Shanghai-Style Beijing Cuisine Yanyunlou Restaurant
海派京菜·燕云楼

Yanyunlou is the most celebrated Beijing Cuisine restaurant in Shanghai. Originally called Nanhua Restaurant, it only served Cantonese food. After China declared victory in the War of Resistance to Japan, the restaurant owner Wang Dingyuan noticed that while Beijing food was gaining wide popularity in Shanghai, Beijing Roast Duck was rarely seen on the market. So he hired famous chefs who specialized in making Roast Ducks from Beijing and Tianjin. Roast Duck was prepared by a roasting technique called "Gualu" (duck is being roasted while hanging in a special oven)" which was a cooking method used in the Chinese imperial court. The Roast Duck dish was an instant success. To make a closer association with Beijing cuisine, the restaurant changed its name to Yanyunlou as referring to Mount Yan and Yunzhou in Beijing. Yanyunlou's business flourished and its reputation soared as Mei Lanfang, Yu Zhengfei and other celebrities became its regular clients. Numerous customers praised the restaurant as being as good as Quanjude in Beijing, Scholar of Shanghai Culture and History Museum Shi Nanchi said in a brilliant comment: "Despite the fact that I cannot go to Yanyunlou often to taste the Roast Duck, it is still a joyful experience to walk to the front door and smell the delicious duck every time I pass by Nanjing Road."

After decades of continual improvement, Yanyunlou's roast duck has achieved near perfection in presentation, color, texture and taste. The duck displays an attractive, plump and sumptuous appearance. Its vibrant deep red color and glistening moist surface gives an eye-pleasing look. Savory and aromatic, the duck has delicate crispy skin and soft tender meat which tastes rich yet not greasy, lean but not too chalky. Unlike the Cantonese style BBQ duck, the duck is cut into slices of even thickness about the size of a clove leaf and each serving slice of the duck contains skin and meat. Each slice is very thin but does not break apart. They are then wrapped inside a round shape pancake and served with sweet bean sauce, spring onion and cucumber. Fragrant, delicious, flaky and tender, every bite offers a memorable experience. Many patrons repeatedly came to Yanyunlou for the Roast Duck. Yanyunlou's Roast Duck won the Golden Award in the National Food Exposition.

Yanyunlou Restaurant, with a history of more than sixty years, has been served by a team of great chefs who have won gold medals in Chinese and foreign culinary competitions. A majority of the chefs came from Beijing and Tianjin. They meticulously prepared a wide range of unique Bejing foods from carefully chosen ingredients. They accomplished the feat of deep-frying, stir-frying, BBQ and braising, creating all kinds of traditional Beijing dishes and a variety of delicacies and wide game meat. Some of the famous dishes were Braised Bear Paw with "Four Treasures", Roast Duck, Monkey Head Mushroom Braised with Three Ingredients, Spicy Mandarin Fish in Vinegar, Fried Fish Slices with Wine Sauce, Apple in Hot Toffee and more. Above all, recognized as "number one gourmet food in the world" by international connoisseurs, the Roast Duck was particularly popular among the customers. However, after relocation, the pursuit of fashion and trends threw the restaurant off course for a period of time by making it abandon the tradition of authentic Beijing cuisine, including the famous Roast Duck, which the restaurant's livelihood depended on. These events have cost Yangyunlou Restaurant difficult ordeals and hardships in the competitive market. In recent years, the management has regained the control over the market through promoting and marketing the "duck culture". A roast duck buffet was opened in front of the dinning hall on the eighth floor. On the east side of the hall, there is a large kitchen with glass windows, from which one can see the duck-roasting ovens were burning with bright flames. It is quite an interesting sight. The efforts made by Yanyunlou's staff have allowed the internationally acclaimed Roast Duck to re-enter the consumer's world and become part of the lives of the Shanghai natives. Today, the devoted "duck fans" are able to indulge themselves in a series of duck food, from a lavish "duck banquet" to a small scale three-course duck meal combo.

In the past, Mr. Mei Lanfang used to enjoy the Roast Duck at Yanyunglou. He also used to entertain his guests, and relatives in the VIP room. Mr. Mei's favorites were Braised Shark's Fin in Brown Sauce, Fish Slices in Rice Wine Sauce, Beijing Roast Duck, "Four Treasures of Yanyun" and etc. "Four Treasures of Yanyun" used to be called "Dry Fried Four Ingredients", Mei suggested to rename the dish to a more elegant name "Four Treasures of Yanyun".

