Turned out the best meal I had during the Shanghai trip is the only I didn't plan in advance. I was looking for something easy and local on my first evening and saw the review about Ren He Guan so I decided to give it a try. Hotel concierge told me the place could get quite crowded at night and recommended me to check out their new branch just 2 block away - still as crowded but at least I could wait in my room until the table was ready and just hopped over.
Their decor was unassuming - almost cliche with the 1930's style interior - and reminded me of those local cha chaan tengs trying too hard with a retro vibe, but the food was seriously good. The long a la carte menu features many of the classic Shanghainese dishes and I probably ended up ordering slightly more than I could finish.
Pickled radish is a common homestyle dish but it's presented beautifully like a flower. The braised eel was similar to the one we usually had but came with generous portion with julienned water bamboo strips. The shrimp and taro potage is described as a seasonal item - it's similar to one I had in Yong Fu and I like the rich and comforting flavor with hint of umami.
Braised pork belly is one of their signature dish - served in individual portion with a bloc of braised fatty pork with vegetables and egg on the side. The basting sauce is on the rich and sweet side and well infused into the meat with nice balance fatty layers. The restaurant was said to be famous for their Jiaozao dishes - cold appetizers pickled with Jiaozao (rice wine lees) and their Jiaozao Yellow Croaker was the best I have tried. The fish was of the right size (palm-length) with the perfect texture, was pan-seared, butterflied and then served cold with brief curing using the rice wine lees and sugar gave the dish an amazing wine aroma which worked very well with the mild but delicate meat. The steamed farm chicken couldn't be simpler - just steamed and served with chicken broth with oil coming out from underneath the skin. Meat was done just right - tender and juicy, and good meaty flavor from local chicken.
And then there's the crab rice. It came with 2 serving size with the small one said to be good for 2 - of course I finished it all by myself no time. The casserole pot filled with Xie Gao 蟹膏 - the golden-colored, creamy sauce-like mixture of crab meat, roes and paste - and came sizzling hot before it's slowly poured onto a bowl of rice to serve. There's nothing I wanted more during this prime crab season for a spoonful of this to go just about everything (and I ended up having this a few times more during the week in a few other places) for the salivating, addictive umami flavor highlighted with a touch of dark vinegar.
Guess the stir-fried vegetables was the only disappointing one - it's just slightly too oily and too heavy on flavor. But then with that only costing 30 RMB (around USD4), it's forgivable. Overall I think I must have ordered enough to feed 2-3 people but it still cost me RMB 400 only. (less than USD$50) - this is definitely the best Michelin-starred restaurant in terms of value for money, and one I would strongly recommend everyone to go and try when in Shanghai.
Turned out the best meal I had during the Shanghai trip is the only I didn't plan in advance. I was looking for something easy and local on my first evening and saw the review about Ren He Guan so I decided to give it a try. Hotel concierge told me the place could get quite crowded at night and recommended me to check out their new branch just 2 block away - still as crowded but at least I could wait in my room until the table was ready and just hopped over. 
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