From risotto to chipotle chicken, salmon, roe, scallops, even foie gras bibimbap - here are 34 glistening bowls of combos, a checklist if you will, of must-try rice dishes in Shanghai.
Rice Mixed With Pork Oil
Where: Yi Mian Chun Feng
Address: 26 Wuxing Lu, Xuhui District
Rice mixed with pork oil used to be a poor man's meal, but now has transcended into a delicacy on its own. Yi Mian Chun Feng's version sees soy sauce and sweet spicy meat mixed with fat glistening grains and chopped scallions for a painfully easy but no less delicious meal. It's straightforward, warm, homey, and filling.
Unagi Don
Where: Hai Wei
Address: 2/F Block B, Far East International Plaza, 299 Xianxia Lu, Changning District
Hai Wei's Unagi Don differs from the rest with their lighter, more subtle touch. The eels are thickly sliced, laid on top of a bowl of beautifully cooked rice in large, fat chunks. The chopped scallions add their mild touch of fragrance, just gorgeous.
Dong Po Style Pork With Rice
Where: Husk
Address: 218 Fengxian Lu, Jing'an District
Husk's Dong Po Style Pork is a real revelation, a thoroughly gourmet take on a local staple. The boiled egg, crispy tofu, pickles and greens that accompany the rice bowl add up to a great combination of flavors and textures, but really it's all about the meat – premium quality pork that is tender enough to melt in the mouth, cooked in a sublimely sweet, sticky sauce. It's one of the finest pork dishes we've tried in a while.
Seafood Paella
Where: Bocado
Address: 2/F 47 Yongfu Lu, Xuhui District
Bocado does some pretty awesome paellas; one of their most popular options is the Paella de Marisco (RMB 238), a fragrant serving for 2-3 persons, laden with prawns, fish, mussels, squid and clams. For an even more seafood heavy paella, they do a lobster option for RMB 328. The paella is served with a side of aioli, that's garlic mayonnaise blended with a sprinkle of parsley, a creamy kick of flavor.
Black Truffle Risotto With Foie Gras
Where: Oreno
Address: No. 16, 181 Taicang Lu, Luwan District
Oreno, that new fusion restaurant from Tokyo on Taicang Lu serves a lush risotto that sees black truffle and foie gras combined for an earthy, creamy carb dish. Menu here skews traditional Italian and French, upgraded with a slight Japanese twist, so expect lots of careful pairings and exquisite flavors.
Ochazuke
Where: Kanpai Classic
Address: 5/F Five on The Bund, 20 Guangdong Lu, Huangpu District
Newly opened on The Bund, Kanpai Classic serves a menu filled with some of the highest grade of beef in town. It's not all about wagyu though, they also do deceivingly simple dishes like the ochazuke well. It's mild, refreshing, and warming, the perfect end to a classy meal.
Rosemary Chicken Leg With Rice
Where: Win House
Address: No. 6-12, 6/F Crystal Galleria, 68 Yuyuan Lu, Jing'an District
Win House's Rosemary Chicken Leg with Rice is comfort food at its best. Roasted chicken leg garnished with rosemary is served with a generous portion of creamy risotto; sounds simple enough, but what you really get is so much more. The rice is first steamed, then popped into the oven along with the chicken, which means that as the meat cooks, oil drips down to flavor the risotto below. The end result is a beautifully golden chicken that is perfectly crisp on the outside whilst still juicy on the inside, and fragrant, buttery rice.
Ganba Fungus Fried Rice
Where: Cha Ma Garden
Address: 6-204, 699 Zhongshan Nan Er Lu, Xuhui District
Ganba Fungus is a Yunnan specialty, offering a sweet earthy flavor that sets it apart from the rest of the fungi family. Cha Ma Garden's signature fried rice sees Ganba Fungu first stir-fried in a brass pot until fragrant, before being combined with rice, lard and pepper for a good long toss. Saliva-inducing is probably the perfect term for what is ultimately set in front of you.
Pineapple Fried Rice
Where: Pan Dan
Address: 03 & 03A 5/F Crystal Galleria, 68 Yuyuan Lu, Jing'an District
Pineapple Fried Rice is a Thailand classic, combining the curry powder's mild spice and beautiful yellow tinge with the pineapple's tangy fruitiness for a nicely, multi-layered dish. Pan Dan does this carb dish proud, served in an actual pineapple shell for that added layer of sweetness.
AJS Minced Pork Rice
Where: AJS Taipei Cuisine
Address: 3/F Five on The Bund, 5 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, Huangpu District
This Taiwanese classic is basically everyone's favorite, and with AJS Taipei Cuisine making its way to Shanghai, we can finally get our hands on a bowl of authentic pork minced rice. The Taiwanese soy sauce and seasonings ensure 100% originality, paired off with fatty bits of pork, the obligatory hard-boiled egg, and a bowl of soft, fluffy rice.
