Seafood Off Menu at one of Shanghai’s favorite Chinese restaurants

Author:Jocelyn Chen

Quality restaurant in the mall

For the first meal with my foodie friends since the restart of restaurants, we chose Oriental House off menu as before. It filled me with great joy when the fresh flavor of seafood floated up from the restaurant, which served as a warmly consolation to me since I am not able to travel to eat in short term. “Tasty food surely changes life!”All fish processed by Ike Jime (a method of paralyzing fish to maintain the quality of its meat) are sent from Taizhou, Zhejiang Province to Shanghai every morning. In Japan Ike Jime fish are labeled specifically to represent quality and taste. Till now the method, which removes fishy smell and makes fish become more fresh, has expanded to all over the world.

Once Business Tycoon, Now Restaurant Tyro

Beiping, a veteran entrepreneur engaged in clothing designing for more than one decade, used to boast over 200 clothing store chains in China at the peak. In 2016 he devoted himself to restaurants and established Oriental House. Though considering himself as a “green hand”, he has entertained unique tastes and pursued authentic flavors of Taizhou Cuisine. During all these years he has been thinking about the development of Oriental House.

Oriental House Anfu Road opened in 2016Oriental HouseFancy napkin

Authentic flavor of Taizhou Cuisine

When it comes to Taizhou Cuisine, XINRONGJI will be the first restaurant that comes to gourmets’ mind. Beiping admits that and says from time to time he discusses face to face with Zhang Yong (founder of XINRONGJI) about some traditional Taizhou food. For example they all changed the way of cooking lizard fish. XINRONGJI provides Fried Lizard Fish with Spicy Chillies while Oriental House offers Boiled Lizard Fish which flours lizard fish after putting into boiled soup for a few seconds.

Beiping made a forthright comment that Zhangyong has formed his own views of Taizhou Cuisine, while he has not. He added: “But I have formed my own ideas and culinary perceptions, that is, cooking the freshest food with the most suitable methods. I have been shaped by Western Food in making new dishes, but of course, one common character of XINRONGJI and Oriental House is that we all pursue the authentic flavor of Taizhou Cuisine”.

Besides Boiled Lizard Fish, Oriental House also recommended several traditional dishes: Braised Sea Anemones with Sweet Potato Noodles, Sauteed Rice Cakes with Pomfret, Taizhou Fried Rice Noodles, Crispy Pork Intestine etc. Notably, the dish Sauteed Rice Cakes with Pomfret is billed as a classic dish in Taizhou, where hand-made rice cakes appear in every festival including ancestor worship.

Sauteed Rice Cakes with PomfretPork Ears with Dried Small Shrimps

Sauteed Rice Cakes with Pomfret use dumpling-shaped handmade rice cakes in which soup has been thoroughly mixed. Diners could order this dish in the regular menu for less than two hundred CNY per person.

Pork Ears with Dried Small Shrimps is a special dish in Oriental House. Dice the marinated pork ears after they cool off. Deep-fried small shrimps with green onion,add diced kelp and pork ears and stir with olive oil. One bite you can taste crispy pork ears and sea shrimps in the mouth. It is really an exquisite appetizer to enjoy with wine.

Steamed Ribbon Fish with 5j Ham is another recommended dish. Fry the rice in the iron pan till it is stuck in the bottom, put diced 5j hams and boneless ribbon fish on the top, then braise them in open fires. For ingredients, stew preserved vegetables and pork chops as well as pork skin, then fry them with minced meat. Mix all together you will savor the flavor every mouthful.

Steamed Ribbon Fish with 5j HamParboiled small squid with yuzu sauceBoiled pacific white shrimSteamed baby croaker with lard and Soy Sauce

Oriental House is also fastidious about rice- China Northeast Rice steamed only by mineral water.  And no more than half an hour when finally offered to guests.

 

Off Menu,Unlimited Imagination

He admits that the XINRONGJI offers authentic dishes with premium prices and that is also available for his off menu. For instance lots of frequent visitors book off menu priced from 650 to about 1,000 CNY every months.

 

Oriental House dinner Off-menu

Appetizer:

Salted mud crab with caviar (per person)

Baguette topped with beltfish aspic

Parboiled small squid with yuzu sauce

Sous-vide Taizhou pork belly with water bamboo and shrimp roe soy sauce

Pork ear garnished with sun-dried shrimp

Sweet and sour grenadier anchovies (per person)

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Hot Dish:

Boiled pacific white shrimp with rice vinegar

Pomfret with Taizhou hand-made rice cake

Steamed small yellow croaker in Chinese pickle sauce (per person)

Braised sea anemone with sweet potato vermicelli (per person)

Fried leeks with broad beans

Steamed baby croaker with lard and Soy Sauce

Stir-fried garlic sprout with bamboo shoots

Deep Fried Braised Beef Short Ribs with red wine and soy sauce (per person)

Horsehead fish dried overnight

Mapo Tofu with shirako

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Rice :

5J Iberico ham and beltfish with rice (with cold brewed Osmanthus Longjing tea)

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 Dessert:

Black sesame ice cream

 

Fond of authentic food, last year I visited Taizhou to savor local delicacies where I was surprised by XINRONGJI with its authentically flavoured dishes which, I believe, will amaze the world as well. Oriental House is distinctive contrast to others restaurants. Small restaurants has its own way to survive. Combining his own understanding of food with traveling experiences in other countries, Beiping offers what both diners and chefs love.

Two restaurants of Oriental House are currently located in Jing An Kerry Center and Grand Gateway in Xuhui District respectively. The third store just landed this May in 96 Square, Pudong District. Beiping is very optimistic about this new restaurant in Pudong hoping that it will attract neighboring diners.

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