Papa’s Kitchen 親父の右腕 @ Shanghai

Times are bad, and people are not going out for meals as often. That’s how I managed to score a seat in this uber-popular izakaya in Shanghai.

Papa’s Kitchen 親父の右腕 (lit. “father’s right wrist”) was always full, and they would not release tables for single diners in the past for dinner reservations. I had wanted to try their dinner menu, having only tried their lunch sets.

I decided to try my luck this evening, given that it’s already 8pm and past the peak hour. The entire counter was empty, and there were still table space around. I promptly took my seat at the counter and ordered my namabiru.

After I placed my order, I settled down with my cold beer and looked around. This evening was not crazy crowded. The main hall had several tables empty, and the counter was generally unoccupied. Only the private rooms were occupied by diners that had been there for some time.

In Shanghai, most izakayas do not charge an otoshi (cover). So I ordered a small appetiser to start the meal.

As this is an izakaya 居酒屋, yakitori is always available. I ordered a series of chicken internal organs which were okay, but not surprisingly good. There’s a yakitori-ya just next door which served much better ones.

Oden is a Japanese winter dish, a one-pot simmered stew featuring various ingredients like fish cakes, vegetables, and eggs, cooked in a light, soy-flavored dashi broth. Comfort food, something I enjoy a lot especially when I am dining alone. Picked a couple of my favourites – ganmodoki, konnyaku, daikon – and asked for a couple of rounds of top-up of the dashi. Warm and satisfying.

Next up, a trio of sashimi a la carte – local uni (sea urchin), botan ebi (botan shrimp) and hamachi (yellowtail).

Not wanting to return to the empty hotel room, I ordered a serving of roasted ginkgo nuts and enjoyed my beer and Chinese streaming series. It was a quiet evening, and the counter staff told me it had been like this for quite some time, as it was quite obvious the Japanese expat community has been shrinking and the locals are not spending more.

And this was my favourite for the evening – thick slices of gyutan (cow tongue) grilled on a hot stone. Crunchy, delicious.

Usually on a busy evening, they would not do this. This is the shrimp head that was stuffed with sushi rice and grilled on the charcoal. Smokey, crispy, delicious.

And to round up the evening, a nice cold dessert. I usually skipped this but something caught my eye – matcha annin tofu 抹茶杏仁豆腐 in soy bean milk 豆乳. Almond jelly in Japan is very different; they are made with apricot kernel instead of almond. Nice.

I don’t know why it was so popular, perhaps it was the atmosphere, perhaps it was the hype as it was featured in the social media so often. Definitely not the food or the service.

Papa’s Kitchen 親父の右腕 呑み食い処
上海市长宁区汇川路174号玫瑰坊1楼33号
Tel : +86 (021) 6257 8612

Visited Apr 2025