{"id":1011779,"date":"2026-04-12T09:15:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T16:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/stagingAUG2\/?p=1011779"},"modified":"2026-04-12T18:47:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T01:47:26","slug":"taste-city-series-shanghai-ningbo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/stagingAUG2\/taste-city-series-shanghai-ningbo\/","title":{"rendered":"Taste City Series: Shanghai & Ningbo \u2014 A Journey of Discovery and Exchange"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/div>[vc_row_inner gap=”25″][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]Taste City Series: Shanghai & Ningbo<\/strong><\/span>
\nA Journey of Discovery and Exchange<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner gap=”25″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”1011783″ img_size=”full” css_animation=”scaleOutIn” css=””][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text css=””]\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]2026. April 12. INSIGHTS<\/p>\n

\u2212
\nThe journey began with a seamless departure. Andersen Lee of Montreal and Steven Che of Vancouver\u2014two of Canada\u2019s Rising Star Chef awardees\u2014flew directly to Shanghai from Toronto and Vancouver with China Eastern Airlines.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

An impeccable business class experience, paired with attentive and intuitive hospitality, set the tone from the outset\u2014marking a refined beginning to a cross-continental culinary journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the close of March 2026, the Chinese Restaurant Awards\u2019 Taste City Series<\/a> 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\u2014an immersive, real-time deep dive into some of the most advanced expressions of Chinese gastronomy today, experienced at its source.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_row_inner gap=”25″][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]A Stay Defined by Place: <\/strong>Shanghai\u2019s Most Iconic Waterfront – Shanghai International Convention Center Oriental Riverside Hotel<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]At the centre of their Shanghai experience stood the Shanghai International Convention Center Oriental Riverside Hotel<\/strong>\u2014a 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2014it is defining.<\/span><\/p>\n

The stay itself offered both comfort and clarity. Spacious river-facing rooms, seamless hospitality, and a sense of elevation above the city\u2019s pace created a setting where reflection could sit alongside discovery. It is a hotel that frames Shanghai as much as it hosts it.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”1011785″ img_size=”full” css_animation=”scaleOutIn” css=””][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text css=””]\n

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\u2014where a gracious stay complemented the experience seamlessly.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_row_inner gap=”25″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]At Pu Jiang Xuan: Technique, Seasonality, and Restraint<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”1011781″ img_size=”full” css_animation=”scaleOutIn” css=””][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text css=””]\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]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\u2014a master craftsman shaped by years across international luxury kitchens.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2014layered with cured pork, fresh meat, and the first tender bamboo shoots of spring.<\/span><\/p>\n

The result was quietly profound: richness without weight, depth without force.<\/span><\/p>\n

The dao yu itself carries cultural gravity. Once celebrated as one of the \u201cThree Treasures of the Yangtze,\u201d its rarity today\u2014amid conservation efforts and fishing bans\u2014underscores both its value and fragility. Its presence in this dish becomes not only culinary, but reflective.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Andersen, this was more than tasting\u2014it was learning in its most immediate form: observing technique, understanding philosophy, and engaging directly with a master at work.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”1011788″ img_size=”600×641″ css_animation=”scaleOutIn” css=””][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text css=””]\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_row_inner gap=”25″][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]Riverside 2727: A Contemporary Counterpoint<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]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.<\/span><\/p>\n

A spring-themed afternoon tea captured this sensibility. Delicate pastries and composed sweets reflected the season through citrus brightness, floral nuances, and refined textures\u2014each piece balancing visual elegance with technical precision.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a different expression of craft\u2014less rooted in heritage, yet equally considered. Together, the two restaurants revealed the breadth of Shanghai\u2019s dining landscape: one grounded in legacy, the other in evolution.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”1011782″ img_size=”full” css_animation=”scaleOutIn” css=””][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text css=””]\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_row_inner gap=”25″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]Beyond Shanghai: Expanding the Culinary Lens<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]The journey extended into Ningbo, further widening the chefs\u2019 perspective. Across cities, they encountered a spectrum of culinary voices\u2014from 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each encounter reinforced a central truth: Chinese cuisine is not singular, but an expansive and evolving dialogue\u2014shaped by region, season, and the individuals who carry it forward.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”1011786″ img_size=”full” css_animation=”scaleOutIn” css=””][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]A Journey of Exchange\u2014and Understanding<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]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\u2014where hospitality, sense of place, and culinary exchange aligned with clarity.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Andersen Lee and Steven Che, this journey marked more than exploration. It was a meaningful exchange\u2014between continents, between generations, and between different interpretations of Chinese cuisine today.<\/span><\/p>\n

A reminder that to understand the future of Chinese gastronomy, one must experience it at its source\u2014through people, through place, and through the quiet mastery that defines it.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”1011820″ img_size=”full” css_animation=”scaleOutIn” css=””][vc_column_text css=””]\n

Chef Andersen Lee and Chef Steven Che visited Selection by Du\u2014the refined, award-winning Chaoshan restaurant in Shanghai founded by culinary figure Du Jian Qing\u2014where they met Executive Chef Lin Wen Da in his kitchen.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner gap=”25″][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]Taste City Series: Shanghai & Ningbo A Journey of Discovery and Exchange[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner gap=”25″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”1011783″ img_size=”full” css_animation=”scaleOutIn” css=””][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text css=””] 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. [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]2026. April […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1011762,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,3],"tags":[1616,1644,1280,1643,1623],"class_list":["post-1011779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-critics-insights","category-news","tag-asia","tag-award-winning-restaurants","tag-chinese-restaurant","tag-ningbo","tag-shanghai"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/stagingAUG2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1011779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/stagingAUG2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/stagingAUG2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/stagingAUG2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/stagingAUG2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1011779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/stagingAUG2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1011779\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/stagingAUG2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1011762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/stagingAUG2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1011779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/stagingAUG2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1011779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/stagingAUG2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1011779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}