“Food is not rational. Food is culture, habit, craving, and identity.”
What is Shanghai Cuisine?
Shanghai cuisine, often called Hu cuisine(沪菜) or Shanghainese cuisine, hails from the bustling city of Shanghai, known for its cosmopolitan atmosphere. This culinary style boasts a rich tapestry of flavors shaped by the region’s historical and cultural heritage.
Hu cuisine in Shanghai comprises both Benbang cuisine (本帮菜), which mean local dishes and Haipai cuisine (海派菜) which are influenced by cosmopolitan elements.
Benbang cuisine has a 400-year history and originated during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is actually peasant food that gradually evolved into a more complex cuisine as Shanghai developed. It emphasizes sweetness and red-braising techniques that celebrate the freshness of ingredients and local flavors.
Haipai Cuisine, literally meaning “all-embracing cuisine,” developed during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) when Shanghai was a cosmopolitan hub. The cuisine combines elements from various regional Chinese cuisines and even Western influences that absorbs the best aspects of other regional Chinese cuisines and adapts them to suit local tastes.
Haipai dishes exhibit variations in appearance, flavors, and cooking techniques. A wide range of cooking techniques is employed, such as steaming, braising, stir-frying, and more. Well, whether it is Benbang cuisine or Haipai cuisine, both are recognised by Shanghainese Hu cuisine.
Key features of Shanghai cuisine encompass:
- -Sweet and savory fusion: Shanghai cuisine is celebrated for its ability to seamlessly blend sweet and savory elements. This balance is achieved through the incorporation of sugar and soy sauce into various dishes.
- -Emphasis on seafood: Given its proximity to the coast, Shanghai’s cuisine prominently features fresh seafood like fish, shrimp, and crab, elevating its seafood-based creations.
- -Dim sum and dumplings: Shanghai has earned fame for its diverse assortment of dumplings and dim sum. Notably, xiao long bao, filled with meat and flavorful broth, is cherished for its delicate skins, often accompanied by a dipping sauce.
- -Slow-cooked delights: Braising and stewing are common techniques in Shanghai cuisine, yielding sumptuous, flavorful dishes. “Red-cooked” preparations, where ingredients like pork or chicken simmer in soy-based sauces until tender, are a prime example.
- -Soy sauce and vinegar: These condiments are frequently employed to enhance the depth of flavor in Shanghai dishes.
- -Vegetable and tofu creations: Seasonal vegetables and soy-based protein sources shine in a variety of stir-fried or braised dishes.
- -Delectable desserts: Shanghai boasts an array of sweet treats, including tang yuan (glutinous rice dumplings), mooncakes, and confections filled with red bean paste or pork.
- -Regional fusion: Shanghai’s history as a trading hub has integrated culinary influences from neighboring regions, such as Zhejiang and Jiangsu cuisines, enriching the diverse flavor palette of Shanghainese dishes.
The must eat list in Shanghai are : XiaoLongBao(小笼包)，YangChun Noodles(阳春面)，Soup Dumpling(小馄饨)，Pan Fried Dumpling(生煎)，Shanghainese Springroll(上海春卷)，Pan Fried Scallion Cake (葱油饼)，Pork Ribs + Rice Cake(排骨年糕)，Scallion Oil Dry Noodles(葱油拌面)，Fried cakes with radish, scallion & Pasley(油墩子)，Sticky Rice Balls filled with Dough Fritter, Minced Pork (粢饭糕)，The Big Four that made up of Fried Dough Fritter, Salted Soya Milk, Pan Fried Biscuits and Rice Ball(羌饼四大金刚（油条，咸豆浆，大饼，染饭团)），Vermicelli Bean Soup (油豆腐粉丝汤)，Sesame Ball(麻球)，Pork Meat Mooncake(鲜肉月饼) and more.
We did not to manage to tick all in this food bucket list but here in Shanghai, we not only had the opportunity to try Hu cuisine, but we also even had the opportunity to try the food from other parts of country like HongKong, ChongQing, HuNan, SiChuan and NorthEastern too.
Let's take a look what we had experience of the food of China.
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We spent an interesting 16 days in Shanghai in total, and here are the blogs I would like to share:
1. Ding Te Le (顶特勒粥面馆)
This restaurant is located along Huai Hai middle Road, hidden in a small lane that compound a residential area.
In total we visited twice at this shop, our first meal after we checked into the hotel and our last meal before we head to the airport.
It is a small shop that consists of 3 small levels, there is a patio at the entrance that displayed all the awards that it received.
I am here famous for Yellow Croaker Noodle Soup (上海黄鱼面).
He ordered the Scallion Oil Dry Noodles (葱油拌面) and topped with the fried pork chop.
We did not order much as we are targeting for more food later.
The soup for this Yellow Croaker Noodles is very flavorful and has a taste of "sea".
The fish is a big piece of fillet, look out of the bones.. more or less the bones are still there.
Noodles is chewy, "Al Dente" grade, not undercooked nor overcooked. Perfect !
The Scallion Oil dry noodles is very simple dish, there is no meat at all, just a few dashes of scallion oils. But do not look down on this super simple noodle, it is full of 'SOULS".
The noodles are the same as what was serve on the Yellow Croaker noodles, perfect "Al Dente" standard.
Fried pork chop is a common side dish here in Shanghai, this pork chop from this little shop taste better than the super big chain restaurant in Singapore, this super big chain even has shops worldwide!
