Fit for a Shanghai lady today
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"Three-cup chicken" and Hunan-style spicy pork bones are two signature dishes of Yuan Lu, known for "fushion Shanghainese" cuisine. Photos Provided to China Daily |
The beef tongue in black pepper sauce, as an appetizer, looks a little gimmicky, with piles of beef tongue shrouded in a "golden cage" made from hot toffee. But a bite of the paper-thin, foie-gras-tender beef tongue makes the diner realize the chef has put as much care into cooking this dish as he has its look.
The sweet-and-sour ribs are prepared to a classic Shanghai recipe. Orange juice has been used in place of the vinegar to make the meat not only sour but also more refreshing without the heavy sugar.
The chef, a chubby 30-something Shanghai native who used to work in five-star hotels' Western restaurants, has innovatively rethought traditional fried shrimp into a burger-like fried shrimp cakes. The green cowpeas around the cake contrast well against the orange-red shrimp, making the palm-sized little cake look like delicate jewels from a Shanghai ladies' jewelry box.
The Hunan-style big bones, however, paint a different picture. An arch of whole pork bones takes the shape of a bridge and the half-fat roasted pork sizzles beautifully with green and red peppers on the bridge. What a lovely rainbow!
IF YOU GO
Yuan Lu
Daily from 11 am-2 pm; 5:30-10 pm. 3-4F, 30 Sinan Lu (Road) (near Huaihaizhong Lu), Huangpu district, Shanghai. 021-6386-0707.
Average cost per head: 200 yuan ($33).
Recommended: Beef Tongue in Black Pepper Sauce, Sweet-and-Sour Ribs in Orange Juice, Prawn Burger with Cowpeas, Hunan-style Spicy Pork Bones, Traditional Sesame Cake.