During the third Shanghai Chinese Art Festival, Mei Lanfang's son Mei Baojiu brought the creator and leading actors of the opera "Chinese Imperial Concubine" to Yanyunlou after the performance. Yanyunlou's chefs prepared a special "Concubine Feast". The hors d'oeuvres "Lily Magnolia with Three Colors of the Spring" was prepared from mushrooms, jelly fish, duck wings, duck tongues and egg vegetable roll. The ingredients were artfully arranged in a shape of Lily Magnolia flower on a simple platter. Delicate and elegant, the dish immediately caught attention once it was brought to the table. The hot dishes consisted of Beijing Roast Duck, Imperial Concubine Fish, Beijing Giant Prawn, Fish Fins Shirts, Love Birds' wing Imperial Stew, Jade Bamboo Casserole. The six dishes of the "Concubine Feast" were named of eternal love. Huaqing Aromatic Taro Dumpling and Gongwei Sweet Pea were two Dim Sums originated from the imperial court of China. The chewy aromatic taro dumplings and the tender sweet pea make a seamless combination. "Autumn Fruits Draped with Red Clouds" was a desert prepared from in-season fruits. Refreshing and fragrant, the fruits delivered a pleasant, lingering aftertaste. The entire set of "Concubine Feast" demonstrated Yanyunlou's chefs' extraordinary skills and superior techniques, and perfectly matched the unprecedented successful performance of "The Chinese Concubine", instantly became a sensation in Shanghai.

Beijing Roast Stuffed Duck
北京烤填鸭

apon the founding of the restaurant in 1936, Beijing Roast Stuffed Duck was presented as Yanyunlou's signature dish. Since then, the restaurant has made several improvements and modifications to enhance the roasting techniques. Slimshaped duck should be chosen for this dish because it produces an attractive plump appearance after being roasted. The color of the duck is deep red, like the color of the dates. The duck is carved into pieces of even thickness in front the guests, and every piece has a layer of savory tender meat underneath the glistening crispy skin. The duck slices are served with Beijing spring onion and sweet bean paste. Adding to the moist tender meat and sweet delicious flavor, the Roast Beijing Duck carries a long lasting aroma that you will never forget. So incredible that it is like a taste of heaven! The dish has won awards 6 times in national and local culinary competitions.

Yellow Croaker Fish fillet in Rice Wine Sauce 糟溜黄鱼片

This is a famous traditional Beijing dish, it uses Yellow Croaker Fish as main ingredient. After cleaning and removing the bones, the fish is filleted and cut into a shingle-like form. Once cooked the fish is moved to a plate covered with boiled Black Wood Ear Mushroon The snow-white, shiny fish meat has a velvety smooth texture while the Rice Wine Sauce imparts a subtle aroma, making this remarkable dish second to none.

Braised Giant Prawn 生焖大明虾

At Yanyunlou, the prawns are cooked very differently. The deep scarlet prawns have gloriously rich color and deliciously delicate taste. Sweet but not too cloying, every prawn is bursting with savory flavor and intense aroma.

Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions 京葱煨刺参

Highly nutritious, Sea Cucumber is a classic diet that is high in protein and low in fat. It has a soft supple texture and a deliciously exquisite taste. According to Chinese medicine, sea cucumber can also strengthen Yang and nourish body tissues, and it is considered as a delicacy for banquets and special occasion. Fabulous and aweinspiring, the sea cucumbers look like black awning boats gracefully resting in a pool of dark brown sauce. The dish has a delightful taste with a smooth supple texture, offering a uniquely captivating experience.

Mandarin Fish in Vinegar and Chili 醋椒鳜鱼

This is a celebrated Beijing style soup. Mandarin fish is believed to have the effect of boosting Qi, nourishing blood and spleen and strengthening stomach. Vinegar helps to digest food and increase appetite. Chili pepper "warms" the stomach and removes toxins. This dish is believed to bring extra benefits to health. This dish uses a whole mandarin fish that weights about 500 gram. Once cooked the mandarin fish lies in a thick creamy white soup and garnished with emerald green coriander leaves. Graceful and charming, fish meat has a soft, silky texture and the savory soup has a slight touch of acidity. The blending of the tangy vinegar aroma with the rich fish flavors makes this dish an intriguing treat.

Address: 288 North Guangxi Road

Telephone: 021-63609698

Hours of Operation: 11:00 - 14:00

17:00 - 22:00