Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
come in a large group so you can order and
share multiple dishes. Roasted pig's trotter
(¥58) is the house speciality, and they also
serve “drunken shrimp” which comes to the
table live and soaked in booze - you pull off
its head and eat it while it twitches.
Xiao Shaoxing
小绍兴饭店
xi
Bi Feng Tang
避风塘
bì fēng táng
175 Changle Lu. 24hr.
Useful branch of this
Cantonese chain (see p.121), rather less
raucous than the other branches and a
popular way to end off a night out in the Old
French Concession.
Charmant
小城故事
i o shào xìng
Yunnan Nan Lu (east side), immediately north of
Jinling Zhong Lu.
Old-fashioned Chinese style
dining - big tables, bright and noisy and the
waitresses expect you to call for their
attention - so hardly suitable for a date, but
it's fun for a group. It's famous in Shanghai
for its “drunken chicken”, which will set you
back ¥80; other dishes are much cheaper.
Adventurous diners might wish to sample
the blood soup or chicken feet.
Xiaxie
Huaihai Zhong Lu, opposite Huaihai Park, just
west of Times Square. Open 24hr.
Some say
you've not really done Shanghai until you've
put on plastic gloves and a bib and ripped
apart a tray of crayfish. If you want to test
this dubious contention, this is as good a
place as any. It's a fun way to end a night
out, an equivalent to the British greasy
kebab. ¥30 per person.
i o chéng gù shì
1414 Huaihai Zhong Lu. 11.30am-4am.
Charmant is a great place to know about -
convenient and cheap, it functions as much
as a café as a restaurant, and is open till the
early hours, so it makes a handy last spot
after a night on the tiles. Slip into a window
booth and linger over a peanut smoothie,
which is nicer than it sounds. For meals, the
Taiwanese style pork or tofu are
recommended.
Chun
春
xi
chūn
124 Jinxian Lu
T
62560301.
This is like having
dinner in someone's front room: there's no
sign outside, only four tables and no menu
- you just turn up and eat what's put in front
of you. Needless to say, the Shanghai
dishes on offer are superb and, don't worry,
it's all pretty cheap. You'll certainly have to
reserve, and there's no English spoken.
Crystal Jade
翡翠酒家
The Old French Concession
This is the area where most expatri-
ates eat and correspondingly where
prices begin to approach international
levels. Menus are in English, and
English will be spoken, too. In
Xintiandi
, an olde-worlde complex
of upscale bars, restaurants and cafés
(see pp.70-74), you're spoilt for choice
but you won't see much change from
a ¥100 bill.
1221
1221 Yan'an Xi Lu, by Pan Yu Lu.
T
62136585.
It's a little out of the way, a
10min walk east of Yan'an Xi Lu subway
stop, but this is one of the city's best and
most creative Shanghainese restaurants,
attracting a mix of locals and expatriates.
Decor is modern and minimalist so don't
expect an evocation of old Shanghai in
anything but the food. The drunken
chicken and xiang su ya (fragrant crispy
duck) are excellent, as are the onion
cakes. It's a good choice for vegetarians
too. Reserve.
f"i jiā
Unit 12A-B, 2nd Floor, No. 7 Building, South
Block, Xintiandi
T
63858752; B110 Hong Kong
Plaza, 300 Huaihai Zhong Lu.
Great Hong Kong food, sophisticated looks
and down-to-earth prices (around ¥80 per
head) make this the place to eat in Xintiandi,
and the finest in town for dim sum. Even
being tucked away at the back of the upper
f
"
f"i f"i cuì ji
118
Crystal Jade
