Shanghai Michelin Guide Scramble

What I learnt dining at each and every Michelin-starred restaurant in Shanghai

In October 2018 I set the challenge to visit all the Michelin-starred restaurants in the 2019 edition of the Shanghai Michelin Guide in the following year. I called it the Shanghai Michelin Guide Scramble.

This meant visiting 34 venues. I did visit 33 venues by October 2019; I decided to skip the second venue of Xin Rong Ji because it only accepts groups (since I did visit another Xin Rong Ji on the Michelin list I think I can still claim I completed the challenge). A few venues were visited before setting the challenge. You can see the links to the reviews on this page.

Here’s some of what I learnt.

The Guide is mostly pointing to good restaurants. Of all of the restaurants I visited I was disappointed only by two (YongFoo Elite and Lao Zheng Xing). My experience suggests that the success rate of eating at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Shanghai is around 94%. This is very high, but frankly I would have expected a 100% success rate.

The internal logic of the ratings (one, two, three stars) sometimes does not make much sense. Fine, there is only one three star restaurant in Shanghai and that’s Ultraviolet. I agree with this. Ultraviolet is the epitome of a three star rating: It is a place that deserves a special trip. However, the difference between one and two stars is sometimes a mystery. For example why a pretty standard Cantonese place like Imperial Treasure has two stars and a great Chinese restaurant like Amazing Chinese Cuisine has only one? I just do not know. So do not take the number of stars too seriously.

The Guide seems to have a bias toward hotel restaurants and overseas chains, even better if they are Cantonese. Of 34 restaurants with stars in the 2019 Guide, 19 (56%) falls into the category of hotel restaurants or outposts of overseas groups (Singapore and Hong Kong). I think that the Guide should have been more adventurous and have considered more local gems. The local restaurants included in the list were among the most interesting, like Ji Ping Court and Taian Table (both of which were promoted to two stars in the 2020 edition of the Guide). I am glad that in the 2020 edition of the Guide a crab restaurant was added (Cheng Long Hang). Maybe a hot pot place in the future?

Chinese fine dining still caters to parties. I visited 23 venues of Chinese restaurants and I can say that with very limited exceptions they were all catering to large parties like in traditional Chinese banquet halls. Set menus were often only for a group and most dishes were meant to be shared. I feel that there is something missing here. When I look at the public of the Western starred restaurants in Shanghai I can remember mostly young couples. Chinese restaurants could do more to accommodate this new generation of diners visiting restaurants as a couple and even alone. Also, do not assume that staff will speak English in all of these restaurants. Sometimes making a reservation over the phone will be impossible if you do not speak Chinese.

There seems to be a formula for Chinese Michelin-starred dining. Most of the Michelin-starred restaurants seemed to follow a formula: contemporary dining space (even if this should not count), artistic plating, classic recipes with a few updates here and there, use of international ingredients (wagyu, Alaskan crabs, iberico pork among the fashionable ingredients). This is not necessarily bad. But the level of innovation seemed to be limited.

Western Michelin-starred restaurants seem to ignore to be in Shanghai. There were at least 10 restaurants that I could classify as Westerner (mostly French). With the partial exception of Ultraviolet and Taian Table, which were at the top in terms of culinary creativity, Western restaurants did not play much with local traditions or ingredients. While I am skeptical of fusion dishes per se, there were very few attempts to create something new influenced by the context. Again, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but sapient fusion can lead to great restaurants (I am thinking of Goh in Fukuoka).

Vegetarian cuisine is an important part of Shanghai’s culinary excellence. There were two starred vegetarian restaurants on the 2019 edition of the Guide (confirmed in the 2020 edition): Fu He Hui and Wujie. They were both excellent and I discovered them thanks to the inclusion in the rank of starred restaurants. Great choice!

The Guide does not mean always full in Shanghai. I was able to dine in many of these restaurants with no reservations even at weekends. That would be unheard of in a starred restaurant in Japan or Hong Kong. Clearly, the Guide still has a long way to go in Shanghai.

