Specialty Shanghai Style Dim Sums and Gourmet Dishes Shanghai Lvbolang Restaurant
菜点并茂·绿波廊酒楼

"Green waves of the rivers and streams in spring time inspire poetic feelings; winding corridors and vermilion pavilions present a picturesque scene." The graceful and picturesque Shanghai Lvbolang Restaurant resides by the Nine Winding Bridge in Shanghai God Temple. Elegant and cozy, this three-story restaurant was architecturally constructed in Ming-Qing Dynasties style, featuring black tiles, red balustrades and upturned eaves. Originally it was a building in the west wing of the Yu Garden which belonged to Pan's family during Emperor Jia Qing's Reign of the Ming Dynasty (in 1559). In 1924, (thirteenth year after the founding of the Republic of China), a teahouse called Lepulang (Lepu Lounge) was opened in this location. In 1978, the teahouse was reconstructed into the "Lvbolang Cafeteria" which was expanded into Lvbolang Restaurant in 1991. Afterwards Shanghai municipal government designated it as one of the top restaurants for serving foreign tourists. And in 1997, it was one of the first few that were awarded the title "top-class restaurant in the country" by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. Many national high-ranking master chefs have worked for the restaurant, and quite a few of them have won multiple gold medals in the international culinary competitions.

On February 19th, 1973, Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia toured the Yu Garden. Afterwards he entered the VIP room called "Qizao Hall". In order to entertain the first visiting foreign head of state since the founding of New China, dim sum experts and culinary masters from restaurants all over Shanghai were gathered and prepared fourteen exquisite dim sums for the Prince. They were Nanxiang Steamed Bun, Rice Dumpling, Sweet Osmanthus Scented Rice Congee, Three Shreds Spring Roll, Baked (Shanghai style) Sesame Biscuit, Mushroom and Vegetable Stuffed Bun, Meimao Pastry, Ningbo Tangtuan, Eight-Treasure Rice Pudding, Tiny Jingtui Glutinous Rice Dumplings, Fried Gluten and Bean Curd Wrapper, Date Paste Cake, Three Flavored Shaomai (Open Dumpling), Chicken and Duck Blood Soup and so on. The prince was very pleased, and requested to have two boxes of each kind sent to him. This had greatly boosted the reputation of the City God Temple and provoked wide repercussions from the society. The marvelous reputation of the dim sum has attracted Liao Chenzhi and his party. In the middle of the dinner, Liao Chenzhi gave three suggestions, and one of them was a restaurant be established to bring together all of the famous dishes and dim sums. This was how Lvbolang Restaurant started. In the meantime, Liao Chenzhi was delegated to ask Secretary of Sun Yat-Sun, Nationalist Party chief figure Tian Heng to calligraph the signboard.

In 1982, determined to have a complete collection of Shanghai dish and dim sum, the restaurant assembled a special culinary team that consisted of masters of the food and beverage industry such as renowned SuZhou cuisine pastry master from Chufeng-Songyuelou Restaurant, Mr. Lu Goudu, new talented dim sum chef Zhou Jinghua, famous chef Mr. Li Borang of Dexingguan Restaurant, and honorary top chef Mr. Liao Jiechen from Dafugui Restaurant. The team had created banquets consisting of courses of dishes with dim sum in between, a breakthrough experience.

The restaurant has won compliments from the customers for the delicious food. In the mid summer of 1993, renowned Chinese calligrapher and artist, one-hundred-and-one-year-old Mr. Zhu Qizhan and his family joyfully arrived at Lvbolang after touring the Yu Garden. Having tasted the exquisite dishes and dim sums one course after another, Mr. Zhu could not stop praising the great food. He calligraphed four Chinese characters "Hui Wei Wu Qiong" for the restaurant. The inscription means "an aftertaste that seems endless". Reportedly the artist seemed to have carelessly splattered two drops of ink by the ending stroke of the character "Hui", one big and one small. According to a researcher specializing in Zhu's art, the two ink droplets actually are a form of ancient Chinese pictogram symbolizing "something worth drooling over". This has demonstrated Master Zhu's deep affection for Lvbolang.