Chipotle Chicken Rice
Where: remedy源氣365
Address: 003-005 No. 12, 207 Mengzi Lu, Huangpu District
Michelin Chef Alvin Leung's latest creation sees a glorious mix of Asian and Mexican. Tomatoes and corn encircle a careful portion of brown rice, topped off with chicken, avocado and some mint leaves for garnish, it's a lovely explosion of refreshing spiciness.
Kettle-Cooked Rice with Salmon and Roe
Where: SHARI
Address: 630 Yongjia Lu, Xuhui District
The Japanese sees the humble rice as one of the most important aspect of a meal, and as a result, don't flinch from any amount of time and effort in the quest for the perfect bowl. Japanese venue SHARI meticulously cooks theirs over 24 hours for a beautiful slightly sweet and sticky concoction. Top off with some salty ikura for an irresistible meal.
Black Truffle & Mushroom Fried Rice
Where: Yun & Lanna
Address: 9 Dongping Lu, Xuhui District
Earthy and rich, Yun & Lanna's fried rice sees Thai fragrant rice tossed with black truffles and mushrooms for a multi-layered experience that will have you reaching for more again, again, and again.
Chinese Sausage Clay Pot Rice
Where: O.M.G. Seafood Bistro
Address: 903 Julu Lu, Jing'an District
O.M.G. Seafood Bistro's Chinese sausage clay pot rice is a feast on its own – using the famed Guangdong Emperor brand of Chinese sausages, mixed with streaky bacon for a lovely, fatty, flavorful meal.
Pollo al Arroz de Criollo
Where: CHALA Tapas & Bar
Address: 4B 1/F, 291 Fumin Lu, Xuhui District
Stylish Latin American restaurant and bar Chala serves a pretty wicked rice dish. Their Pollo al Arroz de Criollo is grilled chicken served on a bed of green peas and cilantro rice, topped off with some onion salsa for a gloriously rich meal that will satisfy many a starving tummy.
Char Siew Rice
Where: Tsui Fung Garden
Address: 145 Shanxi Nan Lu, Luwan District
Tsui Fung Garden's Char Siew Rice is lovely bowl of Hong Kong classic, seeing fatty slices of sweet barbecued pork placed atop a bowl of white rice, rounded off with leafy greens and a sunny side-up, easy, homey, and oh-so-good.
Scallops & Chinese Sausage Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaves
Where: Shangxi Chinese Restaurant Pudong Four Seasons
Address: 2/F Pudong Four Seasons, 210 Century Avenue, Pudong New Area
Shangxi Chinese Restaurant takes a dimsum classic and turns it into something more premium with the addition of dried scallops. The lotus leaves add an additional kick of fragrance to the glutinous rice, tied up by the sweet-saltiness of the Chinese sausages.
3-Shrimps Fried Rice
Where: Yong Yi Ting
Address: LG/F Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 111 Pudong Nan Lu, Pudong New Area
The Mandarin Oriental's resident Chinese restaurant serves a deceptively simple-looking 3-shrimps fried rice which combines fresh shrimps, shrimp paste, and the Jiangsu specialty Jiangsu salt shrimp with peas and rice for a dish that is equal parts savory and sweet.
Roasted Foie Gras Bibimbap
Where: CHI-Q
Address: 2/F Three on The Bund, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, Huangpu District
Korean cuisine doesn't only mean kimchi and rice cakes, CHI-Q dishes out a premium take on the classic Korean bibimbap by using roasted foie gras. This, combined with fresh, crisp vegetables and a rice that just the slightest bit charred from the stone bowl, and you've got yourself a winning formula.
Unagi Don
Where: Zhi Teng
Address: No. 113, 88 Tongren Lu, Jing'an District
Zhi Teng really doesn't scrimp on their portions; when you open the lid, what you see is huge glistening pieces of eel lined up on a pillow of steaming white rice. The meat is soft and chocked full of protein goodness, and the teriyaki sauce provides a nice sweet-salty kick.
Crab Butter Rice
Where: Cheng Long Xing Xie Wang Fu
Address: 216 Jiujiang Lu, Huangpu District
'Crab butter' simply means the crab roe and paste painstakingly collected during the hairy crab season, stir fried until fragrant and glistening for this lovely buttery concoction. The restaurant serves this with a mere bowl of rice and some soy sauce, allowing the quality and taste of the ingredients to speak for themselves.
Katsua Rice
Where: DEMO CAFÉ
Address: 139 Xing'an Lu, Luwan District
DEMO CAFÉ's katsua rice is the epitome of humble goodness – perfectly cooked rice is served with a generous dish of bonito shavings and a side of seafood soy sauce for a glorious marriage of salty and sweet. Just the thought is enough to get anyone salivating.
Pan-Fried Rice with Ox Mountain Chain Tripe
Where: Korean Obaltan
Address: 4/F HK Plaza, 282 Huaihai Zhong Lu, Huangpu District
Grilled tripe on its own is pretty darn good, but tripe in fried rice is nothing short of amazing. The rendered fat from pan-frying the tripe gives the rice a whole new level of flavor, and combined with kimchi and seaweed shavings, wow.