I have my favorites. There were a few restaurants that stood up and for various reasons I would like to go back in the future. Taian Table and Ultraviolet were amazing in terms of innovation. In my book, they were totally worth the final check for this reason. Yi Long Court served me the best luxury dim sum I had in Shanghai and also the selection of other Chinese dishes was impressive (not sure why they were demoted from two to one star in the 2020 edition of the Guide). By the way, The Peninsula hosting Yi Long Court and Sir Elly was the best hotel for food. Seventh Son and Imperial Treasure were the best for regular dim sum. But when it comes to Cantonese fare, Ji Ping Court was on another level and I am glad it got an additional star in the 2020 edition of the Guide. For more local fare, Moose, Amazing Chinese Cuisine, and Xi Rong Ji were my favorite. I loved Da Dong (not only for its Peking Duck) and I think it is the best Chinese restaurant for someone with a foreign palate. T’ang Court impressed me as the restaurant with the best trained staff (I understand that they were demoted to two stars after having been the only three star restaurant in Mainland China in the first edition of the Guide, but I do not understand why they were demoted to one start in the 2020 edition). Among the Western restaurants, I would prefer some not-starred ones (Racine, Villa Le Bec) over the starred. Sir Elly was the most interesting in terms of innovation among the French bunch. Finally, I will repeat that Fu He Hui and Wujie with their vegetarian set courses are a must-see (even if I do not understand why the Bund location of Wujie got the star and the one in Xuhujui with almost the same menu is a Bib Gourmand).

You can dine in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Shanghai starting at 50 USD if not less, but it will escalate quickly. In the Chinese restaurants outside five-star hotels, it is possible to put together a few dishes for 300-400 RMB. But you need to be careful about what to order. If you start to order fresh seafood and delicacies like bird’s nest, sea cucumber, abalone, the check will reach astronomical figures. However I also discovered that these delicacies command really little flavor to my Western palate, so not much is missed. Madam Goose seemed to be the most affordable in the one star category and Canton 8 among the two star restaurants.

Finally, no more challenges like this… Setting a challenge makes dining become a job. I will not set other challenges like this and in the future I will focus more on going back to the placed I liked.

Michelin-starred Taizhou cuisine at Xin Rong Ji

With this post I declare the Shanghai Michelin Guide Scramble completed. Xin Rong Ji has two locations on the 2019 edition of the Guide: one in Shanghai Plaza and one inside the Pei Mansion Hotel. Now, by the time of my visit the Shanghai Plaza location had relocated to Nanyang Road and that’s where I visited. The new location has one star in the 2020 edition of the Guide. I will not dine in the location in the Pei Mansion Hotel (two stars) because it only accepts groups of at least 4 people for private rooms (and I do not have time to organize).

The Xin Rong Ji Group was founded by Mr. Zhang Yong in Linhai, Zhejiang Province in October 1995. The “new” (xin) in the name represents innovation. There are several restaurants brands operated by this group (Rongxiaoguan, Rongji Hotpot), the Xin Rong Ji restaurants are fine dining establishments serving Taizhou cuisine, a style of cooking from Zheijang focused on fresh seafood. The Shanghai location I visited also features Cantonese fare. The formula is borrowed from luxury Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong: contemporary dining space, artistic plating, and updating classic recipes with international ingredients.

The visit

The restaurant is on the second floor of an office building on West Nanjing Road. An escalator leads to the restaurant.

Near the entrance there is a display with fresh seafood from the market:

The restaurant has a large dining room so there was no problem finding a place for me, even if I did not have any reservation. Unfortunately the room was too dark for a photo, but it was very elegantly appointed. I was offered three slices of apple and peanuts with pepper as nibbles.

They had a bilingual menu. I would have ordered the business menu (actually a nice mini tasting menu) but it was for at least two people and I was alone. The full tasting menu was also interesting, but it required at least 4 diners. Unsurprisingly, this kind of restaurant is best enjoyed in a group. They also had a dim sum menu (it was Saturday for lunch), but it was only available in Chinese.

I ended up ordering their noodles with yellow croaker. The noodles were handmade and came with some egg dumplings. There were only two pieces of fish. It was a tasty bowl of noodles anyway.

