Hong Kong Cray !!! Two Michelin Starred Ye Shanghai

By Nicole · On August 16, 2013 3

The Lowdown
Restaurant Name: Yè Shanghai
Cuisine: Shanghai Food
Average Price per Person: $200 to $300 HKD or $25 to $40 USD
Location: Tsim Sha Tsui and Admiralty, Hong Kong (please refer to the map below for details)
Recommendations: Crispy Eel, Tea Leaf Smoked Egg, Sautéed Diced Chicken Served in a Crispy Rice Cone, Deep Fried Sweet and Sour Yellow Fish with Pine Nuts, Steamed Pork Belly with Steamed Bun and Xioa Long Bao
Ratings (out of 5)
Taste: 4
Creativity/Authenticity: 4
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4
Bang for Buck: 2.5
Crayscale !!!

Out of the gazillion types of Chinese food categories out there, Shanghainese cuisine ranks the highest in my books. It’s definitely one of my favorite types of Chinese foods and cuisines in general. I am all about that ALL CARBS EVERYTHING life and obsessed with steaming hot soup dumplings (Xiao Long Bao), Chinese style fried doughnuts served with fresh silky soy milk (You Tiao), Glutinous Rice Balls (Chi Fan Tuan) and steamed or fried plain buns dipped in condensed milk (Mantou). I could go on forever, I LURVE IT ALL!

I’ve been to a fair share of Shanghai restaurants in Hong Kong and most of them are actually mad decent. However, if you’re looking for a spot that takes it to the next level, check out Yè Shanghai. It’s one of the bougier ones in Hong Kong and has been awarded with two Michelin stars. I’ve only been here twice mainly because there is a ton of Shanghainese restaurants scattered throughout the city with a more attractive price tag. Yè Shanghai has two locations, one in Tsim Sha Tsui and the other in Pacific Place.

I’ve been here a couple times, once ordering a la carte and the other a set menu where the dishes were portioned prior to hitting the tables. Of the two dining styles, I would suggest to avoid the latter. Although our waiter was pretty speedy, by the time the food makes its way to you, most of it is cold or soggy. I also didn’t understand why the XIAO LONG BAO was portioned. All of the soup had burst out of the dumpling as the waiter transferred them from the steam basket to the individual bowls. I’d highly recommend asking your waiter to refrain from portioning if you decide to dine here.

Crispy Eel. Betcha can’t eat just one! These crunchy, sweet, honey covered fried bad boys are highly addictive.

Hua Diao Wine Marinated Drunken Chicken. One thing I love about Shanghai cuisine is the cold appetizers, one of them being Drunken Chicken. The chicken is soaked in Chinese wine giving it a strong flavor and making the chicken moist and tender.

Jelly Fish with Spring Onion Oil. The jelly fish had a nice chewy texture and was very refreshing.

Tea Leaf Smoked Egg. These eggs are bad ass. I order these every time I see them on the menu. The egg yolks are perfectly gooey every time and the egg whites have a sweet, smoky and gingery flavor.

Black Fungus with Chinese Celery. Chinese people love this stuff, which I don’t really understand. I am indifferent about it, but the black fungus here was really delicious with a hint of wasabi.

Double Boiled Fish Maw, Chicken and Vegetable Soup. I love Chinese broths! My grandparents would brew one up every day back home. This one was delicious, full of collagen from the fish maw and tender moist chicken.

Deep Fried Sweet and Sour Yellow Fish with Pine Nuts. This is one dish I always anticipate at a Shanghainese feast! This was delicious! The divvying up of the fish was again unnecessary. It ruined the presentation and the crispy texture of the fried fish.

Stir Fried River Shrimp with Longjing Tea. Deez taste delicious with rice and vinegar.

Sautéed Diced Chicken Served in a Crispy Rice Cone.

The rice cone was one of my favorite dishes! Again, this would have been SOOOO MUCH BETTER if they were fresh and piping hot instead of being portioned.

Pork Belly with Steamed Bun. ZOMG PORK BELLY! One of my favorite proteins is pork belly! This was sweet, gingery and literally melted in my mouth. I love the little mini steamed bun that it came with.

Xiao Long Bao (Pork Soup Dumplings). I was pretty disappointed in the XLB. Mainly because the XLB I received had already burst and almost all of the soup had leaked from the dumpling. I’ve had these on a separate occasion and they were much better.

Black Sesame Crème Brulee with Roasted Peanut Butter Ice Cream. This was surprisingly super tasty. The texture wasn’t the usual creamy velvety texture of a crème brulee and was a bit grainy. The flavor was on point though a bold black sesame aroma. The nuttiness of the black sesame worked well with the peanut butter ice cream too.