The third-floor dining hall is large, consisting of five different dining areas and occupying an area of nearly 2,700 square metres. Shanghai Nouveau is the largest among the five areas, where both traditional and new Shanghai flavours are provided.

Shanghai V also has a special corner where noodles and dim sum are served, and holds a bar for Japanese sushi.

The kitchens in Shanghai V are equipped with glass doors and then completely exposed to diners in the hall. The restaurant serves a full menu of dishes and dim sum items and the prices are mostly reasonable.

The cold black fungus with melon seeds (25 yuan, US$3) was impressive for its mild flavour and plentiful nutrition. It was made of prepared black fungus, melon seeds which had been soaked in water and spiced with garlic and chicken powder. The black fungus was especially thick and fresh, with a natural savour.

One hot dish mainly contained three kinds of meat - pork, chicken and ham -- and had a long name: steamed chicken, mushroom and bamboo shoots with superior stock (55 yuan, US$7). The dish was shaped like a bowl standing upside down on the plate with the meat slices having been first combined and prepared in a bowl and then inverted on the plate. They had then been drenched in chicken stock and served with bamboo shoots, black mushrooms, dried bean curd and bean sprouts. The dish was a special creation of the chef Alvin Chan, made in a style resembling Shanghainese cuisine. The taste was relatively bland but the presentation was quite appealing.

Shanghai V also serves authentic Japanese food made from fresh ingredients, mostly seafood. Different kinds of Japanese- style business lunch are served in delicate lacquer boxes with a variety of seafood items, vegetables and side dishes, with miso soup. The lunch box I had there (135 yuan, US$17) included many different kinds of seafood such as fried salmon, tuna sashimi, sea clam, snail and Ebiko. Among these, I especially enjoyed the cooked snail, which was served, sans shell, with a sweet and spicy sauce and had an especially exquisite texture.

The diverse side dishes were delicious, including pumpkin, carrot, asparagus, seaweed, pickled radish, bean curd and cucumber, all served in relatively small portions. The Japanese box was also accompanied by sauces such as sashimi soy, vinegar and wasabi.

Shanghai V
Location: 3F, The Regent Shanghai, 1116 West Yan'an Road
Tel: 021-61159988

[Shanghai Star]