Then I had two dim sum items from the main menu. The first was a dumpling filled with truffle sauce and foie gras. It was really tasty.

The second was an egg tart with a base of wagyu. This was not my favorite,

Finally I had a “small” portion of smoked pomfret. Pomfret is a fish that can only be caught wild in the East China sea. It was smoked to perfection. Maybe too many bones for my taste, but it was really good. In Shanghai you can find a similar dish with cod.

The check

This relatively quick lunch cost me 424 RMB (60 USD). There was no lack of food and the quality was excellent. The only downside was that being alone I could not try more dishes. I think the place deserves its star, but for this kind of cuisine I have some better restaurants in Ningbo that sooner or later I will review.

Where in Shanghai:
2/F, 688 Plaza, 688 Nanjing Xi Lu (West Road).
In Chinese: 南京西路688号恒基688广场2楼.

Exquisite brunch at Sir Elly’s, Peninsula Shanghai

Sir Elly’s is the French restaurant of the Peninsula Hotel in Shanghai. Located on the 13th floor, it sport nice views of the Bund. I visited it as part of my Shanghai Michelin Guide Scramble.

The visit

I chose to visit the restaurant for brunch, because the brunch dishes seemed to be a fair representation of the high cuisine of the restaurant and not just afterthoughts as often happens with brunches.

Upon my arrival the staff welcomed me using my name. Was I the only foreigner dining there on that day? It turned out that for most of the meal I was the only guest! I had the beautiful dining room all for myself, only toward the end of my meal a Chinese couple joined the brunch. It was a slow weekend in Shanghai.

Similarly to what happens with their Chinese restaurant Yi Long Court on the second floor, the dining room tries to recreate the luxury and intimacy of a patrician house. It is a very classy venue.

The bread basket was impressive enough: French baguette, hazelnut bread, seaweed bread, a croissant, a hazelnut tart, and even a chocolate muffin.

And I was provided normal and salted butter, for good measure.

The brunch included four dishes: one appetizer, one egg or pancake, one main, and one dessert. For each category several options were available.

My appetizer was a hamachi carpaccio with asparagus, passion fruit, lotus. What was impressive was that it came in a bread container that reminded of a crab shell. The dots on the plate were mango and soy jellies. It was a delicious and well-designed dish.

The second list of dishes included brunch classics such as poached eggs, waffles and crepes. I chose the buckwheat crepes filled with bechamel and smoked salmon. The bechamel was spectacularly creamy and light.

The cod was a slow-cooked fillet, coming with an artichoke and clam-butter sauce that was added at my table. Really a delicious piece of cod.

I was not in the mood for a sweet, so I chose the comte cheese platter. This was a bit underwhelming. A cheese combination would have been better. But it was what it was advertised on the menu. The cakes should be a better choice.

The check

The brunch cost 428 RMB before tax and service charge. With a bottle of water, the minimum you would spend for brunch is 586.50 RMB (82 USD). It is a pricey brunch, but in line with the quality of the dishes. If you prefer quality vs. the quantity of a buffet, this brunch is actually a nice option. They also have a more affordable lunch menu, while dinner may be an expensive affair. Their tasting menu was around 2000 RMB at the time of my visit.

The service was impeccable and part of the positive experience, with all staff that could communicate in English well.

Where in Shanghai:
13F, The Peninsula Shanghai, 32 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu.
In Chinese: 上海市黄浦区中山东一路32号上海半岛酒店13楼.
Go to their website for menus and online reservation.

Eating at Shang-High Cuisine at the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel in Shanghai

Here you are with another Chinese restaurant I would have never heard of if I was not committed to complete my Michelin scramble in Shanghai. Shang-High restaurant at the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel was awarded one star in all the three editions of the Shanghai Michelin Guide to date, as they like to remind everywhere (including on the wet towel).

The visit

The first hurdle was making a reservation. First I used the email on their website. No answer after two attempts. Then I called and everything seemed fine. Then I had to make an amendment and I could not find anyone that would understand me on the phone. Eventually I went there in person! Surprise, my original reservation had never been noted on their book. After all of these attempts, finally I had my reservation. I wonder if someone in management is surprised that they do not get more customers.

