With autumn upon us, restaurants unveil special dishes

When the temperature dips, it is high time to reserve yang (hot) energy for winter. Why not take a leisurely stroll to these restaurants and try some new autumn dishes?

Shanghai Tang

The new menu adds a bit of "autumn luxury" to your palate, and the place is also a perfect spot to catch up with friends while enjoying an enchanting view of the Bund.

Start with a cold dish such as lotus root cake topped with sweet osmanthus crisp, yellow croaker in fried bean curd roll, eggplants topped with shredded macadamia nuts and sliced mushrooms topped with fish floss. Of note, the chef balances the homemade sauce and the ingredients to help open the appetite. The fresh tastes make you feel the harvest of the season.

As for the soup, the oyster and mutton consommé is one of the recommendations. The chef uses the lamb chops of black goats weighing about 25-30 kilograms from Hunan Province and oysters from Shandong Province.

You won't miss the chance to try the wok-fried eel fish and bullfrogs. The fresh eels are preserved in homemade sauce and fried with chopped scallions. The crispy skin and tender meat will not disappoint you. Moreover, the leeks can give an extra surprise. Also, the braised fish roe and tofu pot and steamed grouper topped with preserved yellow peppers are also very popular.

And of course no meal can be complete without dessert, Shanghai Tang brings you a custard topped with goji berries and bird nest. This fresh taste and worry-free dessert contains less sugar. Such a perfect sweet treat for this delightful season.

Hours: 11am-2pm, 5-9:30pm

Address: 5/F, Bldg N3, 600 Zhongshan Rd E2

中山东二路600号3幢5楼

Tel: 6378-7777

Lin Jiang Yan Yun

This Chaoshan-style cuisine restaurant near the Gongping Road Ferry Pier in downtown Hongkou District enjoys magnificent view of the Bund. It features mild, delicate flavors and emphasizes fresh ingredients, especially the umami seafood indulgence. The place is perfect for business dinner and family reunion.

Drawing inspiration from the seasonal produce, the steamed sea crab, braised pigeons with citronella and the fried sea cucumber are signature dishes. A highlight is the clam soup topped with nori from Chaoshan area in Guangdong Province.

Hours: 11am-2pm, 5-9pm

Address: 8 Gongping Rd

公平路8号

Tel: 5606-3777

Tang Hui

At the CITIC Square on Nanjing Road W., the restaurant also features Chaoshan-style cuisine. The outdoor terrace is an ideal place to enjoy a seasonal dish or a set of afternoon tea during this nice temperture.

As for the main dishes, the diaolong (the meat on the back of the beef which is usually the prime cuts of rib-eye or sirloin) in homemade shachajiang, an adapted version of the satay from Southeast Asia, is recommended. The shredded ginger and cilantro adds new taste to the sauce which is rich in flavor with a hint of sweetness and freshness, and it complements the fresh beef very well.

Moreover, the abalone shaomai (unsealed emerald-green dumplings) filled with local preserved cabbage and sweet bamboo shoots is very popular.

Hours: 11am-2pm, 5-9:30pm

Address: 4/F, 1168 Nanjing Rd W.

南京西路1168号4楼

Tel: 6380-3777

Ramen House Konjiki Hototogisu

Founded in 2006 in Tokyo, this ramen house at IFC mall in the Pudong New Area offers a signature clam soup ramen and pork broth ramen, topped with truffle sauce as well as porcini oil and flakes for that bold umami punch.

For this season, the chef brings the new crab soup ramen, garnished with fresh crab oil, sour cream sauce, arugula and slow-cooked chashao (barbecued pork). In addition, the broth has been simmered with a combination of chicken and crab, but what sets this dish apart is the magic flavor that the crab oil brings to the ramen.

Also, you can try the fried dumplings stuffed with crab meat and pork.

Hours: 2:30-5pm

Address: LG1/F, 8 Shiji Ave

世纪大道8号LG1层

Tel: 6890-6268

RIVIERA

Embedded by the Jinling Road E. pier, RIVIERA enjoys a great view of Huangpu River and serves up a generous selection of crab this season. The chef chooses the male hairy crabs weighing 225 grams and female ones weighing 175 grams from Suzhou's renown Yangcheng Lake.

To awaken your taste buds, the menu starts off with the crab jelly in Chinese wine topped with sea urchin. As for the main courses, the crab roe and taro pottage topped with sea cucumber and the deep-fried oyster with crab roe sauce are extremely popular among gourmet foodies.

For the comfort food lovers, the rice pot topped with braised crab roe and fish lips is sure to fulfill and satisfy your stomach.

Hours: 11:30am-1:30pm, 5-9pm

Address: 505 Zhongshan Rd E2

中山东二路505号

Tel: 3331-3777

Fan Ba Tuo

This newly opened Sichuan cuisine restaurant in the downtown area attracts lots of people because of its authentic food and reasonable prices. The name of the restaurant is derived from the Chongqing dialect, which describes a person who has a large appetite.

As one of the signature dishes, the classic suanni bairou, white meat in garlic paste sauce, is served chilled as a starter and is a definite crowd pleaser. Also, the pork feet soup with soybeans and steamed pork chop with glutinous rice has a warming flavor to comfort the stomach.

Hours: 11am-10pm

Address: 650 Hankou Rd

汉口路650号

Tel: 1338-1701-350