This was mostly delicious meal, though not everything was Shanghainese (for example my favorite of the meal was the fish stew which seemed Sichuan).
The only ordering misstep was courtesy the server, who made us switch from the Flaming Beggar’s Chicken to the Hunan Beef (it was good, but was not remarkable in any way, and the chicken is one of the dishes the restaurant is known for).
I was pleasantly surprised by the Crispy Smoked Fish – several reviews dinged it, but it was tasty and a nice textural contrast to the rest of what was on the table (in fried things, I thought it better than the pumpkin).
I thought the braised rice would have more flavor and also more mushrooms, but perhaps that was a mixing / serving issue. The water spinach was the worst of what we ate. And the Longjing Shrimp were fine, but the dish showcases the sweetness of river prawns, which these were not.
We ate:
XLB with crab
Fried pumpkin with salted duck egg yolk
Hangzhou braised half duck
Wine-soaked chicken
Crispy smoked fish
.
Longjing shrimp
Braised pork belly with quail eggs
Hunan spicy beef
House special fish stew
.
Braised rice with mushroom
Water spinach with garlic
.
Milk pudding
Sweet osmanthus rice cake
