the "that's shanghai" restaurant awards came out last month and because i happen to agree with them for the most part -- perhaps due to the small readership mainly comprised of people like me -- i'm taking the time to repost the results here with comments. before i get started, it's worth pointing out the obvious; that awards of this nature generally favor popular restaurants over off-the beaten-track places even though the latter may well be just as good if not better.

so here's the list (1st, 2nd, and 3rd for each cat):

1) restaurant of the year: m on the bund, danieli's, t8

-all nice places; seems like people voted more based on ambiance than food quality (not that the food is bad of course)

2) best brunch: westin, element fresh, la seine/4 seasons

-the westin used to be my favorite as well, but they got a new (inferior) chef and raised their prices last summer. given that i have to go with 4 seasons and portman (ritz) as my top choices. element fresh isn't even in the same league and i've never been to la seine (though i plan to check it out soon).

in pudong, the hyatt, shangri-la, and st. regis all have excellent brunches as well. i'm guessing they were locked out of awards because they're off the beaten path for most.

3) best burgers: malone's, hard rock, kabb

-i agree with these rankings, but would probably move kabb to first and temporarily dq the hrc because it is currently closed. kabb is especially good if you are fortunate enough to order from their old burger menu

4) best cantonese: bi feng tang, zen, crystal jade

- i'm not a big fan of chinese food so i can't really opine in this category, but i will say that the bi feng tang across from the portman is a pretty nice place to hang out when the weather's nice

5) best french: la seine, le bouchon, flo

-i like french food, but haven't been to any of those places yet

6) best hotpot: hot pot king, xiao fei yang, lai lai

-hot pots don't get along with my stomach so this is week category for me. when i do hot pot, i like to do so at places that are a little more up market than those mentioned (due mainly to the sanitation factor).

7) best indian: indian kitchen, hazara, tandoor

-without question, tandoor serves the highest quality food, but given that its prices are nearly double everyone else's, i can see why it got 3rd place. indian kitchen is solid, but hazara isn't worth the hype imo. though not technically indian, i would rank nepalli kitchen on xingle road above all of those (one of my favorite places).

8) best italian: da marco, danieli's, va bene

-da marco is really a great place. not only is the food amazing, but the prices are very reasonable (we'll see how long that lasts with all these awards though). there are two locations, one in gubei and one near fuxing park. my friends all swear by the gubei branch because that's where the italian chef is, but to my less discerning pallette, fuxing park is just fine (and much more convenient).

while i think that danieli's has the best view in shanghai bar none, the food tastes a little too chinese for my taste. i like to go their for drinks/dessert. the brunch is also ok. i've never been to va bene.

9) best japanese: shintori null ii, itoya, ambrosia

-my opinion differs in this category. my favorite is suntory (in mjm's building) followed by the japanese restaurant in the ruijin office building on maoming road. the latter seems to be regarded as the most (if not only) authentic japanese food in town by those in the know. the prices definitely reflect as much.

10) best shanghainese: 1221, bao luo, xiao nan guo

-another category upon which i can't really opine. xiao nan guo is the only one i've ever been to (4 locations, each with a slightly different menu); it is sort of the shanghai equivalent of quan ju de (the famous duck place in beijing).

11) best thai: simply thai, la na thai, banana leaf

-my rankings are the same as these, but in reverse.

12) best vegetarian: zao zi shu, gong de lin, tian ran

-no comment

13) best for a celebration: da marco, 1221, hrc

-i find all-you-can eat japanese is a lot more conducive to celebrating than any of these places (wuninosachi, more commonly known as hai zhi xing, is one of the more popular).

14) best for a date: bali laguna, azul, m on the bund

-fair enough

15) best decor: shintori null ii, m on the bund, la na thai

-i agree with m, but would put danieli's and t8 above the others. there are lots of interestingly decorated places in shanghai.

16) best view: m, cucina, paulaner pudong

-yes, but don't forget about danieli's

17) best for dining outdoors: bali laguna, m, colours

-ok

18) best for impressing visitors: m, t8, cucina

-impressive indeed

19) best service: element fresh, palladio, la seine

-i don't really pay attention to service (nothing really good/bad comes to mind about any shanghai restaurants)

20) best value: da marco, taco popo, la seine

-can't comment on la seine. da marco, yes good value. taco popo also, but possibly worth avoiding if you've had tacos anywhere else.

brazilian bbq is also always a good value (the one next to jing an temple's the best). plus a number of places offer very good deals at lunch (malone's, planet shanghai, tandoor, etc).

I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery... it seems that at least half of the places mentioned are clones of the originals which are, of course, in Hong Kong

since my last post, i've had time time to do a little more exploration.

la seine is NOT a good value for dinner plus the menu is really strange, but bruch (SATURDAY and sunday) was pretty cool for Y78, but VERY filling.

we went to RED this evening for dinner. every other sun, they do bbq plus sangria for Y150. not nearly as good as the brazilian places, but the ambience was pretty damn good.

for lunch today, we did the restaurant at the top of 3 ON THE BUND. as classy as it was, i declare that the food was awful and the menu even worse. M is a better choice for you bund people.

peoples square is coming back in a big way so spend some time there even if you have to persevere TACO BELL (great margaritas, but menu includes no beans at all). IMO the urban planning museum there is shanghai's 2nd best tourist attraction (best is aquarium; infitely cooler than boston, monterey, etc)

We tried Da Marco at 103 Dongzhu Anbang Lu based on this post. Not sure if it's one of the ones you listed, but it was very tasty. 370 RMB for two.