Back to this pork chop, it is soft, tender and well marinated. 👍👍👍
This meal cost us CNY112, which is SGD20 as the Yellow Croaker noodles is the most expensive item in the restaurant at CNY68 (SGD12.60).
Before we headed to airport upon our check out, we headed here again. This round, I ordered YangChun soup noodles (阳春面), he again ordered Scallion Oil Dry Noodles (葱油拌面) and we had Braised MeatBall in Brown Sauce (红烧狮子头), Fried Pork Chop and Blanched Lettuce with Oyster sauce.
YangChun soup noodles (阳春面) - the soup is different from Yellow Croaker Noodle, but it has its own distinctive taste, it is the "soup of the house". Noodles texture is the usual "Al Dente" standard.
Scallion Oil Dry Noodles (葱油拌面), it tasted as good as the first visit that need no further review.
Braised MeatBall in Brown Sauce (红烧狮子头), very slightly crunch outside due to long braising time and super soft inside.
Blanched Lettuce with Oyster sauce is at the standard expectation of all restaurants.
Fried Pork Chop again, we have no further review as it is as good as the first time.
2) Liu DongLiang Da Pai Dang (刘栋梁大排档）
In Chinese term, 大排档(Da Pai Dang) means large food stall along the street which food are mostly wok fried upon ordered.
This Da Pai Dang is not the usual large stall that found on the street, in fact, it is a large restaurant in a building that consist of few levels with in doored & out doored seatings. In total, we came thrice!!!
They practiced disposal crockeries at own cost, each set cost CNY2.
This bag contained a plastic cup, a pair of bamboo chopsticks, a paper plate and a paper bowl.
In our first visit, we ordered 10 sticks of BBQ pork bellies, the mini crayfishes in 2 cooking style - Mala and 13 Spices.
BBQ pork belly
To our surprise, this taste really good. Soft and flavorful with cumin and chili powder.
Mala taste originated from the city of SiChuan which is known for the bold and fiery cusine.
The term “mala” itself is a combination of two Chinese characters: “numbing” (麻) and “spicy (piquant)” (辣), referring to the mouthfeel after eating the sauce. The numbing effect comes from the SiChuan pepper.
What is 13 Spices ? They are Purple percussion, sand kernels, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, spices, cumin, woody fragrance, angelica, sannai, ginger, dried ginger (紫叩、砂仁、肉蔻、肉桂、丁香、花椒、大料、小茴香、木香、
The results : Awesome and special taste to our liking!
On our second visit, we are here for other wok fried food : BBQ pork belly, stir fried cabbages, mapo tofu and spicy diced chicken.
We are glad that we ordered only one bowl of rice to share, as the bowl is really huge!
BBQ pork is our second try, it is as good, as soft as the first time.
Stir fried cabbage, crunchy with nice to taste with a touch of vinegar.
Mapo tofu is full of "explosion", it goes perfect with the rice. Very delicious.
Spicy diced chicken is very much different than what we had in Singapore, instead of peanuts, twisted crackers "MaHua" are added. Peanuts is a cheaper source than "MaHua". The taste of this dish here is much powerful to taste than in Singapore too, I guessed it has been slightly fusioned to locals taste.
See this is the twisted crackers "MaHua" (麻花), this deep-fried twisted flout dough originated from the Song Dynasty. It is a common snack that is well loved with the locals. It goes well with many deep-fried food & also good to chew along a can of beer.
Our third visit was a much simpler affair than the previous two visits, it was late at night and hubby felt like to eat on something that is not so full, so we came here just for the mini crayfish in 13 spices. This restaurant is just 7 minutes walk from our accommodation.
3) Jia Jia Tang Bao (佳家汤包)
Jia Jia Tang Bao, the renowned Shanghainese soup dumpling shop, originally founded in 1986, has become an institution for its xiaolongbao (XLB). It is well known for the impeccable made-to-order soup dumplings AKA XLB.
Before we go further on this restaurant, I like to take this opportunity to share the location: Huang He Road - the shooting location for the well-known Chinese Drama - <<繁花>> and we saw many buildings that look the same as per the drama. If you had seen this drama and happen to be in Shanghai, do drop by here.
Back to this restaurant, it is packed from the moment it's open until it's closed.
This restaurant is well approved by the locals for the XLB, so aside from locals' crowds, it is well visited by tourists too.
In total, we visited twice to this awesome XLB king of Shanghai. This restaurant has been renovated to meet the modern's demand, it is brightly lit and clean.
The staff are also very helpful and are gladly to assist tourist who do not have the local apps of WeChat/Alipay to place the order. In most restaurants or eateries here, customers are requested to scan bar code and order from WeChat/AliPay and the orders can be paid directly in the app too.
During our first visit, we ordered his usual Scallion Oil dry noodles, fish ball soup, balanced vegetables and minced pork + crab meat XLB.
Scallion oil noodles is a very common folk's food here, every shop has its own recipe and so does this shop too, it is also very tasty.
Fish ball soup is very good, I am a fish ball lover since a child. These hand-made fish balls are fresh and chewy, the soup is well fushioned with dried seafood and sided with egg shreds.
Vegetables
It is a very simple dish that the vegetables are blanched in hot water and topped with their secret sauce.
XiaoLongBao
The skin is thin, the fillings is thick, the soup is sweet and well locked in the dumpling that are so savory that has the taste of the crab!
Not a single XLB served with broken skins, which means soups is locked inside. Not every XLB shops has such art and skill of master chef.
Here, on our second visit, we ordered Braised Porkchop dry noodles, he still ordered his usual Scallion Oil dry noodles, Fishball soup, and pure pork XLB.