Lvbolang's dim sum also received constant praise from Deng Xiaoping, who had said many times: "(It tastes) So good! (It tastes) So good!". During his visit to Shanghai in the Spring Festival of 1988, Deng wanted to dine at the restaurant, but for safety reason, the government decided to invite dim sum masters from the restaurant to prepare the dim sums in his residence. First-Class Dim Sum Chef Zhou Jinghua and Zhou's teacher Top-Class Dim Sum Chef Lu Goudu were invited. It was also requested to make dim sums a little more salty and the sweet ones have to be low in sugar, Zhou and his teacher Lu prepared eight different kinds of dim sum including Eyebrow-shaped Pastry, Date Paste Cake, Turnip Strip Cake, Mushroom and Vegetable Stuffed Bun, Crab Meat Bun, Rice Dumpling and so on. After tasting them, Deng kept praising the dim sums.

U.S. President Clinton had took a special trip to Lvbolang to have lunch here with his family during his visit to China in 1998. On June 6th around noon time, after having done a live broadcast on the program "City Residents and Society" at Channel 990 of Shanghai Radio Station, President Clinton with family as well as entourage arrived at Shanghai City God Temple to spend some personal time. The first thing they did was to have lunch at Lvbolang. The Clinton's family ate in a private room called "Lang Yi Fang". At an amazing sight of a table filled with all kinds of cold entree prepared in many different styles and decorated with napkins which had been folded into vivid shapes, the guests were all very impressed, and there was a look of admiration in their eye. On that day, President Clinton was served the following gourmet food: eight exquisite cold appetizers consisting of BBQ Squid, Chicken in Broth, Pork Shank with Five Spices, Shanghainese Fried Fish, Lima Beans with Preserved Vegetables, Mushroom with Veggie Duck, Diced Chicken with Cashew Nut, Sweet and Sour Pork; a course of six kinds of Dim Sum composed of Crab Meat Dumpling, Sweet Osmanthus Cake, Date Paste Cake, Tiny Jingtui Glutinous Rice Dumplings, Eyebrow-shaped Pastry, Spiced Gourd Pastry; and seven hot dishes including Braised Prime Shark Fin, Dry Fried Prawn, Eight Treasures in Hot Sauce, Pine Nuts with Sweet Corn, Braised Tofu with Crab Roe, Mandarin Fish with Pine Nuts and Mushroom with Greens. Whenever a dish was brought to the table, the President always gave the first try and then would introduce it to his family and friends sitting beside him. As Clinton was eating the Date Paste Cake, he commented: "I have never had a dim sum that tastes so good." and asked humorously to the person next to him: "Have you?" Then he would gracefully make a "please" gesture. Like father, Clinton's daughter loved Chinese food. After cleaning up all the leftover crumbs from the Turnip Strip Cake in her plate, and she still felt unsatisfied, and stood up with chopsticks and plates in her hands, and took an extra piece from a neighboring plate. Without slightest reservation or uneasiness, President Clinton chattered and laughed at the lunch table, and asked questions while enjoying the delicious delights of the restaurant. From time to time, he gave compliments here and there, and the mealtime was extended to one hour from the originally scheduled fifteen minutes. They were even asking for a second plate for some of the dishes. After the meal, they took photographs with the staff and also signed the guest book.

Lvbolang Restaurant has a great reputation for carefully selected ingredients and meticulous process to ensure excellent quality and distinctive style. After years of hard work and endeavors, the restaurant established name brands in each of the four major series of specialty food including Shanghai cuisine, Shanghai Dim Sum, Crab Dish and Shark's fin. Some of the famous dishes are Eight Treasure Duck, Stewed Freshwater Eels, Braised Meat in Fermented Bean Curd Sauce, Braised Hui Fish in Soya Sauce, Sea Cucumber with Shrimp Roe, Braised Tofu with Crab Roe, Chinese Mitten Crab from Yangdeng Lake, Braised Shark Fin with Crab Roe, Shark's Fin in Casserole, Shark's Fin in Clear Broth and a few hundred more.

