J Hotel, Shanghai Tower

Italian

Reservations are a must, as this branch of the chain is always packed with diners craving good quality Cantonese cuisine. At lunchtime, customers come in droves for the expertly crafted dim sum and soups. The dinner menu offers premium dishes such as seafood and abalone. Those wishing to avoid making too much of a dent in their wallets can opt for seasonal stir-fries, casseroles or the set menus for sharing.

Moose has three Shanghai branches, all run by the same team. This Pudong one is geared towards the general public, with a Huaiyang-centric menu featuring some painstakingly made delicacies. From Anhui province, the head chef champions the pagoda version of braised pork belly in brown sauce, which shows exquisite knife work. The sautéed river shrimps are a light but umami-loaded option. Ask servers about the seasonal menu and catch of the day.

Next to the iconic Oriental Pearl Tower, this elegant dining room is perched on an upper floor of a sky-scraping hotel, commanding panoramic views of the Huangpu River and Pudong skyline. The menu covers much ground in Cantonese cuisine, including rare imported ingredients from Australian black cod to New Zealand lobster. The dim sum platter features an assortment of three crowd pleasers. The well-curated wine list has excellent choices by the glass.

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.

Brass ceiling panels and chandeliers lend a touch of nostalgic elegance to the otherwise modern room. For an experience authentic, Fujianese is the mainstay of the menu, with all of the kitchen team hailing from the province. Try the umami-laden duck essence made the traditional way: a whole duck is steamed for hours and the juices collected with no water added. Check out the tea menu, which has a wealth of nice choices from Fujian.

After renovation, the restaurant reopened in an elegant space styled to evoke Jiangnan's water towns, divided into zones by perforated screens mimicking Suzhou's gardens and sheer curtains with ink strokes. Jiangzhe classics are given a refined, creative spin, with signatures such as Hangzhou-style minced fish ball with green peas (pre-order only). At lunch, try dim sum such as Qiandaohu rice flour dumplings and four-colour dumplings.