Braised Porkchop dry noodles, noodles are well blanched to perfect texture, pork chop is well marinated and infused with the secret brown sauce, it is soft and easy to chew.
Scallion Oil dry noodles and Fishball soups are our second orders, they are as good as the first visit that need no further comment.
Second order on the handmade fish ball soup that tasted the same as the first time！
Pure Pork XLB is served as good as the first time - hot and freshly made with none broken.
The soup is also sweet, I can tell it is stewed from pig's bone. The pure pork XLB is also very delicious!
4) Dong Tai Xiang Pan Fried Dumpling (东泰祥生煎馆)
This well known old brand in Shanghai opened its doors quite some time ago. It has a rich history and is known for its traditional shengjian bao (生煎包), a type of pan-fried dumpling. The restaurant has been serving these delicious treats since the early days of their creation on the Shanghai waterfront. The taste and preparation method have remained consistent over the years, making it a favorite among loyal customers who appreciate the authentic flavors.
We are here for the pan-fried dumpling and wanton soup (another kind of soup dumpling)
Despite the dumplings are pan-fried but it is very juicy and savory in the inside.
Wanton is up to expectation; it is good too.
5) Nong Xiao De Pork Chop Rice Cake (侬晓得排骨年糕)
Glad to have this shop located about 10 minutes' walk from my accommodation.
This 2 decades shop is huge, neat and clean.
Hubby is not a rice cake person, I think he do not like the sticky feel onto his teeth. What a sickening old fart! 🙄🙄🙄
So, he still opted for Scallion Oil dry noodles which is commented that it is tasty as well like most other shops.
Rice cake is chewy and soft to my liking.
The pork chop is marinated with spices that is very tender to every bite.
The brown sauce that topped over is also to my liking, not too sweet, not too salty.
6) Xiao Shao Xing (小绍兴)
Established since 1943, this old timer is a well-known restaurant located in YunNan road that is about 12 minutes' walk from my accommodation.
When we came at the restaurant, it was not very packed as it was before meals hours.
The place is very comfortable, well and simple decorated with wooden planks on the ceilings and warm lightings.
I noticed that all the tables ordered a share of steamed chicken which I heard about it and that is what we are here for.
This chilli is good, the type I really like.
We ordered a share of steamed chicken, he ordered braised pork belly soup noodles, I ordered braised chicken diced soup noodles along with wanton soup.
Steamed chicken is quite tender and soft but we still prefer our Singapore's version of Hainanese steam chicken rice.
Though it is scattered with soya sauce and sesame oil, but the sauce topping is not as fragrant as any stall in Singapore.
All are good for both noodles soup, pork belly are soft and well braised, long good effort of braising work.
Wantons are surprisely super huge, and it is delicious and up to the expectation.
7) Shanghai Grandmother (上海姥姥)
A true blue Benbang cuisine (本帮菜) old name that had been around for long time that rank number 55 out of 8220 restaurants in Shanghai. We really look forward to dine in such high reputation old restaurant of Shanghai.
We ordered braised pork, stir fried beans and stir-fried shrimps.
Braised pork is served with hard boiled egg, the sauce of the braise was more to the sweet side which is not in our favours, we felt it is overly sweet though we expected that Benbang cusine are more to the sweet side. Taste is individual and personal, to other people, it could be very delicious.
Next, we took a bite on the meat, it is filled with disappointment, the meat texture was very tough and hard. We expected an old name like this restaurant should exceed our expectations.
Nevertheless, we decided to try this dish again in another BenBang restaurant for second opinion.
Stir fried beans are up to expectation.
8) Lao Ji Shi (老吉士)
Known as "Old Jesse" to westerners, it has a long history and serves delicious Shanghainese food.
There are several locations in Shanghai, and we choose the one nearest to our accommodation which is located in a up-scaled mall.
This premium Da Hong Pao is really very premium! It doesn't taste dry in the aftertaste, in-fact it is fragrance, smooth and had a special taste of dry but sweet aftertaste.
It is such a blessing that we did not fail this dish on the first restaurant we ordered this braised pork belly.
This dish at Lao Ji Shi is superb, the fats and the lean meats are well blended that it just melted once we put it inside our mouths.
This soulful dish is full of praises from us. The gravy of this dish is sweet but is well balanced to our liking. It is also serves with hardboiled egg.
Crab leg meat with Asparagus is another signature of this restaurant.
The crab leg was extracted manually by skilled hands, the asparagus is well cooked to just nice texture that is soft and crunchy. The gravy over this dish is plain but flavorful.
Spicy diced chicken with giant prawn is not a Shanghai dish, it is a dish that is originated from SiChuan. This restaurant enhanced this dish by adding a giant prawn which also help on the price tag too. Anyway, this dish is also very nice and soothing to our tastebuds.
We paid CNY828 (SGD155) to this restaurant and the premium Da Hong Pao is already costed 50% of this bill. This is the highest bill we paid throughout all our meals here.
This is the number favorite restaurant on hubby's list.
A popular Mongolian restaurant that sells Mongolian style of BBQ of traditional marination and BBQ in modern touch.
The staff here are helpful and polite, they even assisted all the customers on the BBQ on every tables.
Below photos and videos had said it all.
This is also our first time trying the notorious goat milk tea which had already been fusioned to sweet taste rather than original salty taste.
Because Shanghainese is prone to sweeter taste.
This tea is pretty good too, we look forward to having the original taste one day.
This is goat diced fried rice is the pretty form of pyramid.