I realize Paulaner isn't for everyone, but if you happen to like heavy German food and beer, the Fenyang Road location (probably the worst of the lot IMO, but that's life) is half price on Mondays between 5 and 8:30.

The Aug/Sep 2004 issue of DestinAsian has a cover story called "Savoring Shanghai - A taste of the boomtown's world-class dining scene". It has write-ups on 1221, Ashanti Dome, Azul, Bao Lo, Guyi, Hazara, Jean Georges, Kathleen's 5, Lan Na Thai, Laris, M on the Bund, Mesa, New Heights, Sasha's, Shintori, Whampoa Club, Ye Shanghai, Yin and Yongfoo Elite.

Money quote: "After a half-century of slumber, Shanghai's dining scene has made up for lost time in a series of startling leaps. 'Shanghai years aren't like normal years,' says Kathleen Lau. 'Think of them as dog years. Here, five years is really more like 50'".

Both the write-up and the pictures are stirring (and drool-inducing). Enough to make me want to hop on the next plane out Apologies for the weblink as the website does not have the full story but I thought I'd post this out here so that those who are interested in culinary Shanghai may find this article useful.

Moondog,

Thanks for the praise for Suntory. I find it pretty good too. Shintori wasa surprise in those rankings. It is fair at best in my opinion. Love the decor and layout though.

M on the Bund is a favorite and has beeen since I went to the opening party way back when. It takes M on the Fringe and adds all the Shanghainese character you could hope for to create a very Michelle-esque restaurant yet one true to its location. And the view with a champagne cocktail with a date,....pure magic.

One question. Has Martin the chef at Ashanti Dome left? His cutting edge stuff was the stuff of legend about 5 years ago. And the room up the stairs for a party, tres cool. Surprised it did not rank higher.

Glad to see my buddies at Tandoor and La Na Thai getting kudos. These are fun places. At Tandoor, I recommend ignoring the menu and having the lads set you up. At La Na Thai, go early and stay late. Drinks in the bar and a casual stroll afterwards are very pleasant.

And where are the rankings for best Hot Pot restaurant?

Is it February yet?

Mike

see #6 in original post

Senior moment Thanks.

fyi, this comment was about NEW HEIGHTS (i just didn't know the name at the time). ime about 1 in 4 people really like it. the rest share my thoughts.

Thanks Moondog for providing a link to this thread.

The latest Zagat Survey seems to agree with many of the restaurants mentioned here. Here are the top food entires,

27 Jean Georges & Vegetarian Lifestyle

25 Hanagatami, Di Shui Dong, Yuan Yuan, Club Jin Mao, Palladio, Crystal Jade, coca Suki Hotpot

24 Shintori, The Grill, Guyi Hunan, Carrianna, Bao Luo, Ding Tai Fung, Ambrosia, Cafe Studio, Whampoa Club, Xin Jishi, Laris, South Beauty

23 T8, Danieli's, Jade Garden, Nan Xiang, Nepali Kitchen, La Seine, Hazara, Meilongzhen, Shanghai Uncle.

Personally I have a soft spot for Meilongzhen, it's a great place to get married. (For most chinese the banquet is the wedding.)

Just returned from Shanghai and can vouch for the food at:

Club Jin Mao: Beef with Crispy Taro, Twice Cooked Duck Shanghai Style, and Pan Fried Noodles all delicious. View fabulous. With one glass of wine, Perrier, two Cokes, and service charge, about $US75 for two.

M on the Bund: Foie Gras, Salt-Encrusted Lamb, and Fresh Tuna with Pasta also all delicious. View fabulous. With three glasses of wine, San Pellegrino, three Cokes, one dessert, and service charge, about $US115 for two. I think I like the atmosphere at M at the Fringe better, as it seems a bit more playful and relaxed, but I didn't find M on the Bund overly-stuffy as some others have remarked.

All the guides, including Zagat, note how expensive these two restaurants are but I thought dining in Shanghai was a very good value, especially compared to Europe. I was in Amsterdam and Rome in November and it was much more expensive for comparable or lower-quality meals.

We also had lunch at Sichuan Court in the Hilton and thought the food was excellent (and again, a good value).

Bon appetit!

Resurrecting this fine thread for a specific question:

Do our fellow FT�ers have experience on the North Korean restaurants in Shanghai? I am planning on inviting a local contact for some Pyongyang style summer noodles and other NK dishes and am curious on the food, hygiene and appearance? Any particular recs for NK places or even Korean restaurants in general?

Don't know about North Korean but this Korean place is ok:

Gao Li Korean Restaurant
Jing An
181 Wuyuan Lu
(Wulumuqi Lu)
Shanghai, China 200031
6431-5236

I have to allow myself a brief venting here. Agreed, Shanghai has some of the best restaurants of various cuisines in the world. However, it lacks the numbers of family style (家常) restaurants -- good (not 'fabulous' but reliable and modestly priced) -- that you literally trip over in Hong Kong and especially Taipei. So: eating out in Shanghai is an 'experience' rather than an easy and relaxing part of the day. Wonderful, once in a while.