CW boldly takes you where you haven't eaten before

You’d have to be a fool to live in Shanghai and not take advantage of the myriad of Chinese food offerings sprinkled across the city in greater abundance than weijing (MSG). But we’re not going to reintroduce you to the staples you already know. Di Shui Dong, Southern Barbarian, South Beauty, Gu Yi, Uighur Restaurant, Dongbei Ren and other favorites among the expat community continue to be fantastic, but part of the dining experience is adventure. We’ve done the leg work, spoken to a few experts and come up with a modest list of restaurants, spanning a range of Chinese cuisines, to help satiate your appetite for variety. Enjoy!

By Trista Baldwin, Jessica Beaton and Li-Sa Lim

Huaiyang | Hu Ting

You might have already heard about this restaurant by its English name, Villa Du Lac, yet it seems that too few Shanghailanders have ventured into this three-story, restored shikomen near Xintiandi to enjoy some modern, Huaiyang cuisine. This 80-seat venue boasts five private dining rooms–the large dining space on the top floor has its own terrace overlooking Taipingqiao Lake below. Huaiyang cai is known for its seafood and light flavors, so it’s no wonder that this venue features a wide range of shark’s fin and abalone dishes with soups starting at ￥158 and main courses running up to ￥1,280. Other well-known dishes are the Hu Ting drunken chicken (￥68) and the Villa Du Lac rice wine marinated duck (￥58), both served cold. Beautifully presented, each bite of the tender duck meat melts in your mouth. For mains we enjoyed the tender pork balls with crab meat in superior soup (￥108)–the flavor being a perfect mix of seafood and turf–and the wok fried beef sirloin (￥98). Although not a typical Huaiyang dish, the latter was a highlight of the meal. Hu Ting truly boasts the triple crown of a serene atmosphere, superior service and exquisite food and raises the bar for Shanghai establishments.

Chinese Name: 湖庭
Find It 383 Huangpi Nan Lu黄陂南路383号, Tel: 6387-6387

Cantonese | Yi Gu

While lacking in the dim sum that many diners associate with the Cantonese experience, the dishes here are characteristically rich in both flavor and color, a simplicity mimicked in the Zen-inspired décor which uses natural light, stone and rippling water to create a serene atmosphere. Abalone and shark’s fin are the specialty, though obviously the dishes have prices to match their reputation. The menu offers English translations though they’re not entirely accurate–a chilled, sliced lotus root was actually mountain yam (shanyao), covered with a sweet yet subtle chrysanthemum syrup (￥28). "Thumbs up" symbols help direct you to the most popular dishes. That’s how we found the deep-fried shrimp balls with mustard (￥68). These large, succulent shrimp (not actually balls, but full shrimp, de-shelled–bonus!) were flash-fried till just slightly crispy around the edges, then tossed in a creamy mustard sauce and sprinkled with a handful of chopped peanuts. Each bite had a delightful horseradish zest, not overpowering, but just enough to give the dish a little kick. Tender morsels of the black pepper beef with “eumycota” (their translation of gold needle mushrooms) (￥58) were another nice find, and we recommend the mango pudding (￥12), rich with chunks of mango, to top it all off.

Chinese Name: 逸谷
Find It 380 Xingguo Lu 兴国路380号, Tel: 6280-8399

Sichuan | Houwei Xiang La Guan

Three locations around Shanghai make this restaurant’s Sichuan food easily accessible. Faced with a wide array of dishes, the friendly waiter referred us to the “How Way” [sic] specials on the first page of the menu. Next to the dishes are the requisite (and useful) chili ratings, from one to four. Sichuan cuisine, famous for its spiciness, also includes a variety of other less huajiao and pepper-laden flavors, encompassing food preserved through pickling, salting, drying and smoking. The Sichuan pepper kicked in after sampling the tender, spicy squid, fried with minced pork (￥28) while the meaty “pot tea dried tree mushrooms” (￥28) were perfectly complemented by flavorful cured meat. Luckily, complimentary jasmine tea was on hand to wash down the mala in our mouths. Service here is quick, the setting, modern, and with two floors ready to accommodate eager diners, the venue easily caters to both those in a rush or in search of a leisurely meal.