It is also very delicious.
Grilled scallop, which is cooked in the kitchen, taste fresh!
10) Can Plus Hotspot Restaurant (坑爷秘制火锅)
This is a very powerful hotpot restaurant, ranked number 1 in my heart for all the hotpot restaurants I ever dined!
Firstly, the decoration of this restaurant, it made me felt being transported back into the Qing Dynasty the moment we step in.
At the precise hour, chef will be here pounding on the rice flour in the walkway, this is to serve a dish of rice balls to every table. The photo is below.
The owners spent a great effort to renovate this place, it is very beautiful. The service staff here are very nice, helpful and thoughtful for customers.
Before we officially start our meals, these 2 chefs will be going around with their trolley and mold the rice balls live infront of us.
Wow, handmade rice balls taste really good, chewy and soft that goes well with the brown sugar syrup.
The condiment bar where most hotspot restaurant has; the selections of the condiments is quite large.
This cute bottle is the special oil that is specially made by the restaurant. After I added the oil into my condiment mix, the taste was further enhanced.
We choose the yuanyang pots (2 soups) of Butter Mala and Sour Vegetables soup.
The black chicken slices are something we did not try before; the taste is very good.
Thirdly, the entertainment is what we are here for in the first place.
SiChuan opera, AKA Bian Lian which means Face changing art.
This art is something we been hoping to watch one day when we go SiChuan, never expect to find it here in Shanghai and we jumped on the chance to see it.
I been trying hard to observe this artist and could not find the silk thread he supposed to pull to change the face despite I stood very right beside him. He must had learned this art from young age, what a professional artist that deserved to be appreciated.
Here is the information of Bian Lian: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Here are some video of the performances:
11) Feng Ji's NorthEastern Food (冯记东北铁锅炖)
Thumbs up to the restaurant whether to the decorations, the food, the price tags and the services. This is the most interesting restaurants we came across and visited twice!
The set up of the restaurant is decorated with the traditional 炕 (pronounce as Kang in English) for the seats that are enhanced further with a big steel wok over the stove which is also made up of 炕.
炕 is a traditional heated platform, 2 metres or more long, used for general living, working, entertaining and sleeping in the northern part of China, where the winter climate is cold. It is made of bricks or other forms of fired clay and more recently of concrete in some locations. The word kang means "to dry".
Here is a photo I got from google about the brick stove bed that are still widely used today. One day, we will visit the Northeastern part of China.
Its interior cavity, leading to an often-convoluted flue system, channels the hot exhaust from a firewood/coal fireplace, usually the cooking fire from an adjacent room that serves as a kitchen, sometimes from a stove set below floor level. This allows a longer contact time between the exhaust (which still contains much heat from the combustion source) and (indirectly) the inside of the room, hence more heat transfer/recycling back into the room, effectively making it a ducted heating system. An amazing fact that China discovered that heated bed floor was used as early as 7,200 years ago.
For this restaurant, modern touch is added by using electricity instead of live fire.
The crockeries are so old China feel! When I was young, I found similar enamel crockeries in my grandmother's kitchen.
This mural shows us what the traditional kitchen in the Northeastern looks like.
This is the traditional soda water from the northeast too, it is a common drink for most children there. It just tastes sweet, and this is a nice experience.
We ordered half goose with some vegetables, luncheon meat and etc to add on as well as a share baked corn bread on our first visit.
It is cook right under our nose on the brick stove where timer was placed to alert the staff for the next steps.
When the goose was half cooked, all the add-on items will be added inside to simmer for another 10 minutes follow by corn bread doughs are molded and stick on the wall of the wok and further cook for another 15 minutes before we can officially start our dinner.
The corn bread are sticked on the walls of the wok and cooked by the steam releasing from the simmering of the goose.
Though it is yellow in colour, it is quite tasteless, but it is very soft, it is supposed to be to eat together with the goose.
The meat of the goose was so soft that it is easily detached from the bones once we put into our mouths.
The goose was rather fat, and the fats is rather thick, and I just ate it anyway! Usually, I will peel off these fats but not for this. And it tastes heavenly. The fats are necessary to consume as it assisted the people to fight the cold.
Here some "smoky" videos to share :
During our second visit, we opt for wok fried ala-carte menu instead of stewing. We watched too much entertainment show that tell us a lot about the Northeastern food.
Sweet and Sour Pork (锅包肉) - this name of the dish is very common everywhere but trust me, the Northeastern version is very much different. The pork is pretty crunchy, the sweet & sour gravy is very sticky. The whole dish is completely new to us.
Stir Fried Pork Shreds with Chilli (香辣肉丝) is spicy, oily but delicious Northeastern cuisine.
Fried egg with Special Sauce (大酱炒鸡蛋)
This is a very simple and humble food but it just opens up our appetites.
This is very strong wok taste on the egg that is so fragrance and we love it very much.
Pickled Vegetables noodles (渍菜粉)
This is something we do not know to appreciate.
We stopped touching it after a few mouths.
The pickled taste was too much for us to take.
White rice with corns (玉米白饭) - the rice grains from the northeastern of China is very well known in the world. It is known for being extraordinarily huge crystal white. So, I also believe the sugar levels is also higher than the usual ones.
12) Xian De Lai Pork Chop Rice Cake (鲜得来排骨年糕)
The history of Xian Delai Pork Chop Rice Cake can be traced back to 1921, when the founder, Ho Shide, opened a small stall in Shanghai selling milk, toast and bread, but because the western pastries were not very suitable for Shanghainese, he gradually switched to selling spiced pork rib rice cakes and baked squid.
