Shanghainese Food @ Xin Li Jie, Shanghai

After our meeting in Hong Kong we headed to Shanghai for another meeting on Saturday. Our flight arrived late afternoon and by the time we checked in our hotel it was time for dinner.

We were craving some Shanghainese food but we had no idea which restaurant was good since I had not done any research. Without a clue we cabbed our way to Xin Tian Di to see what the area had to offer despite hearing negative comments from many that the spot is too touristy and housed over-priced restaurants with sub-par food.

Roaming around the area and neighboring streets we did notice a lot of expats and tourists. The area had many bars and restaurants that catered more to tourists with minimal local flavors. We did however stumble upon Xin Li Jie, which seemed to be the only place that served up Shanghainese Food. Seeing that the place was packed with Chinese people we decided to give it a try.



The restaurant was packed and we were seated on the second floor. The menu had English translation and pictures of the food which made it easy for foreigners like us to order. However we decided to leave it to the waiter who recommended us some of the restaurant's popular dishes.

Appetizers: Soy Beans and Cold Vegetables



Pork Belly, Ham and Bean Curd Soup

A very clean soup. One could definitely taste the porky flavor in the broth evident from the hours of boiling the pork bones. A good way to warm yourself up in rainy Shanghai


Stir-Fry Dao Miu

I don't know if this is Shanghainese. The vegetables were a little oily but somehow it still maintained a nice crunch


Deep Fried Huang Yue in Black Bean Sauce

This was delicious! Initially we thought the black bean sauce would have overpowered the fish but it did the opposite. The sauce sweet and salty sauce somehow complemented the moist and flaky fish.


Shanghainese Braised Pork Belly in Brown Sauce

A signature dish of the restaurant. The Pork Belly was on the sweet side but it was balanced from the saltiness of the soy sauce. The pork was fork tender and the fat was gelatin like. The two of us nearly cleared the entire bowl.

Kim and I were stuffed at the end of the meal. Most of the dishes we had were quite good but we did have an issue with the service. The food took over thirty minutes to arrive and the staff were quite rude. Lastly it was also very expensive as our meal came up to approximately RMB 650.

Food: 3.7/5
Service: 2/5
Ambiance: 2.5/5
Price: $$$$ (Approximately USD $50 per person)

Contact Information
Address: Unit 4, Bldg. 9, 169 Taicang Lu, Shanghai
Tel: +86 6336 4746