The moment I hear we're going back to Oriental House, the anticipation begins, usually a full week in advance.
People like to call it a "dangerous" place. With that many dishes made to go with rice, one bowl is never enough. Surrendering to a pleasant carb-induced haze feels almost inevitable. Last year's off-menu still lingers vividly in memory. By the end, not a single grain of rice was left in the bowl, every last one slicked in sauce, yet I still couldn't bring myself to set down my chopsticks. I once posted a photo of their prawn-laced mapo tofu with steamed egg, and it sent friends into a frenzy, urging me to book again. Now there are hundreds of tables ahead in line. Even calling right at the start of the month barely guarantees a reservation.
To eat with the seasons, to cook by what the moment offers. Seasonality is perhaps the clearest impression Oriental House leaves behind. I can still recall their white loofah with soft-shell crab, a gentle sweetness lingering on the palate. Come spring, it's only natural that new dishes arrive like fresh shoots. I've twice managed to try the elusive off-menu, yet never quite explored the regular one. So this visit was not only for a taste of spring, but also out of curiosity. How different could the on-menu be?
Tucked away on the fourth floor of the North Block at Jing'an Kerry Centre, the entrance is modest, almost easy to miss. Step inside, though, and it opens into something unexpectedly expansive, a rarity in such a central, high-value location. To the left, a proper bar invites those waiting to sit for a drink. It is an uncommon sight in a Chinese restaurant, more reminiscent of a cocktail lounge. There is a quiet sense of fashion woven throughout. Golden fish drift across projected walls, and display-window aesthetics find their way into the dining space, lending it a subtly avant-garde Chinese sensibility.
The first bite tastes unmistakably of spring. This is the season of Chinese toon. Its aroma is divisive, loved for its pungent lift or dismissed as overpowering. I fall firmly into the former. Sakura shrimp with Chinese toon sprouts is bright and refreshing, the tender shoots lifted by a gentle acidity. Then comes Black Truffle Kalimeris indica Roll. Crisp tofu skin wrapped around wild greens and bamboo shoots, layered in both texture and aroma. If ever there were a true spring roll, this would be it. Every flavor of the season folded within.
Sakura Shrimp with Toona Sprouts
Black Truffle and Indian Aster Rolls
It reminds me how, at home, someone inevitably says each spring that it is time to gather shepherd's purse for wontons.
Just as the thought arises, a bowl of chicken soup with Chinese tapertail anchovy wontons appears. This is the bite I look forward to every year. The fish, meticulously deboned and turned into a silken paste, offers pure, unadulterated pleasure. The broth is crystal clear yet deeply layered, comforting and precise.
And this is only the beginning.
Soon, the warm fragrance of curry fills the air. Curry lobster with bread arrives in generous form, the sauce aromatic and gently sweet, perfect for sweeping up with toasted slices. Just as I drift into memories of the off-menu Butter Curry-Braised Pomfret, Braised Pomfret arrives, grounding me again in the present. The fish, saturated with sauce, is best enjoyed slowly, its richness both familiar and reassuring. With the fishing ban approaching, such flavors will soon be out of reach until August, making each bite feel all the more precious.
Curry lobster with Bread
Next comes Black Garlic Fish Maw Sea Urchin Grilled Eel, done in a classic Shanghai style. The eel is delicate and tender, rich yet never cloying, with black garlic lending a subtle sweetness beneath the depth. The meal continues to build in quiet intensity.
Braised Eel with Black Garlic, Fish Maw, and Sea Urchin
And yet, what lingers most are the final dishes, simple stir-fries of spring vegetables.
Razor clams braised with gourd brings together brine and sweetness in perfect balance, the gourd absorbing all the essence of the sea. Stir-fried mushrooms with pickled mustard greens and bamboo shoots showcases the remarkable freshness of spring bamboo, lifted by the gentle salinity of preserved greens. Then, Stir-fried broad beans with spring chives, pared back to its essence. Floury beans, vivid green chives, nothing more than perfect timing meeting perfect produce. Perhaps that is the quiet beauty of spring. When the earth warms and life begins to stir, ingredients need little embellishment. One simply eats.
蟶子燒蒲瓜
As I said at the start, Oriental House is a dangerous place. Not just for its food, but for its cocktails, little traps in their own right. The signature drinks lean toward Eastern flavors, crafted with precision, and astonishingly priced, two for just 88 RMB, a rarity in Shanghai. For someone like me, with modest tolerance but disproportionate courage, it is an irresistible temptation.
Cover Picture：Ye Shi
Photos：Ye Shi
Author：Lia Shangguan
