Xin Rong Ji
(Huangpu)

No. 503, 5f, Shanghai Plaza

138 Middle Huaihai Road

Huangpu, Shanghai

Tel. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.viamichelin.com/web/Restaurant/Shanghai-_-Xin_Rong_Ji_Huangpu-yinng31b">+862153865757</a>

BY IAN D'AGATA | APRIL 26, 2019&nbsp; 

The Food:

Rice soup in lobster stock

Braised sea anemone, black truffle,
almond, duck and glass noodle

Deep-fried
Bombay duck fish with salt and pepper

Seasonal vegetables, braised
and fried, with dried shrimp

Braised farm tofu in casserole

The Wines:

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 2015 Bassermann-Jordan Leinhöhle Riesling Spätlese
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2011 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis
 </td>
 <td>
 89
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2005 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2010 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point
 </td>
 <td>
 89
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2015 Château Lapinesse
 </td>
 <td>
 88</td></tr></tbody></table>

Every once in a while, you
luck into a restaurant that turns out to be far better than expected and leaves
you feeling good all over, thanks to more than just the outstanding company, food
and wines you might have enjoyed. This is especially true of the Xin Rong Ji restaurant in Huangpu, Shanghai (there
are two others that I know of in the city, in Jing’an and Huaihai Lu Nanyang Road, but it’s the
first one of these that offers the best food and the most satisfying dining
experience).&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1556287678901-rice+soup..._copy.jpg"> Rice soup in lobster stockXin Rong Ji specializes in Zhengjian and Taizhou cuisine, which
are much less well known in the west than those of Sichuan and Canton, for
example. Chinese cuisines can be divided into eight great types (Cantonese,
Sichuan, Shandong, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan and Shanghai) but in fact
that breakdown does not include the food of culturally diverse regions such as
Yunnan (which is in itself characterized by many different cuisines born of a
plethora of different ingredients, traditions and ethnicities, and so can hardly
be viewed as just one cuisine). <img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1556287764503-Braised+sea+anemone+balck+truffle...._copy.jpg"> 
















Braised sea anemone, black truffle,
almond, duck and glass noodleTaizhou is a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_cities">city</a>&nbsp;in eastern&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China">China</a>'s coastal <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhejiang">Zhejiang</a>&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_provinces">province</a> (not to be confused with Zhengjian,
which is a prefecture-level city in the province of Jiangsu). It is located 300
kilometers south of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai">Shanghai</a>&nbsp;and 230 kilometers southeast
of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangzhou">Hangzhou</a>, the provincial capital, and is
bordered by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ningbo">Ningbo</a>&nbsp;to the north,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenzhou">Wenzhou</a>&nbsp;to the south and <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaoxing">Shaoxing</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinhua">Jinhua</a>, and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lishui">Lishui</a>&nbsp;to the west. Unlike
Sichuan’s very spicy (and at times fiery-hot) cuisine, or the slightly
sweet-tinged recipes of Cantonese cooking, the Zhejiang province is
characterized by mostly very nuanced, delicate but flavorful&nbsp;fish
and seafood preparations. Famous Zhejiang dishes include Hangzhou roast
chicken (commonly known as beggar's chicken; legend has it the recipe was
invented by a Hangzhou thief), West Lake fish in vinegar, Songsao shredded fish
soup, fried shrimp with Longjing tea and Dongpo pork (named after the
famed&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Dynasty">Song Dynasty</a>&nbsp;poet and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastronomy">gastronome</a>&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su_Dongpo">Su Dongpo</a>; Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang, was also the capital of the
Southern Song Dynasty, and the city was both sophisticated and wealthy).&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1556287862035-Fried+Bombay+fish_copy.jpg"> 
















Deep-fried
Bombay duck fish with salt and pepperThat
history goes a long way in explaining the very refined and downright dainty
cooking this region is justly famous for. However, much as with other Chinese
cuisines, things are not so cut and dried, and there are in fact at least three
recognized styles of Zhejiang Cuisine: Hangzhou&nbsp;(the most refined and also the most
elaborate, with a preponderance of stir-fried dishes often including bamboo
shoots, though it also features sautéing, deep-frying and stewing); Ningbo&nbsp;(known mostly for saline,
almost salty-laced concoctions that are mostly the product of steaming,
roasting and braising, as well as for its sweets); and Shaoxing&nbsp;(a more inland section of the province where thick
and glutinous sauces are more common and not just freshwater fish but also
poultry plays an important role in the local recipes, unlike the rest of the
province, where fish and seafood dominate).&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1556292488363-Farm+tofu+in+casserole_copy.jpg"> 
















