Fu 1088 in Shanghai (Nov ’15)

 

• Rating: 4.25/5
• Number of visits: 1 (Nov ’15)
• One-line review: Set in a colonial mansion, Fu1088 is the older sibling of the other Fu’s set up by celebrity chef Tony Lu and is the original restaurant. When it was originally set up, it was one of Asia’s hottest restaurants and reservations there were hard to come by. It is considerably easier to book a table now as its lustre has gone to its more expensive siblings, but the setting remains distinctive, with each table being set in a different room with antique furniture. The restaurant serves refined versions of Shanghainese classics such as fried fish and braised pork. Shanghai cooking is characterized by sweet sauces and fried textures. The versions I had there were excellent. Since I came during Shanghai hairy crab season, I tried the hairy crab legs with asparagus. The star there was the sweet-sour sauce that came from dipping. Service is excellent, and staff do not try to upsell.
• Memorable dishes: Shanghai fried fish, braised pork.

Dishes I had

• Braised pork (hongshaorou) (4.5/5) – sweet and fatty, highly indulgent

• Shanghai fried fish (4/5)– sweet, had a few bones inside which I didn’t quite like.

• Asparagus with hairy crab legs (deshelled) (4/5) – served with a sour sauce that cleansed the palate after each crab leg. My one and only encounter with Shanghai hairy crab

• Fried noodles.