Chinese Name: 厚味香辣馆
Find It 11-12/F, 592 Nanjing Dong Lu 南京东路592号11-12楼, Tel: 6428-2777

Shanghainese | Xijiao Wu Hao

Helmed by Sun Zhaoguo, a Shanghainese chef well-known within the local community for his work at Yuan Yuan and other Shanghainese restaurants, this upscale venue, also known as Maggie’s 5, could be considered at the fine dining end of the spectrum. Like many other high-end restaurants, food preparation and service takes precedence here. “Every dish has a very detailed preparation,” manager Allen Qi tells us as we sample the pork and carrot stew (￥28) which consists of two chunky slices of white radish (luobo) stewed in a rich pork broth. The broth itself requires 1.5 kg of pork bones for each serving. “Some dishes take up to five days to prepare,” says Qi. Such detail spills over into the Spanish-inspired décor as well, an eclectic, art deco approach in which each room has a different arrangement of unique, gilded furniture and expensive Chinaware. Each dish is served in individual, rather than homestyle portions, and servers are eager to meet your needs. Their most popular dish, the house special beef eye fillet (￥188) is a tender slice of beef with a light sauce, garnished with black pepper, a touch of bamboo and a swirl of potato mash. The lingering salinity of a lightly crusted offering of dong xiang ban fish (￥138) is cleansed from the palate by a thick rice soup. The meticulously prepared braised sea cucumber stew in a clay pot (￥178) takes two days to prepare and the flavors are definitely worth it. Mix in the rice, the pickled vegetables and green beans, take a bite and you won’t believe such a rich taste could come from seafood. Free of excessive oil and rich in flavor, this restaurant presents Shanghainese cuisine in its highest form.

Chinese Name: 西郊5号
Find It 669 Honggu Lu 虹古路669号, Tel: 6295-7138

Xinjiang | Ya Ke Xi

A perennial expat favorite, Xinjiang fare, mainly characterized by Halal dishes and the use of lamb, noodles and spices, is another different take on the plethora of Chinese dining options in Shanghai. Diners first choose between being seated in the larger upstairs dining room, where they'll be entertained by live traditional performances (and possibly pulled up to dance), or eating on the first floor where they can watch the upstairs shenanigans on a television from a safe distance. The thick, bilingual menu offers everything from a full grilled lamb (approximately 8 kg) for ￥998 to a comprehensive “Recommended Dishes” section with classics like: grilled lamb skewers (￥4 per skewer) topped with Xinjiang seasonings of chili powder, black pepper and zir, lamb chops with red and green peppers and onions in brown sauce (￥58), fried beef ribs with black pepper and garlic sauce (￥68) and spicy fried lamb (￥38). Also make sure to order the nang chao rou, traditional Xinjiang bread that’s spiced, toasted and diced and served with lamb or mutton.

Chinese Name: 东方亚克西
Find It 379 Xikang Lu 西康路379号, Tel: 6267-3755

8 More Chinese Recommendations

Still have a hankering for Chinese food? Check out these restaurants for a full sampling of the cuisines this country, and city, has to offer.

Shanghai

Xing Kai Lu Yuan Hotel
新凯禄园大酒店
The chef here won’t tell his signature wood-ear fungus (zhaopai muer) recipe to anyone. If you prefer spicy to sour, try the crispy salmon (cuipi sanwenyu) with a touch of wasabi.

Find It 321 Zhapu Lu 乍浦路321, Tel: 6325-8899, 6325-9988

Guizhou / Guangxi

Qian Xiang Ge 黔香阁
Guizhou fare is similar to its pepper-laden Sichuan and Hunan cousins, but includes some sour notes. Here we recommend the sweat-stealing chicken (daohan ji).

Find It 4-6/F, 627 Huaihai Zhong Lu 淮海中路627号雪豹商城 4-6楼, Tel: 5386-9177, 5386-9277

Yunnan

Gu Mi Na 古觅纳
This venue's known for its naxi kaoyu (grilled fish). Coated with peanuts, dry peppers and deep-fried, it’s not as oily as you’d think, though it packs a spicy punch.

