The Hut 食庐 @ Shanghai

The Hut is not Pizza Hut. The Hut is a great place to sample local Shanghainese and Huaiyang dishes in Hongqiao, Shanghai.

Appetisers 前菜/凉菜

香菜干丝 shredded bean curd with parsley

Every table came with the “complimentary” appetiser. Just like the otoshi in Izakaya, this is already counted in the tea fee per person in the bill. And unlike in Singapore, you cannot reject this item in Shanghai – it is customary for you to accept this, just like the otoshi. But actually it was quite nice, with a fragrance of sesame oil and parsley.

Four Cold Dishes 凉菜四品

While the pickled cucumber was nothing to shout about, the smoked pomfret was good. The cut of the fish did not have any bones and the fish still tender and moist.

However the salted chicken was dry, and for Western friends not familiar with cold chicken, this is not a fine example of cold chicken. The garlic and ginger eggplant was surprising good.

嫩瓜蚌仔 geoduck clam with loofah

At first I thought it was pig skin. Then I realised it was geoduck clams. Interesting warm dish, first time I had this combination.

淮扬软兜 sautéed eel with garlic and soy sauce

This is a classic Huaiyang dish. Eels from the rice fields are deboned expertly and stir-fry in heavy soy sauce and top with raw garlic, and then topped with a ladle of boiling oil to caramelise the sauce and bring out the fragrance of the garlic.

Here it is served with flour pancake, thin like crepes but tasteless. It helps to reduce the saltiness, sweetness and oiliness of this dish.

虎椒小牛排 black pepper beef short ribs with jalapeño peppers

I can only say I had better example of this dish.

酸辣翅胶黄鱼 sour and spicy yellow croaker in superior stock

No exactly the Sichuan sour and spicy fish, this is rather appetising and the stock is fantastic with rice.

海带芝麻鸡 sesame chicken with seaweed

The colour gamut is off in this photo, but it is a delicious sesame chicken. Again I have never tasted this combination, and it works perfectly. Maybe I should try making this dish at home.

荠菜黄鱼羹 Shepherd’s Purse Soup with Yellow Fish

This is a classic Shanghainese dish, with slices of yellow croaker, tofu and Shepherd’s Purse (a locally grown herb/vegetable) in a thick stock. The umami from the fish carries the herby taste of the vegetable to give the smooth tofu another dimension.

清炒时蔬 sautéed vegetable

Again I apologise that the colour gamut is off. Looks tired.

上海炒面 Shanghai fried noodles

And we round off with a breakfast favourite, the Shanghainese fried noodle. Nothing was left in a matter of seconds.

The Hut was voted one of the best restaurants in Shanghai in 2020 by the local food directory – a Black Diamond award which is equivalent of a Michelin star. I can say the food was good, the presentation was good, the portion was sufficient, but they need to improve on the service. We have a private room for lunch and there’s no one in the room to serve us. In the end we had to pour our own drinks and shout out to the main hall for service. Annoying.

The Hut 食庐（南丰城）
NL603 North Section of Hongqiao Nanfengcheng, No.150 Zunyi Road, Changning District, Shanghai China
Tel： +86 21 6273 3085

Date Visited : Mar 2016