I was quite excitied to be back at Shanghai 1930 after quite a while. Pushing the door and walking down the stairs already I can hear the jazz music welcoming me to the evening. The hostess, very charming, sat us right away in one of those big booth. The white linen, the sophisticated decor, the excellent service, the music, everything is in place for an excellent dinner.

We started with a couple house cocktails. I had the Sexual healing, hey I was on the a date with the BF, very appropriate!

We had to have a little appetizer with our cocktails and ordered the Triple steamer. Three stack basket of dim sum. It was perfect. I like their texture, and flavor.

Then we shared a Hot and Sour soup. Though, different than anything I had before, I really liked it.

We also share the Yangtze River lite fry. This was a very interesting dish! Small piece of white fish lightly battered and fried, decorated with fried string of river grass, served with a ginger aioli. The plate looked amazing and it tasted as good as it looked.

We followed with the Jin Jiang Peking duck, served with small lotus buns, plum sauce and scallion’s flowers. This is served table side, adding even more elegance to the restaurant. The duck was excellent, the skin very crispy while the meat still moist and full of flavors. It is quite a small duck considering the legs and the size of the meat. But it is worth to try and please do share, it’s quite copious.

We ordered a side of “Jade & Ebony”, braised  “ebony” black shitake and “jade” baby buk choi. Great dish!

Again, the service was spot on, the atmosphere and music just added the icing on the cake. Of course the purist will tell me that it’s not traditional Chinese cuisine. But Jason Xu, executive chef, as perfected his menu to give you the best of Shanghai with his own twist. The food is great, the plates look fantastic. I just wish I had another stomach stapled so I could have tried a couple more dishes.

Summary: Go there for a drink and listen to live Jazz, for the atmosphere that will transport you back in the 30’s without the smoke of course! For a quick dim sum or for their signature dishes like the Beggar’s chicken (ordered 24h in advance), go there! The service is impeccable and you will get out of there feeling you spent the evening in a different time frame. Bill for 2: $146.34 ( not including tip but including $42 of drinks) It’s worth it!