Jade Garden 蘇浙匯
Add*: Building A, No. 2558 Yan’an West Road (near Shuicheng Lu) 延安西路2558号A楼 (近水城路)
Tel: 6278 9558
Hours: 11am-10pm
Price: 100-200 RMB/person
Visited: Apr 2011
Jade Garden is most famous for its well-prepared 上海本幫菜 (Shanghainese cuisine), but few people know about the excellent dim sum served at its Gubei branch*. The decor is posh, the food is satisfying, and the round tables are perfect for group conversations – it’s an ideal weekend gathering place for a lively big family brunch. Reservations are highly recommended.
*Multiple locations available, check SmartShanghai or Dianping for details. I’ve only been to the Gubei branch so I can’t say much about the quality at other branches.
We started off with 沙姜霸王雞 Simmer Grilled Chicken with Ginger (48 RMB/half a chicken) – tender and succulent, a must order.
I’ve never been a big fan of 熏魚 Smoked Fish in Sweet Soy Sauce (38 RMB), but the Jade Garden rendition of this Shanghai classic was very well-received at our table.
We then followed with a couple of Shanghainese dishes that I’ve never even heard of before, but all were surprisingly tasty. First, 雪菜鮮筍炒昂刺魚 Fried Yellow Catfish with Pickled Vegetables and Fresh Bamboo Shoots (78 RMB).
燒肉蝦干煨椰菜 Roast Pork Simmered with Cauliflower and Dried Shrimps (36 RMB).
醩香茭白溜澳帶 Braised Scallops with Water Bamboo and Rice Wine Lees (88 RMB).
Of course, a Shanghai brunch is not complete without the classic 蔥油開陽拌麵 Noodles with Scallion and Small Shrimps (18 RMB).
We then tried a few dim sum dishes, including a couple of names that I’ve never seen before, such as the 香芒鮮蝦卷 shrimp roll with mango (18 RMB), a pan-fried, sesame-studded variation to the typical shrimp rolls.
香煎糯米雞 Pan-fried Glutinous Rice with Chicken (18 RMB) was also a good one. Usually, the glutinous rice and chicken are wrapped in lotus leaves and steamed, but the version at Jade Garden is pan-fried instead, resulting in a crispy skin.
The rest of the dim sum dishes were nothing out of the ordinary, but generally good in quality.
As a sweet ending to our Sunday brunch, we finished off with 棗泥鍋餅 crispy cake with date and bean paste (18 RMB). While a typical meal at Jade Garden usually costs 150+ RMB per person, our brunch was only 80 RMB per head since the dim sum dishes are mostly priced at 18 RMB each. An excellent deal!
