Shanghai, home to Michelin-starred and sophisticated modern restaurants, is a center of Chinese culinary culture.

One of the city’s fine dining restaurants, Whampoa Club, situated in the glamorous Huangpu district, is introducing classic Shanghainese tastes in Korea this week.

The restaurant’s executive chef Alan Zhou, along with five chefs and a tea sommelier, are visiting Korea for the first time to recreate the tastes and environment of Whampoa Club Shanghai at The Shilla Seoul’s Chinese restaurant Palsun.

“Whampoa Club presents authentic Chinese cuisine in a more contemporary way so that anyone around the world can enjoy the dishes,” said Hou Deok-juk, vice president of the culinary division of The Shilla Seoul.

The special promotion offers guests the opportunity to experience seasonal delicacies and the signature cooking style of Shanghai.

Accompanying the cuisine is a selection of premium teas from across China served in traditional tea ceremonies. Tea sommelier Wei Lei enhances the dining experience with selected fine teas served depending on the diner’s physical and mental condition and gender.

A seven-course lunch menu starts with three different appetizers: smoked duck breast with honeydew melon, tuna fillet with arugula salad and sea cucumber with mild chili sauce. The food is interpreted in a modern, creative way with classic Shanghainese flavors.

The main dishes feature iconic delicacies of Chinese cuisine ― Shanghai hairy crab and bird’s nest. Korean diners will have the same Shanghai hairy crab that people in Shanghai indulge in every year from fall to winter.

“There is a saying in China that with the Shanghai hairy crab in one hand, and a bottle of alcohol in the other, everything in the world goes well,” said Hou.

The dish of bird’s nest served on top of the meat and roe of Shanghai hairy crab is the result of a special crab handling technique developed by the chefs.

“Their skill in pulling out only the meat and roe from small crabs is incredible,” said Hou.

Spring onions play a crucial role in the two main dishes: oven-baked black cod fillet with spring onions and pan-seared beef tenderloin with pistachio nut shavings.

“Chinese cuisine values the aroma of food. Spring onions and garlic play important roles in defining the aroma. When spring onions and garlic are put on a heated pan and are about to burn, they make a wonderfully unique smell,” said Hou. 

The cod dish follows the original Shanghai cooking recipe that covers the top of the cod with spring onions to generate a unique aroma from the crispy spring onion combined with tender cod.

“The traditional cooking recipe of the cod dish has attracted a lot of attention from the Western news media as well,” said the executive chef Alan Zhou.

The lunch ends with a famous Chinese sweet soup of sun-dried longans, sago pearls and snow fungus that was enjoyed by Yang Guifei from Tang Dynasty, one of the four legendary beauties of Chinese history, to keep her skin translucent, according to Hou.

“It takes hours to steam the ingredients and make the sweet stew. The warm sweet soup is perfect for autumn season,” said Hou.

The Whampoa Club promotion runs from Thursday to Saturday during lunch and dinner. Lunch is priced at 150,000 won and dinner at 300,000 won, excluding tax and service charge.

For more information, call (02) 2230-3366.

By Lee Woo-young  (wylee@heraldcorp.com)