The second hurdle was to get there (twice actually in my case). The restaurant is located on the 6th floor of the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel overlooking Shanghai Convention and Exhibition Center in Pudong. Not exactly a place on the radar for most people. The task to reach the destination actually proved easier than expected. They are located next to exit 3 of the Pudong terminus of metro line 7 (that connects with several other lines at Century Park). Just make sure to take the right exit or you will find yourself in a different mall.

From the exit, walk to the hotel lobby (before you start walking along the stone walls) and take the elevator to the 6th floor. It is an architecturally remarkable space. They even have an infinity garden accessible from the 6th floor that sadly was closed at the time of my visit.

I just ordered three dishes. The first was a fish lip soup with soy beans. I was pretty curious about the use of this unusual part of the fish (I believe garoupa). The result was pretty underwhelming in terms of flavor and everything.

The main dish of my dinner was braised beef cheek with black truffles, potatoes and carrots. This was a 200 gram portion. The meat was legit. Really tender cheek meat. The only issue that I had is that there was no trace of truffles.

I also tried their wild vegetables pancakes. Unfortunately the use of the glutinous rice made them almost inedible to my palate, worse than chewing gum.

The check

The check was 307.82 RMB because it originally included a small bottle of Evian water (alone it was 79 RMB). When leaving, it was acknowledged by the staff that there was a misunderstanding and they did not give me the free tap water (that was perfectly alright according to my initial request). So they decided to refund me the price of the bottle of water. This was professional on their part. So all in all, I spent around 229 RMB (32 USD) for the three dishes. Prices were very reasonable. As always, it is difficult to say if my small sampling is representative of all of their dishes. Probably not, but you need to know what you order. I would not go back, I might visit them again only if I had business in the nearby Exhibition Center.

Where in Shanghai:
6/F, Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel Shanghai, 1108 Meihua Lu
In Chinese: 梅花路1108号卓美亚喜玛拉雅酒店6楼.

Bonus: the Jumeirah Hotel has an exhibition space of its own. Check if there is anything interesting on. This was on at the time of my visit:

Michelin-starred dinner at Yong Yi Ting, Mandarin Oriental Pudong

The Chinese restaurant of the Mandarin Oriental in Pudong, Shanghai, got one star in the 2019 Michelin Guide. So it was part of my scramble.

The restaurant enjoys the direction of celebrity chef Tony Lu (see Fu He Hui) that collaborates as a consultant. Yong Yi Ting showcases Jiang Nan (south of the Yangtze River) cuisine, reflecting the diverse gastronomy of Shanghai and its neighbouring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

The visit

The restaurant is located in the lower ground floor of the posh Mandarin Oriental in Pudong. Unfortunately, it is not nearby any metro station, so you will need a taxi ride (or Didi) to get there. I had a reservation made emailing the hotel that was answered almost instantaneously. A previous attempt using their online form did not work.

Escalator will get you to the lower ground floor.

There was a complimentary amuse bouche: watermelon with cream cheese and walnut. Let’s be honest, they could have put more effort in it. But it was free, so I won’t complain.

I was provided with the house sauces (yellow chili, XO, soy with chili) and some rice crackers. The sauces were excellent from what I could tell.

I ordered a la carte (they did not have any tasting menu). The menu is very rich, including quality live seafood. My first dish was a soup with braised mashed taro, quinoa, and soy. Taro soups are common in Zhejiang. It was quite good.

My main was a dish with crispy noodles with crab meat topped by half steamed lobster in scallion sauce. It was not indicated in the menu, but it turned out that this dish could only be ordered for two. So I ordered it double and in the end I got two identical dishes (see picture on top of the page). The crispy noodles were too crispy, almost uncooked and there the crab meat was hardly detectable. At least the lobster (a spiny lobster to be precise) was quite good.

I picked a very original and clever dessert. Ice cream made with white rabbit candies (a very famous white hard candy made in Shanghai). The scoop was molded as a rabbit.

The check

The check was 778.60 RMB (109 USD). The prices are what you can expect from a restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental.

