Mercure Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone

Italian

The swanky room overlooking the Pudong skyline and Huangpu River boasts marble walls and exquisite chandeliers. The menu features Ningbo classics, as well as novel dishes made with ingredients from all over China. Live seafood such as white crab and yellow croaker is shipped daily from the East China Sea for maximum freshness. Try stir-fried white crabmeat, sautéed cattail with shrimp roe and sticky rice balls with black sesame filling.

The third restaurant under the aegis of chef Umberto Bombana stars a glitzy cocktail bar and jaw-dropping balcony views, without forgetting an equally eye-catching glazed wine cellar with amazing selections, both by the glass and the bottle. Globally sourced ingredients and modern techniques result in elegant Italian flavours. The lunch set menus are great value, but for a full-on experience, go for the truffle feast or the 8-course tasting menu.

The story of 102 House started in a home in Foshan, Guangdong. The head chef has been cooking professionally since 2003, specialising in intricate traditional recipes. For diners to experience the quintessence of classic Cantonese banquets, various set menus are available. Items change seasonally, but the signature sweet and sour pork is a mainstay. Another standout, for its lotus fragrance and fruity sweetness, is the double-boiled duck soup with lychee.

This restaurant of the Singaporean group sports a black colour scheme and drips in crystal decorations, both of which befit the well-crafted dim sum, barbecued meat and seafood repertory. Helmed by an experienced Hong Kong chef, specialities like scrambled ‘osmanthus’ egg with crabmeat, roasted chicken stuffed with glutinous rice and claypot diced chicken with tofu and salted fish all exhibit finesse and refinement. Walnut sweet soup is also very popular.

This flagship restaurant of The Peninsula, though decorated in the style of 1930s Shanghai, serves an unmistakably Cantonese menu with an abundance of excellent choices. The kitchen masters authentic Cantonese flavours underpinned by culinary traditions and classical skills. The Cantonese barbecue never disappoints, and there is a dim sum lunch set for solo diners. The deep-fried pork dumplings entice with a blistered crust and pork-mushroom filling.

Nestling in an adjacent century-old building and appointed with six private rooms inspired by Bvlgari jewellery, this restaurant of Bvlgari Hotel blends the elegance of historic Shanghai with modern twists. Under the stewardship of chef Fu, solid technique, spot-on precision and refinement mark Cantonese classics like roasted suckling pig that boasts bubbly, crispy, fat-free skin, served with eponymous lotus leaf buns.