Fit for a Shanghai lady today

"Three-cup chicken" and Hunan-style spicy pork bones are two signature dishes of Yuan Lu, known for "fushion Shanghainese" cuisine. Photos Provided to China Daily

The beef tongue in black pepper sauce, as an appetizer, looks a little gimmicky, with piles of beef tongue shrouded in a "golden cage" made from hot toffee. But a bite of the paper-thin, foie-gras-tender beef tongue makes the diner realize the chef has put as much care into cooking this dish as he has its look.

The sweet-and-sour ribs are prepared to a classic Shanghai recipe. Orange juice has been used in place of the vinegar to make the meat not only sour but also more refreshing without the heavy sugar.

The chef, a chubby 30-something Shanghai native who used to work in five-star hotels' Western restaurants, has innovatively rethought traditional fried shrimp into a burger-like fried shrimp cakes. The green cowpeas around the cake contrast well against the orange-red shrimp, making the palm-sized little cake look like delicate jewels from a Shanghai ladies' jewelry box.

The Hunan-style big bones, however, paint a different picture. An arch of whole pork bones takes the shape of a bridge and the half-fat roasted pork sizzles beautifully with green and red peppers on the bridge. What a lovely rainbow!

IF YOU GO

Yuan Lu

Daily from 11 am-2 pm; 5:30-10 pm. 3-4F, 30 Sinan Lu (Road) (near Huaihaizhong Lu), Huangpu district, Shanghai. 021-6386-0707.

Average cost per head: 200 yuan ($33).

Recommended: Beef Tongue in Black Pepper Sauce, Sweet-and-Sour Ribs in Orange Juice, Prawn Burger with Cowpeas, Hunan-style Spicy Pork Bones, Traditional Sesame Cake.