Braised farm tofu in casserole

My dinner at Xin Rong Ji was simply spectacular, and even apparently simple
preparations, such as the deep-fried Bombay duck fish with salt and pepper,
were memorable. In fact, I doubt I have had better, tastier, not-at-all-greasy
fried fish in a very, very long time. This dish really showcases the hallmark
of Zhejiang’s cuisine of crisp, fresh preparations that are never over the top
or heavy. But it was two other dishes that really stole the show and went
straight into my pantheon of great dishes of the year.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1556292538648-Crustacean+gettogether_copy.jpg"> Crustacean get-together The braised sea anemone, black truffle, almond, duck and
glass noodle dish is quite simply one of the most powerfully concentrated yet
precise noodle dishes I have ever had in China, displaying a truly noteworthy
elegant quality despite its intensity of flavor. The dark brown color derives
from the braised sea anemone and the use of black truffle. I absolutely loved
the perfect balance of delicately earthy and sweet-salty-sour elements. “Balanced”
is also the best descriptor for the stellar rice soup in lobster stock, a delightful
blend of juicy textures and lifted nuances; I could easily have had seconds,
thirds and fourths of this very flavorful concoction. Last but not least, the braised
farm tofu in casserole was also much more flavorful and interesting than most
tofu dishes tend to be (at least for my palate, which shocks my Chinese friends
– all of whom have apparently never met a dish of tofu they didn’t think was
just swell and who cannot believe I could possibly utter such profanity!).<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1556295630924-image+%2818%29.png"> Fish fever 

On this night, not just the
food but the wines proved stellar. Except for a few momentary patches over the
last few decades when wines were slightly less than they ought to have been, I
have never had anything but delightful wines from the Palatinate’s storied Bassermann-Jordan
estate. The Forster Jesuitengarten (for my taste, choosing between the
Rieslings of Forst’s Kirchenstück and Jesuitengarten vineyards is a battle of
firsts among equals) is quite simply one of my 10 favorite vineyards in the
whole world, and I simply never tire of Rieslings from that hallowed piece of
vineyard land.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1556292687046-the+wines+1_copy.jpg"> But other vineyards farmed by this estate give memorable wines,
such as Deidesheim’s Leinhöhle – and the 2015
Basserman-Jordan Leinhöhle Riesling Spätlese showcases just how delightful
wines from that site can be. It’s characterized by loam/sand/sandstone soils
and occasional extreme heat, but the wines are nevertheless fresh and fruity,
and this specific wine exudes notes of honeysuckle, candied lime and white
peach in spades. I loved the clarity, cut and clean dry taste, as well as the above-average
concentration (and only 9.5% alcohol). Speaking of great wine estates, I’m not
sure if I’ve ever had a wine from Vincent Dauvissat that was less than
wonderful, and the 2011 Vincent
Dauvissat Chablis is a case in point. Beautifully lemony and fresh, delivering
sneaky concentration and lingering mineral aftertaste, this was simply a superb
showing for this wine, though I’ll be the first to admit it’s not the most
nuanced wine Dauvissat has ever made. But its fruit-forward, textured
personality (in keeping with the vintage’s characteristics) is irresistible.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1556292719998-The+wines+2_copy.jpg"> At
the opposite end of the wine aroma, flavor and texture spectrum, the 2005 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc
is everything you’d expect from a great Northern Rhône white from this famous producer.
Garrigue, beeswax, lemon, shiso leaf, poached apricot, pear and
many other aromas and flavors wafted out of the glass. What you have to love
about this wine is how the contributions of both the old-vine Roussanne and the
Marsanne in the blend are clearly recognizable, and the sum is more than the
individual parts. The wine overpowered some of the dishes I ate on this night
but actually married better with the tofu in casserole and the slightly gelatinous
rice soup than I had imagined. Pinot Noir is a red that works with many Chinese
cuisines, and the beautifully fruity, flinty and gently sweet 2010 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point proved
a beautiful accompaniment to the sea anemone dish. I remember that when this
wine was first released, it didn’t strike me as a giant of nuance or refinement,
but a little bottle age has helped temper its sweet, fleshy flavors. I closed
my evening out with the little-known but lovely 2015 Château Lapinesse, a sweet Bordeaux white that is not unlike a
light Sauternes, offering delicious candied citrus peel, saffron, ripe pear and
peach aromas and flavors (the estate actually owns land in Barsac, too). Perfumed
and lively, it kept my taste buds dancing all the way to the airport. 

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1556292741965-the+sleek+refined+interior_copy.jpg">The sleek refined interior On my way to catch the plane back
home to Rome, I was glad I had taken extra-special care in choosing the wines
for the evening’s meal. Otherwise, there was a real risk that the excellence of
the food would have absolutely creamed the wines. Happily, things worked out
well on both solid and liquid ends of what proved to be a lovely evening-long
dining trek through one of the many very fine culinary regions of China.

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