Memories of the South City – Selected (Shanghai Super Brand Mall Branch)

Date: January Average cost per person: 400 RMB Companions: Friends Activities: Gourmet food, photogr[...]

Date: January
Average cost per person: 400 RMB
Companions: Friends
Activities: Gourmet food, photography, cultural experiences
Author visited these places: Shanghai Lujiazui
Published on 2020-01-20 09:00

Chinese New Year is the most traditional festival in Chinese folklore, representing the day when families, no matter how far apart or busy with work, must return home to gather around the dining table, enjoying the reunion meal, tasting the bond of kinship, and expressing gratitude for parental nurturing. With the rapid development of society, this ancient tradition is facing severe challenges. Many young people, pressured by life, dislike cooking a large table of dishes. This year, my family decided to break with tradition and choose to dine out for the New Year’s Eve dinner. We opted for Lu cuisine, a type of Chinese cuisine that allows young people to express their gratitude for their parents’ hard work and liberates us from the tedious kitchen labor. Lu cuisine is chosen for its influence by Confucian ‘moderation’ philosophy, characterized by its balanced and health-promoting dishes.

**Restaurant Name**: Memories of the South City · Selected (Shanghai Super Brand Mall Branch)
**Address**: Unit 24, 3rd Floor, Super Brand Mall, No. 168, Lujiazui West Road, Shanghai
**Transportation**: Subway Line 2 to Lujiazui Station, exit from Exit 6, and walk 620 meters to reach the destination.
**Features**: The restaurant is mainly staffed by male waiters, wearing duckbill caps, white shirts, plaid ties, and black vests, looking very handsome.**Memories of the South City Restaurant Overview**

**Business Hours:** The restaurant operates from 11:00 to 22:00 daily.

**Payment Options:** Cash, WeChat, Alipay, and Credit Card are all accepted.

**Average Cost per Person:** The average cost for a meal is 400 RMB.

**Service:** This is a unique dining experience as it’s my first time encountering a restaurant predominantly staffed by handsome male waiters donning duckbill caps, white shirts, plaid ties, and black vests. The establishment is made up of private rooms, each with a minimum consumption requirement, and a 10% service charge is added to the bill. The waiters are attentive, frequently changing plates and refilling water throughout the meal. For those who order roast duck, you’ll be treated to a live duck slicing performance by professional chefs, who will also debone the duck for you.

**Environment:** Stepping into Memories of the South City, you are immediately enveloped in a rich historical ambiance created by vintage objects, transporting you into the flavorful narratives of old Jinan. Yet, the private rooms offer a contrasting view of the Pujiang River banks, grounding you in the present.

**Gourmet Food:**
– **Premium Roast Duck:** The chefs slice the duck tableside, providing a five-course dining experience.
1. Crispy duck skin and subcutaneous fat are dipped in caviar, offering a melt-in-your-mouth sensation.
2. Lean duck meat with sauce, wrapped in pancakes, balances the richness of the first course.
3. A combination of skin and meat, delivering a rich yet not overly greasy flavor.
4. Accompaniments include sweet sauce, cucumber strips, Beijing onions, and cantaloupe strips, all wrapped to a perfect bite size.
5. A nourishing duck soup completes the meal, beneficial for both beauty and health.The soup, crafted from duck meat, white radish, and goji berries, is a delicacy that is both delicious and highly recommended. Fifth on the menu is the salt and pepper duck frame, characterized by its crispy bones and tender meat. The duck frame is fried to a perfect crisp, with ample meat clinging to the bones, and the accompanying greenery is none other than fried mint.

#Artisan’s Raincoat Cucumber#
A spectacle without parallel, this dish needs no mention of taste to captivate. The unique presentation, resembling a green snake in a coil, is nothing short of extraordinary. With 600 continuous cuts, one can’t help but admire the chef’s exquisite knife skills. Waiters perform the honor of cutting it into smaller segments right before your eyes, revealing a sour-sweet flavor that is incredibly refreshing.

#Fiddlehead Fern Mixed with Bean Threads#
This unique cold dish is a visual treat, beautifully presented and finely sliced. It offers a fragrant and refreshing taste, with a rich aroma that lingers on the palate.

#Beauty Collagen Jelly#
A beloved and cost-effective nutritious delight, this dish boasts a translucent appearance and a cool, bouncy texture. It glides effortlessly down the throat, a testament to its delightful nature.

#Majia Gully Celery with Cherry Blossom Shrimp#
Served cold, this celery dish is not only refreshing but also serves to cleanse the palate and stimulate the appetite, all while preserving the nutritional value of the vegetables.

#Shandong Top Ten#
A traditional dish hailing from Jinan, this creation is made by transforming cornmeal into pancakes, accompanied by youtiao and eight specialty ingredients from Shandong. The resulting flavor profile is a delightful blend of freshness and crispness, making it a dish that I find myself enjoying time and time again.

#Three Non-stick#
The Osmanthus Egg, with its golden hue, is a culinary marvel that adheres to nothing—not the plate, not the chopsticks, and certainly not the teeth. Its slightly sweet taste is a testament to the amazing culinary techniques employed, and it comes with a high recommendation.#Sweet and Sour Carp#
Selected from the golden scaled and red-tailed carp produced downstream of Jinan, this fish is known for its plump and mud-free flavor. The fish is deep-fried to set its shape, and the tail is fried to resemble a leaping posture, resulting in a golden and crispy exterior with a tender interior. Enhanced by a vinegar-based sauce, it creates a splendid and auspicious dish.

#Seafood Vermicelli Casserole#
When vermicelli and seafood come together, the vermicelli absorbs the seafood’s delicious flavors, becoming smooth, tender, and remarkably chewy. So delicious that it’s addictive, one bite after another, making it hard to stop.