A variety of delicate Dim Sum at Lvbolang Restaurant has won great fame at home and abroad. Eyebrow-shaped Pastry, Turnip Strip Cake, Date Paste Cake are the restaurant's first successful creations. An array of delectable food has captured the affection and admiration of many people, such as Mushroom Stuffed Vegetable Bun, Sweet Pea Paste Filled Bun, Crescent Shaped Steamed Dumpling, Steamed Open Dumpling, Tiny Jingtui Dumpling and Pigeon-Egg-Shaped Dumpling. "Dim Sum on a Boat" is a delicate work of art and its origin dates back to the Ming Dynasty. At Lvbolang, mouthwatering foods are made into vivid shape of animals, vegetable and fruits, plants and flowers, so beautiful that you will not have the heart to bite. Whether it is a state dinner or a light meal, the restaurant offers a collection of superb dishes and traditional dim sum for all occassions, which have become the signature of Shanghai flavor. The combination of fruits and vegetables in cookery, and the joining of dim sum with dishes have produced a feast of fashioned new styles and innovations which have brought an uplifting and refreshing taste to the culinary world and the pioneer in China's food industry!

For many years, the restaurant has successfully entertained sovereigns and monarchs from over 40 countries, including U.S. President Clinton, British Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ, Japanese Prime Takeshita Noboru, Cambodian King-Father Sihanouk, Cuban President Castro, Icelandic Prime Minister and Australian Prime Minister. Furthermore, it has been chosen to host dozens of Chinese National and Party Leaders, and countless Chinese and foreign dignitaries, with Jiang Zheming, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Liu Qinghua and Zhou Jiahua included. The restaurant has earned widespread fame and admiration from fans at home and abroad.

Braised Freshwater Eel with Brown Sauce 锅烧河鳗

This dish is prepared with freshwater eel. The eel is refrigerated for one day after being killed to prevent the skin from peeling off during cooking. Then it is chopped into segments and cooked with seasonings. This dish has bright red color; tender, soft and rich-tasting fish meat has a sweet yet savory flavor. It also gives a delightful aroma.

Sautéed Eel 清炒鳝糊

The shredded eels are cooked with other ingredients into thick sauce. Once plated, it is drizzled with sesame oil and hot oil, and sprinkled with ground pepper. The crispy and tender eel has a pleasant savory taste.

Braised Pork in Preserved Bean Curd Sauce 乳腐扣肉

The pork used here is belly meat. After being cleaned, the fresh bacon is cut into cubes and quick-boiled. Its skin is lightly scored. In a wok with hot oil, scallion and ginger are fired until fragrant. Then red preserved bean curd sauce, red rice flour, salt, MSG, sugar are added to make a brine sauce. The bacon is placed in a bowl together with the brine sauce, sealed with a shrinkwrap film, and steamed for 2 hours until extremely tender. In a wok with hot oil, cabbage hearts are stir-fried with salt and MSG, and arranged into a row on the edge of a plate. Finally the steamed pork is removed from the steamer and transferred onto the cabbage. The brine sauced is thickened and poured over the meat. The pork displays a bright color and tastes rich but not greasy, and bites tender but not mushy.

