Xin Rong Ji 新榮記 (Shanghai, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

When I was doing my planning for this Shanghai trip, I have specifically reserved today's lunch slot for Shanghainese food so of course, I was left a little stunned (confused, whatever you want to call it) when I learned that Xin Rong Ji (新榮記) is in fact a Cantonese style restaurant. Multiple sources on the internet have indicated that the restaurant serves Shanghainese food but I found out quickly that crab roe xiao long bao was the only thing Shanghainese it serves on their lunch menu.



I didn't make an advance booking so I had to wait almost half an hour for my table too.



By the time I was escorted into the restaurant, the crowd has already thinned out considerably (the locals really eat early...).



Pork and crab roe dumpling (蟹粉小籠包) - I thought I got this one out of the way quick since I promised myself some Shanghainese food. 



I accidentally messed up the thin wrapper so I ended up leaving a pool of broth behind but overall, the dumpling was pretty decent.



Baked duck foie gras buns with black truffle (黑松露鵝肝飽) - Two premium ingredients, duck foie gras and black truffle, made up this signature dim sum and it was pretty nice. The baked buns were spongy with a nice crispy crust and they have this custard-like foie gras right in the middle. Having two pieces of this really stretched my limit (for cholesterol).



Baked wagyu beef buns (招牌和牛飽) - This was another signature dish that's supposed to be a "can't miss" item on the menu.



Underneath the flaky crust was something like a mille feuille of onion with thin slices of wagyu beef in between. I thought I was smart enough to have waited 6-8 minutes before laying my first bite on it (coz it looked sizzling hot when it arrived) but I still got burnt on my lips when the sizzling hot beef broth sprayed out. Like the previous foie gras bun, this was pretty tasty but it was really a bit heavy (and cheesy) to take on a pair of these on my own.



Wild mushroom dumplings with truffles (松露野菌餃) - More truffles, this time they had them sprinkled all over the wild mushrooms. Pretty nice.



Pan fried bean curd roll with shrimps (鮮蝦腐皮卷) - The bean curd roll was not bad but it was one dim sum I could live without.



Lean pork with century egg congee (皮蛋瘦肉粥) - Finally some congee to help my digestive system and I definitely needed that after the duck foie gras buns and wagyu beef tarts. This tasted a little heavy (especially for a congee). Perhaps a little heavy handed with the seasoning (chicken stock? MSG)?



My third Michelin starred restaurant on this trip turned out to be pretty good value for money as the bill came in a little under 200RMB including tax. But if I knew it's a Cantonese restaurant, would I be here in the first place? Probably not coz I didn't fly all the way here for Cantonese cuisine!




Food Rating: 6.5/10
Price: ¥¥¥
Address: No 503, 5/F Shanghai Plaza, 138 Middle Huaihai Road, Shanghai, China
淮海中路138号上海广场5楼503商铺 (近普安路)
Closest Metro Station: Dashijie / Huangpi South Road
Tel: +86 21 5386-5757



Shanghai China Cantonese Chinese restaurant Michelin star top fine dining