Steamed Rice with Chinese Sausages
Where: Fifty-Five Massenet
Address: 55 Sinan Lu, Sinan Mansions, Luwan District
Fifty-Five Massenet's rice dish is a gorgeous mix of dried shrimps, Chinese sausages, diced vegetables, and Thai fragrant rice cooked in a stone pot – crispy and slightly burnt on the underside, fluffy and moist in the rest of the place.
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Where: Five Star Hainanese Chicken Rice
Address: 176 Jiaozhou Lu, Jing'an District
If you're a fan of chicken rice, you really don't want to pass this up. Five Star Hainanese Chicken Rice is humble in size, but has seen massive queues since its opening. "No advanced reservations" and "close the moment the day's stock is sold out" should pretty much clue you in on its well-deserved popularity. The rice is cooked in chicken oil for a lovely, fragrant dish, paired off with tender, melt-in-your-mouth chicken and some nice, tangy sauces.
Fujian Fried Rice
Where: Imperial Treasure
Address: 4/F 99 Beijing Dong Lu, Huangpu District
You can't call yourself a fried rice connoisseur if you haven't gotten your hands on a good plate of Fujian fried rice. Imperial Treasure does a mean version – Thai fragrant rice, fresh shrimps, cubed mushrooms, and gooey thick sauce.
Salted Meat & Vegetables Rice
Where: Pin Yue Chinese Restaurant, Chongming Grand Hyatt Hotel
Address: Chongming Chenjia Zhen, 799 Lanhai Lu, Chongming County
The Chongming Grand Hyatt Hotel's Pin Yue Restaurant serves honest, wholesome food with none of that fanfare and fluff, believing that good quality ingredients can more than carry themselves. Their salted meat & vegetables rice sees diced salted meat with fresh vegetables, mixed in a pot of fat, glistening rice – simple, hearty, and oh-so-delicious.
Yellow Croaker Rice
Where: Yong Fu
Address: 12/F Cathay Building, Jin Jiang Hotel, 59 Maoming Nan Lu, Huangpu District
Tucked away in a 5-star hotel, Yong Fu serves a glorious rice dish that features yellow croaker stew, rice, and selected other side dishes for a warm and infinitely satisfying meal. The Ningbo way of eating is to drizzle some wine and just a dash of pepper; the sweetness of the fish is fleshed out even more this way.
Green Curry Chicken Rice
Where: WATTZ Power Food Station
Address: 999 Wuding Lu, Jing'an District
If you're one for Thai food, why not give WATTZ's green curry chicken rice a try? Although they stylize themselves as a healthy, green venue, their green curry is pretty spot on. Milky, rich, with a lovely subtle layer of coconut milk, it goes perfectly with a bowl of rice.
Mango Sticky Rice
Where: StreeTHAI
Address: 1/F A Mansion, 291 Fumin Lu, Luwan District
Thailand's most famous dish (other than basil fried pork and tom yam soup) is the humble but oh-so-lovely mango sticky rice. If you're craving for this succulent, sweet, sticky goodness, mosey over to StreeTHAI for a quick fix. They do a pretty authentic version that sees fresh-sliced mangoes mixed with glistening glutinous rice, topped off with coconut cream.
Whampoa Club Fried Rice
Where: Whampoa Club
Address: 5/F Three on The Bund, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, Huangpu District
Is it odd to order an unassuming plate of soy sauce fried rice in such a classy, elegant establishment? Doesn't matter, all we know is that Whampoa Club's fried rice is drop dead delicious. Shrimps, cubed meat, eggs, and onions come together in glorious harmony for this piping plate of perfection.
Lobster & Rice in Superior Soup
Where: Loon Fung House
Address: 7-8/F, 889 Julu Lu, Jing'an District
Loon Fung House's lobster & rice in superior soup is superior indeed. Carefully stewed stock is mixed with unpolished rice for a nice contrast of textures, dotted with large pieces of lobster meat. This is comfort food at its finest and most premium.
Sendo Sakura Shrimps Fried Rice
Where: Sendo
Address: Lot 1G08, Ground Floor, Expo Park Area 1, 1368 Expo Avenue, Pudong New Area
Sendo serves a homey, comfort-style dish ala their fried rice with sakura shrimps. It's simple and fuss-free, allowing the fresh, quality ingredients to speak for themselves.
Beef Fried Rice with Kimchi
Where: Xin Teppanyaki
Address: No. 201, Block B Sheng Lun Lan Building, 3215 Hongmei Lu, Minhang District
Xin Teppanyaki does some pretty fine Taiwanese-style teppanyaki – their lobster and foie gras are to-die-for – and although their beef fried rice doesn't sound particularly fancy, it is cooked until gorgeously dry, with the subtlest hints of char, tied up nicely with the kimchi's sour, spicy kick.
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