The era of the Chinese emperors might already be long gone, this luxurious high end dining with every table is in its own private dining room.

PROFILE

Founded by a progeny of the royal family of the Qing Dynasty, Li Shanlin, the Shanghai branch is hidden inside the Huangpu Park located at north end of the Bund. This is the only place in town where diners can taste the exclusive imperial cuisine from the Forbidden City. According to the different foods to be created and paired, various cooking methods are adopted to replicate the exact cooking style used at the imperial court. Its exquisite private rooms come in different sizes as expected.

MUST TRY

Don’t miss Fried Egg Custard as dessert. Needless to say that this custard tastes absolutely divine. AMBIENCE Its main architecture blends harmoniously with the park’s wooden bridge, murmuring streams, traditional pavilion, and secluded benches. The interior is a mix of traditional Chinese elements with eighties-style marble and the rooms are dark making the interior look somewhat sterile and outdated.

SERVICE

In Family Li imperial tasting cuisine, the food’s form presentation is not the priority but the nutritional value. The service is commendable and the staffs are friendly

FOOD

A lot of emphasis is put on high-quality vegetables though fish and meats are widely used. Family Li Cuisine imitates the cooking materials, methods, and recipes of the Imperial kitchen in the last Qing Dynasty without any modern methods (No modern appliances is used in the kitchen aside stove). Every menu consists of three sections namely; a section of 8-10 starters, 5-7 main courses and 2-4 desserts. Meals include Fried garoupa with soy sauce, Deep-fried duck with shrimp paste and sesame, Fried lobster with fungus and bamboo, Bean curd with pepper, lobster marinated in soy sauce or the famous bird’s nest, handmade tofu cakes and slow-cooked sweet and sour pork. Stir-fried fresh green bean paste with fresh scallops etc. No wine or tea pairing is available although there is a wide selection of prestige wines for those who care.

PRICING

From RMB 1,000 per person

SUMMARY

The era of the Chinese emperors might already be long gone, this luxurious high-end dining with its private dining rooms still has very pure and distinct combinations to offer that is worth the detour. Eating like an emperor isn’t cheap but it’s quite affordable. The Chinese imperial restaurant features many other dishes that fit well into 21st century.