In the modern world today, their menu is also improved to more variety for customer to choose from.
We came for breakfast on a weekend, and it is quite crowded here.
Our breakfast is very big, it is consisting of 2 sets of breakfast with big serving: Scallion oil dry noodles, pork chop rice cake, Shanghainese style of yong tau foo, wanton soup and Shanghainese popiah.
Hubby like the texture of the noodle very much, he thinks that the noodles is the softest one he had among the rest here.
The popiah taste average to us, nothing special about it.
The so-called Shanghai Yong Tau Foo are all handmade and tasted fresh.
The pork chops are made using high-quality pork ribs, which are carefully marinated and fried until golden brown and crispy. Paired with a special rice cake, the whole dish has a rich taste and is layered.
Today, Fresh Pork Ribs Rice Cake has become one of the representatives of Shanghai's specialty cuisine. XianDeLai is one of the popular restaurants that is recognized by the locals.
Wanton soup is ok, up to expectation.
If you want to taste this century-old delicacy, do hop by.
13) Pan Fried Scallion Oil Biscuit (葱油饼)
Another kind of comfort food that is easily find everywhere in China.
Super long history of several centuries at least.
is a popular savory Chinese snack made with wheat flour dough that’s been twisted and rolled with fistfuls of scallions. It’s usually pan-fried or griddled, resulting in a crispy, flaky crust with thin, chewy layers of bread.
There is a story in China that suggests pizzas is an adaptation of the scallion pancake, brought back to Italy by Marco Polo.
14) Shen Da Cheng (沈大成)
Shen Dacheng is a time-honored food store in Shanghai, founded in the sixth year of Guangxu (1875), and has a history of more than 140 years.
The founder, Mr Shen, was dedicated to dim sum and flavor snacks, they are known for their selection of raw materials, meticulous craftsmanship, tradition and innovation, and have been known at home and abroad since the thirties of the last century.
As I was strolling at Nanjing East Pedestrian Street, I visited Shen Dacheng for the crab roe + mince pork XLB.
Though it tasted very good, but half of the basket of XLB were broken, no soup was locked inside. I feedback to the staff; she merely told me that she will advise kitchen to take note. If this is at Ding Tai Feng, I will be compensated with new ones.
15) Guang Ming Cun Restaurant (光明邨大酒家)
In December 1993, the Kwong Kwong Estate Restaurant was unveiled at the original site of the dim sum shop in Kwong Kwong Estate. This restaurant focuses on local dishes, offering delicatessen, dim sum, semi-finished products and fresh meat mooncakes on the first floor, a snack plaza on the second floor, a multi-purpose banquet hall on the third floor, and a private room 2 on the fourth floor.
Chrysanthemum tea for the hot and humid weather.
Hopefully it's cooling effect can prevent us from falling sick.
Serve the flower raw and open in the glass, I would prefer if there were a filter at least.
Sweet and sour braised pork ribs that is actually a cold dish.
Taste rather good and the meat is rather tender too.
Another cold dish of stir fry shrimp that taste well too!
Stir fried cabbage with preserved Chinese ham is also another thumbs up!
This spicy fish head is actually HuNan dish, but I really like this very much, so I just ordered too. Didn't expect that it serves with noodles, glad that the portion is small, we managed to finish the yummy fish head.
The fried rice is normal to us but slightly bland, perhaps the food we had covered the taste.
I passed by here a few times and always see customers queuing up at the door waiting to buy fresh meat mooncakes. In short, Guangming Estate Restaurant is a time-honored and popular restaurant with a long history.
16) FengMai Handmade Dumplings (丰麦手工水饺)
Shanghai Fengmai handmade dumplings are a traditional Chinese delicacy that is popular for its exquisite preparation and delicious taste
However, Shanghai Fengmai handmade dumplings are not among the top 10 brands of dumpling chains in the country. If you happen in the area of HuaiHai Middle Road, it is a nice place to take a rest over some nice handmade dumplings.
In conclusion, dumplings, as an important representative of Chinese food culture, there is a rich variety and different filling options.
17) WangXiangYuan (望湘园)
WangXiangYuan is a mid-range boutique Hunan cuisine catering enterprise founded in June 2002, headquartered in Shanghai. They not only combine traditional flavors and innovative practices in the preparation of dishes, but also adhere to the concept of "food" and are committed to providing Hunan cuisine that meets the complex tastes of Shanghai and surrounding areas. As of the beginning of 2022, Wangxiangyuan has a total of 57 stores in Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hefei and other places.
HuNan Cuisine is also one of our favorite Chinese foods, we like heavy flavored food and HuNan is defiantly fit the bill. Love the spiciness!
This ChangSha stinky tofu is a legend that we been wanting to try.
Glad that we found it here and decide to give it a try.
To our surprise, it is not stink at all, in fact it is crispy outside and soft inside and topped with their special gravy. After checking with the staff on why it does'nt stink, they replied that if we were to have it in HuNan, the stink is pretty stench. Due to the local taste of Shanghainese, they had revamped the taste to suit the locals. So, we need to make a trip to HuNan one day.
Stir Fried pork slices is an all-time favorite, it is a simple dish that was eaten commonly by the farmers until now, it is a common dish on tables of most homes in HuNan.
Raw lettuces over sesame sauce, our first try and taste not bad too.
The fresh crunches from the lettuces over the fragrant sesame sauce are such a good combination.