There are a lot of interesting dishes on the menu that seemed interesting. I was not entirely satisfied by what I had but it is a restaurant where I will hardly coma back anyway given the secluded location.

Where in Shanghai:
111 Pudong S Rd, Pudong Xinqu
The menu, not fully updated, was available on their website.

Amazing Chinese Cuisine in Shanghai

Amazing Chinese Cuisine is the name of a Michelin-starred restaurant in Shanghai (one star in the 2019 edition of the Guide).

The restaurant specializes in new Chaozhou cuisine (A cuisine from Guandong region known for its delicate flavors, focusing on fresh ingredients, as opposed to heavy sauces or seasoning). The founder of the restaurant is called Du Jianqing. They also have a bigger restaurant in the Bund Financial Center area, but the one who got the Michelin award in the 2019 Guide was the original location, first opened in 2015, in Changning District. That’s the location I visited.

The visit

This was supposed to be a difficult location to check out since the restaurant is located in a villa and is only comprised of private VIP rooms. For a solo diner may not be easy to secure a table. However by the time of my visit, they had become a bit more flexible and allowed parties of two to make reservations for lunch. For what I believe was a glitch in the system, I was able to place a booking for one person through Dining City. They were very nice and honored my reservation.

First of all, a couple of details on how to get there since it is off-the-beaten path. Luckily the restaurant is within 100 meters from exit 1 of Shuicheng Road station serving metro line 10. From the East Nanjing Road is a 30-minute ride.

Taking exit 1 you will find yourself on one side of Starlive mall. Go to the front of the mall and look for the road guarded by two lions on the other side (where the mall parking access is located). That’s where you will find the villa.

When I arrived I was escorted to my private dining room. I felt a little bit of embarrassment to occupy the room all by myself. A young chef showed up, apparently he was the only staff speaking English. I quickly agreed on the set menu available and I ordered a pot of Pu’er tea. They had available the set menu used during China Restaurant Week that had ended just the day earlier. It was actually the best possible arrangement for me since the tasting menu gave me the opportunity to taste several of their dishes.

Every time the waitress came in, she would knock the door. The timing was very good. The lunch lasted around 75 minutes. The first dish I received was some seasonal fruit.

The cold appetizer platter included, from the bottom and then clockwise, king salmon, stewed pork feet with Chaozou-flavor, agaricus blazei murill (an edible medicinal mushroom originating from Brazil) with onion oil, and caviar Napoleon on a blini. I appreciated how they put together a nice range of flavors with quality ingredients not only from China. They also added a chicken consommé.

Before the mains, a light soup with snowflake beef slices and celery was served. The beef was lean and very good.

The first main dish was a relatively big piece of abalone (27 grams according to the menu) with a morchella (true morels) fungus. The abalone was better than most I had in other Chinese restaurants, meaty and very tender, but the revelation of the dish was the morchella that I believe was filled with minced pork meat and had a pleasant and powerful flavor.

The second main was equally exquisite: gently fried yellow croaker from East China Sea with crispy truffle. There was a lot of boneless pulp and the sauce was really delicious (even if the truffle flavor was not prominent).

The third main was kind of a softball when compared with the previous two. A few bits of fried salted meat (pork belly) with Chaozhou horred cucumber. Still, it was a very flavorful dish.

As customary in these Chinese course meal, prior of the end there was a starch-rich dish. This time it was not rice, but a yummy bowl of hot and sour noodles (with I believe kelp and strips of chicken meat). Once again, I must price the good balancing of the flavor.

The dessert was a warm bowl of stewed lotus seeds with rock candy. The seeds were literally meting in my mouth. It was a nice conclusion for the meal.

The check

Final check after adding the tea and 10% service charge was 821 RMB (114.5 USD). An “important” check in line with the content and setting of the meal. I was positively impressed by the course meal and enjoyed all the dishes. I must also commend on the willingness to serve a non Chinese speaker and the elegant set up of the private room.

Where in Shanghai:
B5 villa, 1665 Hongqiao Lu, Changning District
In Chinese: 虹桥路1665号B5幢别墅
Dining City page: www.diningcity.cn/en/shanghai/amazing_chinese_cuisine.

