The tree lined boulevards of the French Concession are a throw back to Shanghai's colonial past.
The European powers, along with the US and Japan, carved up Shanghai to make their own little piece of home in far flung Asia. On one of these streets lies the former home of the Consulate General of Great Britain, although I’m not quite sure what it was doing in the French Concession.
The British Government has long since vacated this area and moved into shiny new offices on Nanjing Road. Fortunately the building remains and like so many other historical buildings in Shanghai it has been turned into a restaurant for, as its name suggests, the moneyed elite of Shanghai to enjoy.
Yong Foo Elite, previously a member’s only club, is now open to the public. The grounds include a large garden with shady trees and ponds filled with carp, which would be a lovely place to relax on a warm Shanghai spring or autumn day. The main building retains the feel, design and ambiance of ‘old’ Shanghai. There are also a few other buildings detached from the main building that are also designed in a similar style.
Yong Foo Elite serves Shanghai food and my dining partners and I were presented with a range of dishes on the afternoon of our visit. The season green salad (80rmb), was a mixture of avocado, pomelo, cucumber and lettuce with a, not very appetizing, wasabi sauce. One did wonder whether it could really justify the price tag of $10 for what was mainly a lettuce salad. The sautéed fresh river shrimp (220rmb), another staple Chinese dish, was a pile of fairly small prawns served in a dark soya sauce. Imported Japanese rumkin braised with Thai fish sauce (150rmb) contained a light sauce that included quite a few anchovies that added nicely to the taste. This dish was a marked improvement on the previous two dishes.
By far and away the best dish of our selection was the deep fried mandarin fish (280rmb). This very tasty, traditional Shanghai dish, was served whole with a sweet and sour sauce but, unlike so many other Chinese fish dishes, was served boneless.
We tried only a few of the dishes from a menu that has a large range of Shanghai and Chinese fare. They also have a good drinks menu and the waiting staffs are attentive and speak some English.
For a real taste of dining in an old colonial Shanghai environment I’ve not been to a better restaurant. Anyone visiting the restaurant could not fail to be impressed. This restaurant gives you a real feeling of the orient. Unfortunately the food is not of the same standard. Yong Foo Elite is Chinese food at its most expensive but the quality does not match the price. For Chinese food there are better options in town but for an authentic Shanghai environment there is not.
(China Daily February 25, 2009)