This spirit dish of HuNan - Steamed fish head with double peppers (剁椒鱼头) is a must order for me whenever I go into a HuNan restaurant. I ate a few times in Singapore and now here in China I also want to give it a try to see if there is any differences on the taste between Singapore and China.
This fish head here taste as same as the one I had in Singapore!
18) 先启半步颠小酒馆
Xianqi Banbudian Bistro is a popular Sichuan restaurant in Shanghai, founded in 2018 and launched in Shanghai in September 2019. Its name is taken from the appearance of the rivers and lakes in Stephen Chow's movie "Tang Bohu Dian QiuXiang"《唐伯虎点秋香》, and the founder is a die-hard fan of Stephen Chow.
Authentic Sichuan cuisine is available here, allowing you to feel the atmosphere of the rivers and lakes and the existence of heroic dreams.
We ordered ChongQing LaZiJi - spicy chicken in SiChuan chilli and mixed pot in spicy soup. Taste is expected to our standard and we are very happy with the meal.
19) 成都你六姐
A common brand that easily spot in quite a few shopping malls in Shanghai.
The decoration is very attractive, mahjong style.
This is a mala spicy pot eatery that can choose either the dry or soup version.
We opt for the soup version, given the setting on the table that every table has a mini cooker.
Therefore, this is the hotpot type of mala soup.
There is also a condiment bar where you can further enhance your meal.
There is free dessert too - chilled ice jelly.
Choose the ingredient you want, pay by weight and tell the staff the level of spicy you want and wait for them to cook then eat.
Soup is really nice, good for raining day.
20) HeFu Noodles (和府捞面）
Shanghai Hefu Lao Mian is a well-known Chinese noodle chain brand, founded in 2012. With the ingenuity of "one bowl of noodles in ten years", they create a safe food with mellow soup for customers, with Chinese book elements, highlighting the charm of traditional Chinese culture. The brand is present in more than 60 cities, with more than 400 stores and more than 10 million members. If you're in Shanghai, you can try to experience Hefu Lao Mian at 1038 West Nanjing Road2. Their specialty is an herbal soup that will give you a bowl of wellness3. In addition, as of May 2021, the number of Hefu Lao Noodle stores in Shanghai has exceeded 100 and is expected to reach 130 by the end of the year.
I am here on a ME Day, so it is a simple meal for myself, and this food really taste good too.
21) KeMing IceHouse(克明冰室)
The reason that drawn me into this restaurant is because of the cute bear drink. Anyway, there is no regret entry as service and food are food!
Keming Ice House in Shanghai is a Hong Kong-style tea brand that focuses on drinks, desserts and snacks. One of their signature dishes is the Western Toast, which, unlike traditional European and American French toast, is not lightly fried, but deep-fried until golden brown, wrapped in egg wash and fried until golden brown, with butter and lightened condensed milk sandwiched in between, for a layered texture that is very enjoyable to eat one bite at a time1. If you're a fan of Hong Kong-style cafes, try the delicacies of Keming IceHouse, such as BBQ Pork Rice (黯然销魂饭), Chicken Curry Chop (咖喱鸡扒), Milky Toast and etc.
They are pledged to serve before the sand finishes.
I ordered a Baked rice with Chicken Chop and the cute bear drink which is made of lychee.
It has been some time since I had Hong Kong food, this place serves decent food with nice ambience.
22) XiaoHuiGe Hotpot 小辉哥火锅
A popular hotpot restaurant that is arranged by our peers in Shanghai.
What special about this place is that each guest has it own individual pot of personal choice of soup.
When dining with Chinese, they always have a culture - Chinese alcohol! And they brought along a few big bottles of yellow wine!
This is also my first try on cow's stomach(毛肚), cow ‘s arteries (黄喉), goose intestine(鹅肠) and bayberries(杨梅).
These are bayberries (杨梅)
My first time eating this fruit, put the whole thing in the mouth and chew until it left with the seed.
The taste is consisting of sweet & sour which is very suitable to my taste buds.
It is very appetizing that made me devour for my dinner.
Though it is called Huang Jiu (黄酒), means yellow wine in English, it is actually made of rice so you can also call it as rice wine. It is very
popular in the Jiangnan region. It is made by mixing steamed grains (including rice, glutinous rice, or millet) with koji as a starter culture, followed by saccharification (the process of starch to sugar) and fermentation at a temperature of about 13-18 °C (55-64 °F).
The alcohol content of rice wine is usually between 8% and 20% and many people think that water is the most important ingredient. Although the name of rice wine may imply that its color is usually light yellow and orange, in reality its color can vary from clear to brown.
Rice wine is usually served warm, as it is easier to release rich flavor compounds. In summer, people prefer sweet rice wine chilled or on the rocks.
Cooking wine is a type of rice wine that is used in cooking, such as Shaoxing cooking wine.
This goose intestine(鹅肠)
I love this dish very much, it is very crunchy and tender, it feels like eating squid.
This is cow ‘s aorta (黄喉)
This dish is usually made of the aorta of either pig or cattle.
The crunchy texture and is suitable for shabu-shabu in a hot pot
This is cow's stomach(毛肚)
It is a type of food made from the stomach lining of animals, often from cows. The taste of tripe can vary depending on how it’s prepared, and the spices used. In hotpot dishes, such as Hot Pot Hairy Belly, the processed hairy belly (which is a type of tripe) is typically seasoned with spices, garlic, and chili, resulting in a flavorful and refreshing dish.
23) Alfee Home Coffee(艾神家咖啡)
A small coffee shop that is located within 10 minutes' walk from my accommodation.
