Yuan Yuan Restaurant
YuanYuan is a classic yet modern Shanghai restaurant, serving some of the city’s best local delicacies. Local food is a gateway through which to explore culture so whether you are a visitor to this city or have lived here for years, a meal at Yuan Yuan is certainly one of the best ways to experience the classic modernity that is Shanghai.
Our experience began as soon as we stepped in to the elegant dining room. One could not help but be pleased by the graceful yet stylish dÈcor and table settings as the professional staff showed us to our table. The meal began with a combination of hot and cold appetizers, all of which are standard in Shanghai cuisine and prepared exceptionally well at Yuan Yuan. The Shredded Salty Chicken, served at room temperature, is addictive. The saltiness of the chicken shreds are balanced by their sesame oil dressing as well as the mild and perfectly chewy skin that encases them. There was also Marinated Jellyfish With Cucumber, served cold. Although jellyfish may seem an abnormal thing to eat, it is a must try and this dish was one of our favourites. The jellyfish flavour is extremely mild and its texture slightly chewy. Its unique qualities are nicely contrasted in this dish by a tangy vinegar dressing and crispy cucumber slices. Finally, there was the Tofu Skin Rolls, a common dish among Shanghainese households. Delicately seasoned minced pork meat and bamboo shoots are rolled up in a paper-thin tofu wrapper and simmered in a subtle chicken broth.
The next round of dishes brought us the best that Shanghainese food has to offer. The Hong Shao Rou, or Fatty Pork Brasied in Soya Sauce, is perhaps the most emblematic dish of Shanghainese cuisine. Restaurants compete to serve the city’s best Hong Shao Rou and in accordance with the claims of many restaurant-going locals, Yuan Yuan deserves the champion title. As the gracious manager explained to us, the key to this dish is in the cut of meat, with four layers of alternating meat and fat and the final fifth layer of skin. Although foreigners may be wary to eat such fat, the salty, sweet and sticky soy sauce which the meat is braised in diminishes the oiliness of the fat. It becomes smooth and extremely flavourful, and serves as a perfect partner to the tender pork meat. We also sampled Yuan Yuan’s Stir-Fried Beef, cubes of perfectly bite-sized beef served in a delectable sauce uniquely composed of goose liver and seasoned with white pepper. Finally, there was the famous Tofu Shred Stew. The generally bland flavour of tofu serves as a blank canvas for the dish’s savoury broth. Various ingredients, including the gourmet shark’s fin, are simmered for hours to create a multi-layered yet delicate flavour that infuses the fine tofu shreds.
As a classic yet modern Shanghainese restaurant, Yuan Yuan achieves excellency not only in its dishes but also in its atmosphere and service. If you are looking for an elegant dining experience that captures the taste and feel of Shanghai, Yuan Yuan is the perfect destination.
Price: RMB 100-120 per head
Written by Laura Siperman
Photo by Amy Wang
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