Taste City Series: Shanghai & Ningbo
A Journey of Discovery and Exchange
Supported by the Official Hotel in Shanghai, Shanghai International Convention Center Oriental Riverside Hotel, ideally situated along the Huangpu River and facing the iconic Bund.
2026. April 12. INSIGHTS
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The journey began with a seamless departure. Andersen Lee of Montreal and Steven Che of Vancouver—two of Canada’s Rising Star Chef awardees—flew directly to Shanghai from Toronto and Vancouver with China Eastern Airlines.
An impeccable business class experience, paired with attentive and intuitive hospitality, set the tone from the outset—marking a refined beginning to a cross-continental culinary journey.
At the close of March 2026, the Chinese Restaurant Awards’ Taste City Series brought the chefs into the heart of Eastern China, tracing a path through Shanghai and Ningbo. More than a culinary tour, this was a rare opportunity—an immersive, real-time deep dive into some of the most advanced expressions of Chinese gastronomy today, experienced at its source.
A Stay Defined by Place: Shanghai’s Most Iconic Waterfront – Shanghai International Convention Center Oriental Riverside Hotel
At the centre of their Shanghai experience stood the Shanghai International Convention Center Oriental Riverside Hotel—a landmark property set along the Huangpu River. Positioned beside the iconic Oriental Pearl Tower, the hotel commands one of the most celebrated views of the Bund.
Here, Shanghai unfolds in duality. By day, a study in architectural contrast; by night, a luminous skyline reflected across the river. The location is not simply convenient—it is defining.
The stay itself offered both comfort and clarity. Spacious river-facing rooms, seamless hospitality, and a sense of elevation above the city’s pace created a setting where reflection could sit alongside discovery. It is a hotel that frames Shanghai as much as it hosts it.
The Shanghai and Ningbo culinary journey was made all the more enjoyable with the support of the iconic waterfront property, Shanghai International Convention Center Oriental Riverside Hotel—where a gracious stay complemented the experience seamlessly.
At Pu Jiang Xuan: Technique, Seasonality, and Restraint
It was undoubtedly a meaningful exchange with Huaiyang cuisine master Wayne Wang. With a genuine warmth and quiet generosity, Chef Wayne shared his depth of knowledge with openness, offering rare insight into both technique and philosophy.
Within the hotel, Andersen Lee entered into a deeper dialogue with Chinese culinary tradition. At Pu Jiang Xuan, the refined Huaiyang restaurant, he met Executive Chef Wayne Wang—a master craftsman shaped by years across international luxury kitchens.
Chef Wang presented a spring-limited yan du xian, built upon the prized dao yu (Chinese tapertail anchovy). The broth, simmered patiently, reached a milky, velvety depth—layered with cured pork, fresh meat, and the first tender bamboo shoots of spring.
The result was quietly profound: richness without weight, depth without force.
The dao yu itself carries cultural gravity. Once celebrated as one of the “Three Treasures of the Yangtze,” its rarity today—amid conservation efforts and fishing bans—underscores both its value and fragility. Its presence in this dish becomes not only culinary, but reflective.
For Andersen, this was more than tasting—it was learning in its most immediate form: observing technique, understanding philosophy, and engaging directly with a master at work.
The heartwarming spring-limited yan du xian is the Shanghainese stable and iconic with cured pork, spring bamboo shoot. Pu Jiang Xuan edition by Chef Wayne Wang was a premium broth with the precious dao yu fish.
Riverside 2727: A Contemporary Counterpoint
If Pu Jiang Xuan spoke in tradition, Riverside 2727 Bar & Restaurant offered a modern counterpoint. Here, Andersen met Executive Chef Tony Shen, whose culinary language draws from global influences.
A spring-themed afternoon tea captured this sensibility. Delicate pastries and composed sweets reflected the season through citrus brightness, floral nuances, and refined textures—each piece balancing visual elegance with technical precision.
It was a different expression of craft—less rooted in heritage, yet equally considered. Together, the two restaurants revealed the breadth of Shanghai’s dining landscape: one grounded in legacy, the other in evolution.
When Chef Andersen Lee met Chef Tony Shen at Riverside 2727 Restaurant, the conversation shifted to contemporary dining about how international cuisines are the major demand for those travelling to Shanghai.
Beyond Shanghai: Expanding the Culinary Lens
The journey extended into Ningbo, further widening the chefs’ perspective. Across cities, they encountered a spectrum of culinary voices—from the meditative vegetarian philosophy of Fu He Hui to regional specialists like elevated Chaoshan – Selection by Du and refined sichuan – Chai Men Hui, preserving local traditions and emerging kitchens redefining them.
Each encounter reinforced a central truth: Chinese cuisine is not singular, but an expansive and evolving dialogue—shaped by region, season, and the individuals who carry it forward.
A Journey of Exchange—and Understanding
Yet it was within the seamless journey with China Eastern Airlines and the setting of the Oriental Riverside Hotel that a distinct rhythm began to take shape—where hospitality, sense of place, and culinary exchange aligned with clarity.
For Andersen Lee and Steven Che, this journey marked more than exploration. It was a meaningful exchange—between continents, between generations, and between different interpretations of Chinese cuisine today.
A reminder that to understand the future of Chinese gastronomy, one must experience it at its source—through people, through place, and through the quiet mastery that defines it.
Chef Andersen Lee and Chef Steven Che visited Selection by Du—the refined, award-winning Chaoshan restaurant in Shanghai founded by culinary figure Du Jian Qing—where they met Executive Chef Lin Wen Da in his kitchen.