The owner cum barrister originally from HongKong who was posted to Shanghai for work. This is where he met the love of his life, got married and settled down here.
He is very friendly and chatty that he spent his effort to chat with all his customers, sharing his tips on Shanghai and his rich travelling experiences.
This coffee shop is about 18sqm at the monthly rental of about SGD2000 per month, there are very limited seats indoor and 4 foldable seats at the outdoor.
24) Belray Coffee (贝瑞咖啡)
A true-blue China brand that is own by a big corporation that owns Family Mart, Soup Master and etc..
At the date of writing, there are total 23 outlets in China, the outlet we visited was the one at People's Square station.
The trademark colour is orange, which is considered a lucky colour to the Chinese, the interior is big and comfortable with few sofa seatings.
The staff at this outlet is very polite, helpful and full of smiles, we ordered a cappuccino and an americano. The cups that holding the drinks look cute with the animated character is very pretty.
As for the taste, it is considered average to us, there is good room for more improvements.
25) Luckin Coffee (瑞幸咖啡)
An international chain that is originated from China, I already saw it in Singapore, and they just announced their entry to Malaysia in the near future.
There are many outlets of Luckin in Shanghai, it is almost can be seen everywhere we went.
The logo of the deer in the dark blue colour is pretty and elegant.
We tried this coffee for couple of times, it is because it is really good.
The taste of the coffees we ordered is comparable to certain BIG INTERNATIONAL BRAND.
As for the price, it cost half of the price in China.
Personally, I have not checked the rate in Singapore, but I think it should be in the standard price.
26) CHAGEE (霸王茶姬)
Another giant that is originated from YunNan and super popular in Malaysia. I only get to drink it when I go Malaysia as they had closed all their shops in 2020 (Covid) but will be opening their comeback stores in August 2024. I look forward to visiting them in near future in Singapore.
Located at a side road along HuaiHai Middle Road, it is as packed as in Malaysia.
I noticed the menu they have here is Shanghai is not the same I had in Malaysia.
Their menu is seasonal, depending on the harvest.
As good as it is always... I am always happy to visit CHAGEE.
27) JiuShiYe (九十叶)
Translated in English, it means "Ninety Leaves", it is a matcha specialty store based in Taiwan. It is known for being low-fat, low-sugar, and healthy matcha ice cream. The first outlet in Shanghai is located in the basement of a mall that is just opposite of my accommodation.
As this shop is located on my way to the train station, I would pass by this place at least once per day and throughout my every pass-by, it is always founded with a queue.
During one of my pass-by, there is no queue, so we jump on it and each bought a cup.
We did not go for the matcha as it is not in our craves, instead he ordered the chocolate and I opted for the chocolate mint.
The taste of the ice cream is indeed smooth and silky but slightly too soft to the extent that it is the trace of 'melting" despite the staff serve us our orders from the fridge. They need to make more effort to maintain the quality for demand therefore not worth for the high price of SGD8 per cup.
Glad that we did not spend any single minute queueing.
28) WuXie(无邪)
It means "Innocent" in English, located in the basement of Daimaru along Nanjing East Pedestrian Street.
Shanghai Wuxie is a Japanese dessert shop that specializes in matcha-flavored ice cream and other desserts. Whether it is the clothing of the staff or the interior of the store, it exudes a strong Japanese style. If you're a matcha connoisseur, this is definitely not to be missed! Here are some of the specialties of the innocent dessert shop:
Matcha mille-feuille: The fluffy matcha mille-feuille cake has a smooth texture and is absolutely superb.
Matcha Cheese Genki Ice: Matcha ice cream with a silky texture and cheese is delicious.
Matcha Daifuku: A matcha-flavored Japanese-style glutinous rice dumpling with a soft and glutinous skin and a rich filling.
General's Tears: Glutinous balls with rich matcha ice cream have a unique flavor.
As for our orders, I went for "Princess's Tears" and he opted for "Matcha Ice-cream Float".
True enough, the matcha taste is thick enough that there is a bittersweet after taste, it is indeed the kind of taste we want for matcha.
My "Princess's Tears" is Hokkaido milk ice cream, sprinkled with matcha powder and matcha daifuku.
We are very happy with the service and the orders.
29) Dairy Queen (冰雪皇后)
Dairy Queen is a global ice cream and fast-food chain. It is known for its creamy soft-serve ice cream and has been in American culture for over 80 years. The main ingredients of this soft-serve ice cream include milk, sugar, and various additives to give it a unique texture and taste. Specifically, it contains the following main ingredients:
Milk fat and skim milk: these dairy ingredients form the basis of soft-serve ice cream, giving it a milky aroma and a delicate texture.
Sugar and corn syrup: These sweeteners give soft-serve ice cream an irresistible mouthfeel and help balance the rich flavor of dairy products.
One of the most significant differences between Dairy Queen's soft-serve ice cream compared to traditional hard ice cream is the fat content. According to FDA regulations, frozen desserts must contain at least 10% milk fat to be legally called "ice cream." However, Dairy Queen's soft-serve ice cream contains only 5% milk fat and therefore falls into a different category. Despite not meeting the technical definition of ice cream.
We each ordered the Belgian chocolate ice cream and happy with it.
30) The Peninsula Boutique and Cafe Xintiandi
We were walking around, looking for a dessert place at the Xintiandi after a hearty dinner.
I was attracted to beautiful design of the cafe and walked in without checking the name of the place.
