The F&B scene in Shanghai is undergoing a reformation, moving away from fancy eateries targeting at middle-upper class to quick, value-for-money good eats for everyone.
Wangfugui Seafood Hotpot 王富贵海鲜排档火锅 took over the entire space of a high-end restaurant on the top floor of Longemont Shopping Mall in Zhongshan Park, Shanghai. But instead of making the decor of the place fanciful, the owner stripped everything off and leave the interior as spartan as possible.
In its place, cheap tables and chairs that seem to be part of a local street market, not a restaurant in a shopping mall. The false ceiling has been removed to give the whole place an industrial feel. No private rooms, no expensive paintings, just a ceiling overflowing with hanging slogans. And lighting? So bright that nothing is left to imagination.
Before you think that price and quality do not match each other, think again. The selection of seafood and other hotpot favourites would dazzle you and everything is RMB 15 (~USD 2) or less.
The only catch? You have to join their membership (which is free) but adding your contact information in their WeChat mini app. Otherwise, you pay RMB 22 for the stainless steel plates, RMB 15 for the red ones, RMB 10 for yellow, RMB 5 for green.
You might think they would make their profit from the drinks and liquor. Even the drinks in this hotpot restaurant were at supermarket prices.
As we brought the plates of ingredients to our table, our waiter was quick to tell us not to take too much as we cannot return once we put them on our table. This is for hygiene purposes as these raw food does not keep well once they are taken out of refrigeration.
Everyone has a pot of stock of your own, so everything is very hygienic – you do not need to share saliva with your colleagues and friends. And hotpot is always a fun meal.
Some seafood like these marsh shrimps and clams were still alive when we took them from the refrigeration. That’s freshness for only RMB 15 per plate.
The waiter said that these amazingly huge Shandong Rushan oysters 乳山大生蚝 can be eaten raw, but I will not risk it with food safety in China. Given their size, they didn’t shrink too much after boiling in the stock until cooked.
The condiments were self-service, and the choices of condiments can be compared to Haidilao. The waiters were very quick to clear the shells and bones from your table, leaving behind the plates for counting at the end of the meal.
I don’t think this type of hotpot concept will come to Singapore as the price of seafood cannot reach that level (for that quality.) But this concept has sparked a flurry of copycats for other food types, but nothing has really taken on. Will definitely come back when I am in Shanghai, and look closer at the business model.
Wangfugui Seafood Hotpot 王富贵火锅 (中山公园店)
9th Floor, Yellow Atrium, Longemont Shopping Centre, No. 1018 Changning Road, Changning District 长宁区长宁路1018号龙之梦购物中心黄中庭9楼
Tel : +86 18916162530
Visited Mar 2025
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