Cheng Long Hang Huaihai Plaza 成隆行蟹王府 淮海國際廣場店 (Shanghai, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Cheng Long Hang (成隆行蟹王府) is a household name for hairy crab lovers, as the group runs a few farms of its own to ensure premium crab quality. With roots as a Hong Kong crab trading house dating back over 60 years, the brand opened its first restaurant in Shanghai in 2002. Its Jiujiang Road location (外灘 九江路店), a staple in the Michelin Guide for Shanghai, has been a Michelin one-star recipient for five straight years. Unfortunately, it was currently under renovation during our visit to Shanghai.

With its more popular location unavailable for booking, we shifted our attention to its Huaihai Middle Road (淮海中路) location and were happy to secure a table after an easy phone call.

This branch of Cheng Long Hang is located on the third floor of Huaihai Plaza (淮海國際廣場). Like many Chinese crab restaurants in Shanghai (Wang Bao He Restaurant 王寶和酒家 came to mind), the interior décor takes a traditional approach, which immediately transported us back to ancient China upon arrival. There was live music throughout our meal, with performers playing Chinese instruments to create the matching vibe. Such was the case again tonight.

What vibe, he said?

Crab meat jelly with shiso (紫蘇蟹肉凍) (¥68) — The cute crab-shaped crab consommé jelly came with shiso leaf, crab meat, and a touch of vinegar. The flavors were light yet refreshing, serving well as a palate cleanser.

Crispy puff pastry with crab meat and roe (香酥蟹盒) (¥52) — This came stuffed with crab meat and roe, but I thought the puff pastry could have been a little more flaky.

Stir-fried crab meat, crab roe and egg white in crab shell (雪花蟹斗) (¥89) — The “snowflakes” (雪花) were, of course, small balls of egg white. They were matched with the richness of crab roe and crab meat. Not bad.

Steamed yellow oil crab (清蒸膏油蟹) (¥498) — With hairy crabs unavailable during this time of year, yellow oil crabs were the only option when it comes to crab these days.

I didn’t know much about yellow oil crabs, so I went to my personal assistant (AI) for answers. It turned out they’re female mud crabs developing a rich, gooey, golden-yellow roe due to high summer temperatures. The fat melts into a fragrant yellow oil that permeates the meat. Now that I understand where they come from, it was time to taste one.

One thing was certain though: having crabs in Shanghai is effortless. Because our new friend here is doing all the hard work. 😂😂

When he returned with our crab, it looked absolutely ready.

This was little nugget’s first time in Shanghai, and most definitely his first indulgence of crab here. He simply couldn’t hide his excitement!

I thought there were a fair amount of crab roe there, but was it as fragrant as that from hairy crabs? I wasn’t entirely sure, so I’ll let the experts decide.

Braised pig with sea eel (鰻魚紅燒肉) (¥158) — The braised pork belly was really succulent.

While the soy sauce leaned more on the sweet side, the eel and bamboo shoot worked well to balance the richness.

Orange stuffed with crab roe (蟹粉酿橙) (¥98) — An iconic dish from Hangzhou cuisine, dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty (over 800 years ago). It’s a sophisticated seasonal delicacy that combines the rich, savory “umami” of the crab roe and meat with the bright, citrusy aroma of fresh oranges. OK.

Stir-fried choy sum (生炒菜苔) (¥57) — Finally, some vegetables to help with digestion. Yeah, we’ve had a lot of food today.

Fried crab roe dumplings (蟹粉生煎包) (¥48) — I liked this even more than crab roe xiao long bao, because the bun worked better to hold the broth, crab roe, and meat together as a whole.

This was pretty juicy. 

And bursting with flavors.

Some complimentary local melon to wrap up the meal.

This was a fairly impressive crab feast although I have to admit, none of the dishes really stood out (well, maybe the braised pork for me but that’s not really a crab dish, is it?). Not even the steamed crab which was a pity. But then everything was well cooked and executed, and most importantly, little nugget could finally tell his classmates that he got to try a crab feast in Shanghai!

Food Rating: 6.9/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: 3/F Huaihai Plaza, No.1 Fen Yang Lu, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China

上海市徐汇区湖南路街道汾阳路1号淮海国际广场裙楼3层

Closest Metro Station: South Shaanxi Road (陕西南路)

Tel: +86 (021) 6467-0999

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 2:30pm, 5:00pm - 10:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/e8/RTiM