Boneless Duck Stuffed with "Eight Treasures"
拆骨八宝鸭

This dish is prepared with duck, diced duck gizzard, diced chicken meat, ham cut into cubes, dried scallop, diced bamboo shoots, lotus seeds, chopped shiitake mushroom, cooked glutinous rice, peeled shrimps, sweet peas, soy sauce, sugar, MSG, scallions, ginger, Shao wine and refined oil. The duck is first de-boned, rubbed with a mixture of scallions, ginger, Shao wine, soy sauce, and marinated for a while. Then it is deep-fried in hot oil until golden. After that, the duck is lifted out and its cavity is filled with diced duck gizzard, diced chicken meat, chopped ham, dried scallop, diced bamboo shoots, lotus seeds, diced Shiitake Mushroom, cooked glutinous rice, soy sauce, sugar, MSG and Shao wine. The stuffed duck is then placed in a bowl sealed with shrinkwrap film and steamed for two hours. When it is time to eat, the brine sauce (duck gravy) is poured off and the duck is placed onto a plate. In a wok with heated oil, peeled shrimps that have being coated with flour paste are stir-fried with sweet peas, drained of oil, and then boiled together with the duck gravy. Finally after thickening and drizzled with a bit of oil, the sauce is poured over the duck. This aromatic dish is characterized by soft, tender duck meat, rich and abundant stuffing, and a salty, savory flavor.

"Eight Treasures" in Hot Sauce 八宝辣酱

This dish is prepared with diced chicken, diced pork, duck gizzard, diced cooked pork tripe, diced bamboo shoots, gingko fruit, roasted peanuts, peeled shrimp, diced green pepper, soy sauce, sugar, MSG, hot bean paste, ginger, corn starch, broth, red oil and refined oil. Minced ginger and hot bean paste are fried until fragrant in a wok with hot oil, then a mixture of diced chicken, diced pork, diced duck gizzard, diced cooked pork tripe, diced bamboo shoots and gingko fruits are added and stir-fried until colors are changed. After that, soy sauce, sugar, Shao wine, broth are added and brought to a boil. With MSG added and thickened with corn starch mixture, peanuts are put in and all ingredients are tossed together and placed evenly on a plate, and drizzled with red oil. To make the dish complete, peeled shrimps are sir-fried with diced green pepper in a wok with hot oil and placed on top of the "Eight Treasures in Hot Sauce". Prepared with a great variety of ingredients, this aromatic dish offers a crispy texture and a sweet, savory taste with a slight heat.

Steamed Chinese Mitten Crab 清水大闸蟹

This dish is made from Chinese Mitten Crab, finely chopped ginger, sugar, soy sauce and rice vinegar. First, chopped ginger, sugar, soy sauce and rice vinegar are mixed together to make a dipping sauce for the crab. After cleaning thoroughly, the crab is tied by a rope and steamed until well done. The crab shell displays a vibrant red color. Its golden yellow eggs are rich and aromatic, and the meat is savory and delicious.

Date Paste Cake 枣泥酥饼

Date Paste Cake is made of flour, black dates, sugar, refined oil and cooked lard. The washed dates are boiled until tender, peeled and pitted, and ground into a smooth paste. Sugar is melted in a wok with warm oil, combined with date paste and stir-fried to make date filling. Flour is kneaded into dough and "butter block" separately. The "butter lock" is enclosed into the dough, rolled into a long strip, and divided into portions. Each portion is pressed flat to encase the date filling, and later molded into a round shape. After that, the surface of the dumpling is brushed with egg mixture, and sprinkled with white sesame seeds on the sides and black sesame seeds in the center. The pastry is deep-fried over low heat until it rises to the surface. The finished product has a puffy, flaky pastry on the outside and smooth date filling inside. It tastes moderately sweet and the date filling gives a rich and wonderful aroma.

Eyebrow-shaped flaky Pastry 三丝眉毛酥

This Dim Sum is made of flour, shredded bamboo shoots, shredded pork and shredded shiitake mushroom. The resulting product resembles the shape of an eyebrow. The savory filling is wrapped up in layers of puffy, flaky pasty. Delicious and exquisite, it has a hint of brine flavor.

Address: 131 Yuyuan Road

Telephone: 63280602

Hours of Operation: 11:00-14:00

17:00-22:00