Ningbo delicacies at Yong Fu in Shanghai

Ningbo is a city in Zhejiang, an Eastern Chinese province. It is a manufacturing powerhouse and boasts its own cuisine. In Shanghai Yong Fu restaurant was awarded one star in the 2019 Michelin Guide and serves Ningbo cuisine.

The visit

The restaurant is located on the 12th floor of the historic Jin Jiang hotel (the building on the back in the first picture above). It is a very Chinese restaurant. To make a booking I had to go there and nobody would speak English. Initially they just asked me to leave. Eventually I was able to make a reservation.

As usual, they have a lot of private rooms (“boxes”) and a hall where I had my dinner. Their menu, as you might expect, is focused on Ningbo delicacies. The decor is in line with the vintage atmosphere of the hotel.

I started with a taro and crankling soup that was recommended by the manager (the only person speaking some English) as very typical of Ningbo. It was a very dense soup, very good.

Then I had marinated bamboo shoots that came in a weird bowl inside another bowl with two small fishes happily swimming.

A piece of bamboo fell into the water and one fish seemed to like it.

My main dish was supposed to be yellow croaker in a casserole with soy sauce and some braised pork. Yello coraker is indeed a fish coming from the waters of Zhejiang. However, it turned out to be cuttlefish! The translation on the menu was wrong, but they insisted it was croaker. It was not.

At least it was very tender. Overall a nice dish for two or three people to share.

Finally, I had two glutinous rice balls (Tang Yuan) with a filling made of sesame paste. It is a traditional sweet from Ningbo very popular durinh Spring Festival.

The final dish with seedless grapes was complimentary.

The check

I spent 389 RMB (around 54 USD) for a big dinner. Of course, this kind of Chinese restaurant is best experienced in a group that can order several main dishes. The yellow croaker, for example, could have been split between two people. Of course you could easily spend more if you start to order more expensive seafood.

I must say that all the staff was very professional and friendly and willing to try to explain me things. It is a nice restaurant and if you are looking for something different in terms of Chinese dishes, it is a very good place where to go.

Where in Shanghai:
59 Maoming Road, 12th Floor Jin Jiang Hotel.

Dim Sum brunch at Imperial Treasure in Shanghai

Imperial Treasure is a chain of Chinese restaurants hailing from Singapore operating several formats: Fine Chinese Cuisine, Teochew Cuisine, Peking Duck, Shanghai Cuisine, Steamboat. The first restaurant specializing in Teochew Cuisine was established in 2004 in Singapore and the Shanghai restaurant that I visited was their first international location opened in 2012. It is a Cantonese restaurant and for some reason has two Michelin stars. They seem to do good business in Shanghai as they just opened another location using the Steamboat concept. You might encounter them also in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Incheon, and London.

The visit

I went for a brunch on a Saturday. I made a reservation on the phone. The restaurant is huge and occupies an entire floor of YiFeng Galleria near the Bund (across the street from the Peninsula Hotel).

At 11am the place was already packed. It must be their busiest time of the week. It is really a local favorite. For lunch they have a special dim sum menu, but also the standard menu with more delicacies is available.

I started with my bellwether dish for Cantonese restaurants: the crispy pork belly. It was exceptional! On par with Ji Ping Court, better than the one from Lei Garden (the skin was tender, but still super crispy) and juicer than the one I had at Canton 8.

I had their Teochew dumpling, that has a vegetarian filling. I had better ones in Hong Kong.

Their super classic pork dumpling siew mai was also ok, but nothing exceptional.

The fried wonton with shrimp meat were quite good.

The pan-fried carrot cake with Chinese sausage was also pretty ordinary.

Finally, I found excellent their black sesame glutinous dumplings wit grated peanut. The sesame paste filling was particularly tasty.

The check

Final check (also including a bottle of Evian water and a juice) went for 377 RMB (around 52 USD). The value is there, prices were quite reasonable and the setting was high class.

Do not get me wrong, the food was very good, but the two Michelin stars will remain a mystery to me (same with Canton 8… looks like in Shanghai they give you stars if you make a half decent dim sum).

