Boy have we got an AWESOME list for our readers today!
As of right now, this article from our Chinese platform has been trending with more than 200,000 unique views. 25 bowls sending 200,000+ people into a frenzy? Let me at it!
So here you go, the MUST TRY list of 25 BOWLS OF RICE in SHANGHAI.
AJS Minced Pork Rice
Where: AJS Taipei Cuisine
Address: 3/F Five on The Bund, 5 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong 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, delicious 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, this is heaven between your chopsticks right here.
Chipotle Chicken Rice
Where: remedy源氣365
Address: 003-005 No. 12, 207 Mengzi Lu, near Liyuan 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 & Roe
Where: SHARI
Address: 630 Yongjia Lu, near Wulumuqi Nan 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 is the same, cooking it meticulously 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, near Hengshan 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, near Changshu 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, opp 702 Changle 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 pillowed 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.
Roast Pork Rice
Where: Li Ao TVB Cha Chaan Teng
Address: 70 Taicang Lu, near Shunchang Lu, Luwan District
Li Ao TVB Cha Chaan Teng looks like it walked out of a Hong Kong drama series, serving Cantonese favorites in a classic, HK-style tea house setting. Their roast pork rice is sublime – the roast pork is sweet, juicy, with the slightest hint of char, the vegetables fresh and crisp, and a sunny side up with the yolk still delightfully runny to crown things off.
Scallops & Chinese Sausage Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaves
Where: Shangxi Chinese Restaurant Pudong Four Seasons
Address: 2/F Pudong Four Seasons, 210 Century Avenue, near Pucheng Lu, Pudong New District
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 Shrimp Fried Rice
Where: Yong Yi Ting
Address: LG/F Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 111 Pudong Nan Lu, Pudong New District
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 is 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, near Nanjing Xi 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, near Henan Zhong 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, near Yadang 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, near Songshan 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, it really cannot get any better than this.
Steamed Rice with Chinese Sausages
Where: Fifty-Five Massenet
Address: 55 Sinan Lu, near Fuxing Zhong 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 all other places.
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Where: Five Star Hainanese Chicken Rice
Address: 176 Jiaozhou Lu, near Xinzha 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 rendition, 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, near Yuanmingyuan 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, wow.
Arroz de Mariscos
Where: LA VERBENA
Address: 1/F Block E, 2967 Lujiazui Xi Lu, near Fenghe Lu, Pudong New District
The four core ingredients for a perfect Spanish meal – garlic, onions, sea salt, and olive oil; and LA VERBENA employs all these in liberal doses. Their paella needs at least 30 minutes notice, but the wait is definitely well worth it – generous, brimming full of seafood and flavors, you can do much, much worse in Shanghai.
Salted Meat & Vegetables Rice
Where: Pin Yue Chinese Restaurant, Chongming Grand HyattHotel
Address: Chongming Chenjia Zhen, 799 Lanhai Rd, 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, near Jiaozhou 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, opp 710 Changle Lu, Luwan District
Thailand's most famous dishes (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 overto 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.
Rice with Pork Oil
Where: Hong Kong Cu Cai Guan
Address: 5/F 333 Tianmuqiao Lu, near Nandan Dong 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. Soy sauce and oyster sauce is mixed with shredded chicken and chopped scallions for a simple but no less delicious bowl of rice. The restaurant is a hot favorite for many A-List Hong Kong celebrities, boasting names like Jacky Chen, Andy Lau, and Jacky Cheung among its roster.
Whampoa Club Fried Rice
Where: Whampoa Club
Address: 5/F Three on The Bund, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong 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, near Changshu 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 pieces of lobster meat. This is comfort food at its finest and most premium.