Find It 739 Anyuan Lu安远路 739号, Tel: 6232-5739

Cantonese / Dim Sum

Tang Gong 唐宫
This venue serves some of the best baby squab (ruge) in town as well as some tried-and-true Cantonese staples, including delicious steamed shrimp dumplings (xiajiao huang).

Find It 1-2/F, Shanghai Metropole Serviced Apartment, 103 Dongzhu'anbang Lu 东诸安浜路103号维景酒店公寓1-2楼, Tel: 6251-6148, 6251-3960

Hunan

Guo Yuan 果园
This tiny, ten table establishment is run by a native of Hunan and dishes out authentic Hunan fare at a reasonable cost. The two-pepper fish head (shuangjiao yutou) is always a solid classic.

Find It 520 Dongjiangwan Lu 东江湾路520号, Tel: 5696-1183

Vegetarian

Wu Guan Tan 五观堂素食
This vegetarian restaurant makes no attempt to hide the nature of its cuisine–vegetables. The toasted potatoes (kao tudou) are a "must try."

Find It 349 Xinhua Lu 新华路349号, Tel: 6281-3695

Dongbei

Hei Tudi 黑土地东北菜
Head to this authentic house of Dongbei cuisine and order the generously portioned three veggies dish (di san xian), a definite thumbs up.

Find It 28 Chaling Bei Lu 茶陵北路 28号, Tel: 6422-1758

Beijing

Dong Lai Shun 东来顺
Beijing cuisine's offerings extend well beyong its plucked and feathered staple dish. This chain is well known for its lamb dishes as well as its hot pot. Also try the sour plum juice (suan mei tang).

Find It 215 Shimen Yi Lu 石门二路 215号, Tel: 5228-7877

Ask the Expert

Chinese foodie Shen Hongfei has written for some of Shanghai’s biggest food magazines, including Tian Xia Mei Shi, and chats with City Weekend about what it really takes to become an expert on Chinese cuisine.

What makes a Chinese restaurant good? Someone said, “the only certain thing about China is that China is full of uncertainty,” which also applies to Chinese restaurants. There is no set standard for Chinese cuisine. Can you give us some tips? There are three things foreigners can work on. First, accept soy sauce as the basis of Chinese cuisine, like cheese is to Italian cuisine. Second, get used to spitting things out. If you can’t do this, you can’t enjoy many fish courses. Third, try not to be put off by more unique ingredients–this is mostly psychological. That’s good advice. Many foreigners feel they get stuck ordering the same dishes over and over. Have any suggestions for them? I’m glad to hear foreigners eat the same Chinese dishes again and again, just like me. There are, however, some dishes you shouldn’t miss. In Shanghai or around Shanghai, during this season, don’t miss crabs. In spring, don’t miss spring bamboo shoots. As for how to order, the most practical way is to look at pictures on the menu, or simply notice what your local friends at a neighboring table have ordered. What are your favorite restaurants around town? It’s hard to say which is my favorite. I believe most Chinese and foreigners will love Fu 1088. Their dishes present the core of Shanghainese cuisine, but with Western-style presentation. There’s one dish I particularly recommend to foreigners–the “crab roe with egg white.” It looks good and tastes great. What makes Chinese food distinct or special? If you mean in regards to the fact that there are so many ingredients and ways of cooking Chinese cuisine, this comes from the fact that China has a huge population and comparatively little arable land. That is to say, what’s “special” is China being especially poor. For example, Western countries also eat pork and beef, but only Chinese people will eat the head and organs. Why? There are too many people in need of pork. The “specialties” of today are actually a product of history. Complicated cooking methods are intended to make things that are not suitable to eat or not delicious, edible. Do you think expats can really become experts on Chinese cuisine? Of course. But there are two main preconditions. First, forget about Chinese restaurants in Chinatowns. Second, know some Chinese. The language used to describe Chinese cuisine is very special. When something is spicy, you can’t just say “hot” or “spicy.” Also, Chinese people generally order more dishes than needed when they dine out. It has nothing to do with moral values or environmentalism; it’s just about politeness and having face. A good tip for foreigners.