Having visited all the Michelin-starred restaurants in Shanghai with a sizable dim sum menu, I will say that Seventh Son beats all for quality while Yi Long Court has the best luxury dim sum.

Where in Shanghai:
L402-403, Yi Feng Gallery, 99 Beijing Dong Lu.

Revisiting Da Dong at IAPM in Shanghai

You can read my extensive review of Da Dong at Reel. I enjoyed it so much that I did not mind coming back one more time to complete my Michelin Scramble in Shanghai. This time I went to the location in IAPM mall as it also has one star in the 2019 edition of the Shanghai Michelin Guide.

The visit

I had a reservation made by phone. Staff speaks some English. I have the impression that this location is less busy that the one at Reel.

This time I opted for a “normal’ duck. In my previous visit I had the baby duck. The difference in terms of size was noticeable. The regular duck allowed for two portions of nicely arranged meat, while the baby duck only for one. The baby duck was marginally more delicate. But also this one has the melt-in-your mouth effect that makes Da Dong’s Peking Duck special.

In addition to the usual condiments I got two sesame buns that I love.

Before getting the duck I enjoyed this original appetizer fusing quality ham and sticky rice (inside).

I also had a portion of pan-fried foie gras with hawthorn (a bit heavy overall, but the berries nicely balanced the flavor).

Finally I had cauliflower in a casserole with pork belly.

As usual, I also received a soup with duck bones.

And the final fruit platter with lychees was complimentary.

The check

It was 630 RMB (around 90 USD). Honestly this was a meal for two. I think there is always good value at Da Dong for uncompromisingly excellent food.

Where in Shanghai:
L6-606, Iapm, 999 Middle Huaihai Road, Xuhui.

Dim sum lunch at Jade Mansion, Shanghai

Jardin De Jade is a popular Chinese restaurant chain with branches in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Macau. The Hong Kong Wanchai Branch has been granted one Michelin Star since 2013.

Jade Mansion is the new fine dining concept of the group in Shanghai and their original location at the 4th floor of IFC mall has been granted the iconic Michelin star since 2017.

The visit

The location is very convenient. Sometimes I stop eating at IFC on the way to Pudong airport of Hongqiao station since the mall is directly connected to the line 2 of the subway that connects these two major hubs. It was one of those days.

The evening before I went to the restaurant to make a reservation in person. Staff did not speak English, but the menu is fully translated.

The restaurant is very large with no shortage of private and shared dining rooms. Above the dining room where I was seated. It is a modern elegant environment (even if my sofa was a bit worn).

If you go for lunch make sure to ask for the “Guangzhou” menu, basically a menu of dim sum dishes available until 4pm.

I ordered some dim sum and one of their signature dishes. The first dish was three vegetarian dumplings with herbs. It was really good. Recommended.

Then I had a dish of Osmanthus and Water Chestnut Cake. I am very glad that I ordered this dish (first time) as it was really a nice flavor in a unique solid yet gelatinous texture.

The classic Sao Mai was not so classic… it had some big chunks of shrimp and abalone. Overall I did not particularly liked it.

The steamed buns with pork were very well executed. A perfect exemplar of this classic.

I thought that trying the just the dim sum would have not been fair. So I also ordered one of their signature dishes from the extensive menu. It was a hilsa herring (ilish) fillet boiled in a delicate soy sauce. Unfortunately the fish was full of small bones and very difficult to enjoy. However, there were so many interesting dishes in the regular menu: stewed turtle, duck in brown sauce, flatfish with scallion, crisp chicken with caviar and mango, a matsutake and watercress soup with Evian (sic) water, to name a few that caught my attention.

The check

Total check was 344 RMB (half for the fish, dim was very affordable). There was service charge, but for some reason there was a lunch discount. In the menu they have a lot of very reasonably priced dishes.

The dim sum was overall excellent and the menu is large and well curated. Dishes are well curated and executed. If this deserves a Michelin star, I am not sure though.

Where in Shanghai:
4/F, IFC Pudong, 8 Shiji Da Dao (Century Avenue)
In Chinese: 世纪大道8号，国金中心IFC商场4楼.