per person). The main goose dish was 108 CNY. This makes Madam Goose one of the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in Shanghai along with Lao Zheng Xing (it is in the range of a Bib Gourmand).
The restaurant is great value for money and if you like this kind of cuisine may be worth the ride on the metro. However, why this restaurant got a star is not entirely clear. Was the affiliation with Wang’s Steak group a factor? Is really their goose so superior to others? The jury is still out, I guess I will have clearer ideas when I finish the scramble.
Where in Shanghai:
Suite 422, 4/F, 5001 Dushi Lu, near Xinzhu Lu
In Chinese: 都市路5001号仲盛世界商城4层422号, 近莘朱路
Nearest metro station: Xinzhuang (take the South Exit to Skymall).