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The Modern Style of Chinese Traditional Cuisine (part II)

Sichuan province cuisine, simplified as Chuan Cuisine has two main styles represented by the Chengdu and Chongqing flavours. Chuan Cuisine uses many kinds of spices. The exhaustive list would be too long to write but we have the three peppers: the pink pepper named for its’ colour, black pepper and hot pepper. We also have the “3 fragrances” which are onion, ginger and garlic. The famous chili-and-beans sauce or “Toubanjiang” is used in many ways and in large quantities in the Chuan Cuisine . These are only mere examples of the unique abundance in tastes and fragrances we can find due to the variety of spices and ingredients. In addition, you have the 7 “savors”: sweet, acid, “numb” (from Sesame oil), hot, bitter, tasty and salty and last but not least the 8 tastes: fish fragrance, sour and spicy, “numb and hot”, “odd aroma”, “numb and sore”, Red oil, Ginger juice and home-made.

One goes to a Chuan restaurant to indulge in the typical Chuan cuisine, however getting rid of the strong spicy senses as well as the over greasy material shouldn’t change the delicacy of the fresh ingredients. The restaurant doesn’t follow the typical or well-known tendencies as the Chef blends his very own expertise into each dish. Every kind of pepper is delivered to Shanghai straight from Sichuan which enables the customers to enjoy a variety of feelings and emotion.

Garlic pork is a typical dish in Chuan cuisine. Chuan Taste restaurant carefully chooses a 3-to-2 fat portion of pork and after freezing it in the fridge, cut it into a one millimetre layer consequently maintaining the adequate meat texture for chewing. Each layer is wrapped with a cucumber slice and dipped into a spicy jam, offering it freshness and a heavenly flavour.

Address: No. 47 Tao Jiang Road (cross Wulumuqi Road), tel: 21 6437 9361

Sichuan Court in Jin An Hilton Hotel can boast a more than 23 years of history. It is at the 39th floor of the hotel, the highest located Sichuan restaurant in Shanghai. Its’ bean mandarin fish, steamed shrimps and Dandan noodles have kept the same taste throughout these 23 years.

Address: 39/F Jin An Hilton Hotel, No. 250 Huashan Road, tel: 21 6248 7777

Xiang Cuisine is the name for Hunan Cuisine as ‘Xiang’ is the acronym for Hunan province. Hunan has maintained strong local agricultural culture. Its’ most famous dishes are Steaming dry-and-salt choices, Dongan chicken, Spicy chicken, Tripe in soup, Icy sugar lotus, money fish, etc.

Xiang Cuisine puts a lot of emphasis on the dominant taste of each of its’ original ingredient through skilful work. Gourmet results vary enormously according to the cooking method: baking, simmering, roasting, steaming are just among a few. Associating these with basic tastes such as sour, sweet, salty, hot or bitter creates the flavour panoply of Xiang Cuisine.

Fish is one of the main ingredients in Xiang Cuisine, using the fish’s head is especially renowned. Steaming and cooking it with different sources results in a tender and smooth flesh, enough to satisfy each and everyone. The most famous dish is the chopped pepper fish head.

Guyi Xiang Restaurant is the most famous Xiang restaurant in Shanghai. Even people from Hunan say it is authentic! Despite the inevitable queue to enter, no one can resist its’ scrumptious dishes.

Address: 1/F Block A Jufu Building, No. 87 Fu Min Road, Tel: 21 62495628

Dishui Dong restaurant offers a different style. It is more like Hunan countryside dishes.
Address: 2/F, No. 56 Mao Ming Nan Road, tel: 21 62532689

Min Cuisine is well known for its’ sea food dishes. It is particularly cautious on the different characteristics of the dish such as the colour, the smell, the taste and the form. Aroma and taste must be fresh, fine and far from greasy. Dishes with alcohol-immersed ingredients are the most famous in Min cuisine.

When it comes to cutting, it has to be attentive to the beauty of the ingredient’s shape. The beef, chicken and pork cooked as a consommé are used with shells, fish, vegetables, tea leaves and flowers to create a rich diversity of tastes.

We recommend one of the oldest Min Cuisine restaurants in Shanghai, East Asian Chaozhou Restaurant.

Address: 4th/F Hong Qiao Friendship Store, No. 6 Zunyi Nan Road, tel: 021 62703668

Zhe Cuisine is from Zhejiang province. It is composed of four main styles which are from Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Shaoxing and Ninbo. Famous dishes include West lake Vinegar fish, Dongpo Meat, Dragon well Shrimp or shrimp cooked with fresh tea leaves, oil stewed bamboo shoots, Beefrib, Westlake “drug vegetables” Soup ,etc. All are representative of Hangzhou style cuisine.

Jade garden founder brought Zhejiang taste to Belgium with an exclusive branch in the European country. The interior design of Shanghai Gubei Jade Garden branch restaurant is modern and elegant perfectly matching its’ contemporary style dishes. It has twice been ranked as 1 Michelin Star!

Address: Block A No. 2558 Yan An Xi Road, with Hong Qiao Millennium Hotel, tel: 21 62780558.

Ningbo Cuisine prevails in salty flavour. Steaming, roasting and stewing sea products are one of the main characteristics of Ningbo cuisine. Its’ tenderness and freshness, keep the original taste of the ingredient.

Representative dishes are salty vegetable yellow fish soup, Fenghua clam, Ninbo finless eel, Lichen fried yellow fish, etc.

The most exquisite Ningbo restaurant is People on the Water in Jin An Hilton Hotel. They only use daily delivered ingredients delivered from Zhoushan all under the conduct of a Ningbo chef.

Address: B1 No. 250 Jin An Hilton Hotel, Tel: 62487777 × 1830

Beyond its’ 4 main streams, Zhe Cuisine is also source of many beautiful sayings and legends. The first main saying is to choose good ingredients they must be thin, distinguished, fresh and tender. Second sayings: you can for a long time cook, fry, braise, bake, steam, burn seawater, fresh water products so to obtain one perfect mix. As the third saying goes, to preserve the main ingredient’s flavour, one must obtain something refreshing and crispy. Four to reach something delicate and exquisite, it should be beautiful and elegant to the eye. Many dishes are related to the breathtaking landscapes and names of Zhejiang, all in an esthetical purpose. Zhe cuisine embraces exceptional legends and expresses the very refinement and uniqueness of the Chinese culture.