After we placed the order then I realized it is Peninsula - that expensive hotel in HongKong. It is confirmed after I checked with the staff. We are here just for dessert, I got myself a lychee frizz while he ordered a soft serve.
The Peninsula Boutique and Café Xintiandi is a fine dining and lifestyle destination in Shanghai's Xintiandi area. Opened on September 6, 2023, it is The Peninsula's first flagship store in Chinese mainland. Blending a sophisticated retail and dining experience, this immersive venue is set in a historic Shikumen building that presents a rich cultural heritage and elegant hospitality at The Peninsula. Drawing inspiration from its Hong Kong origins, The Peninsula Boutique & Cafe embodies the concept of luxury hotel retail, offering exceptional retail and informal dining experiences. The space has been carefully designed with a selection of delicacies and specialty gifts to suit the tastes of different patrons. In addition to an abundance of chocolates, Chinese and Western teas, sauces and pastries, the boutique offers a range of delicacies that add an elegant touch to the festive season.
During the festive season, which includes Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival and Dragon Boat Festival, the boutique celebrates the Peninsula's long-standing tradition by offering classic delicacies such as mini egg tart mooncakes, innovative flavors such as Chinese New Year cakes and bespoke gift sets to satisfy guests' festive wishes.
Nice place with a great ambience, nice presentation on our order.
31) Tifanny & Co - The Blue Box Cafe
Tiffany & Co. The Blue Box Cafe in Shanghai is a fine dining restaurant located in the flagship store of Hong Kong Plaza in Shanghai which is just opposite of my accommodation. It is decorated in Tiffany blue and is inspired by Tiffany's iconic gift box. Offering exquisite cuisine, you can experience the exquisite lifestyle of exclusive Tiffany & Co. in a modern and romantic setting.
There are a total of 2 levels in this flagship store and the restaurant is behind the jewelry counter on the second floor.
As a world-renowned jewelry brand, Tiffany & Co. is famous all over the world for its classic mint green, which is a symbol, so whether it is the store decoration style, jewelry or even packaging boxes, it is this color and of course, the restaurant is also mint green.
The most distinctive thing is the afternoon tea, among which the ultra-high-value blue box cake is a classic must-order on the menu but we did not order as we are avoiding the fondant on the outering of the cake.
We ordered the tea and a heart shape cake while he topped further with a cappuccino.
Our table is by the full-length glass window with a direct view of the "Shibuya Crossing", it is a nice place for people gazing on a hot lazy afternoon.
32) 上海梨園
Located in the Yu Garden, this teahouse come along with a price tag that is higher than average teahouse.
Yuyuan is always so crowded with people and the weather was unbearable humid, so we chance upon this place and decide to visit for a break. We were the only guest in the whole teahouse, it was totally decorated with old Ming & Qing decorations, the staff told us that at certain time of the week, there is an inhouse opera for guests.
The teahouse is located at the rooftop of the building which is about 4 stories high.
It comes with pretty view of LuJiaZui and surrounding old buildings.
Love the quiet ambience that is away from the bustle of life.
33) 上海全国土特产食品商场 淮海中路店
I call this place as Shanghai National Native Food Mall in English; it is located in Huaihai Middle Road which is 10 minutes' walk from my accommodation.
I was greeted with the sight on this long queue on my arrival and after checking, these people are queue-ing for preserved vegetables and the queue start from morning to late noon.
Founded in 1936, this long-established shop gradually expanded to 6 outlets after the liberation. All the goods that are sold here are gathered from 22 provinces and regions across the country.
It is famous for its high-quality foods such as dried shrimp and scallop sauce and tender seaweed, attracting a steady stream of customers.
This is how local dumplings looks like, elongated than the ones I ate in Singapore and Malaysia.
I was really tempted to buy this preserved ham, but I am kind of lazy to cook them.
For me, I bought some preserved fruits here. There is a free tasting session, and the staff is very friendly. Try until you like then buy!
This is another traditional pastry in Shanghai, it is referring as "moon cake", it usually comes with several fillings, I choose the original one which is fill with fresh pork.
34) BUTTER %
This is a comfortable cafe located "on the wall" of TianZiFang - means it is located along the circumference of the place.
Though the numbers of seats are limited, the turnover of customers is high.
As the name said it all, it is famous for butter cake, low fat butter to be precise and beside looking pretty, they do not taste sweet.
Beverages are kind of average, but it is a good place to chill with friends or hide from the weather.
That's for all for the food collection we had for this trip at the moment, we will be going back to Shanghai again, it is possible like Aalborg which we went back annually.
Meanwhile, this is the link for the places we been to in the Pearl Of Orient.
Nevertheless, 2024 has been a great year for us, and here to share further the trips we have done to Switzerland & The Arctic.
One of the best times of our lives in our Arctic Journey can be found here:
Here are the shortcuts to the blogs on our trips in/ from Switzerland around last Christmas:
Between 2022 to 2023, we visited The Netherlands & Belgium, here to share : Amsterdam, The Hague , Rotterdam , Kinderdijk , Naarden ,Muiden , Haarlem , Nijmegan, Brussel, Bruges
and Antwerp.
We even moved to stay in Denmark during the peak of Covid : Relocation from Singapore to Aalborg, Denmark
Feel free, you are most welcome to browse through my other blogs to France, Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia and cruises etc.
Next Trip: Malacca, Chiangmai and maybe Port Dickson or Kuala Lumpur again while Italy is in the plan for 2025 - Please stay tune by liking my Facebook page: followblueginger
"I travel because seeing photos in books and brochures was not good enough for me, To be there, that was everything"
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