Rantei 蘭亭 @ Shanghai

Last meal before leaving for the airport and Princess picked this Japanese restaurant that just opened below our hotel in Shanghai along Dingxi Road.

Opened in Dec 2025, this is the latest change along Dingxi Road, when the restaurants are changing as often as a Shanghai lady changes her fashion. Rantei offers fresh fish from the fishery ports around Shanghai, and they get their supplies on a daily basis, so you need to check what’s on offer. In the evening, they offer Robatayaki, which they grill these delicious seafood around red hot binchotan stacked on a hearth.

Usually we would sit at the counter, but since the hearth was not operational during lunch service, we took one of the tables instead.

Halfbeak Sashimi 针鱼刺身

Another original Edo period neta, sayori 針魚 used to always be salted and lightly marinated in vinegar, as otherwise it would quickly develop a strong, unpleasant smell. It is a beautiful, long, and slender fish with an elongated lower jaw and delicate, almost transparent flesh. It begins to appear on menus in the late fall, and peaks in quality in the early spring. Halfbeak’s clean, delicate taste was a good start for the meal. However, it lacked the unique aroma that you get from the Japanese variety vs this locally sourced fish.

Grilled Gyutan 烤牛舌

Sendai is famous for gyutan (beef tongue) cuisine. Gyutan-yaki (grilled beef tongue) is said to have been born in Sendai after World War II.

Grilled Zucchini with Mentaiko 烤明太子西葫芦

We had a disappoint version at a very good yakitori restaurant at the beginning of the trip. Princess decided to give this another try before leaving Shanghai. Luckily it turned out to be ok. The sauce was thicker and caramelised properly with the torching.

Beef Intestines Casserole 牛肠锅

One of my favourite izakaya staple especially after a long night of drinking – the beef intestine casserole or motsunable モツ鍋. ‘Motsu’ is actually a colloquial term for an animal’s internal organs and offal which could be anything from liver, heart and lung to skin, cartilage and feet. But the beef small intestines is the main ingredient here as it is not as musky as the rest of the offals. And unlike the one from Akatsuki, they did put in the garlic chives (nira ニラ).

As the gas burner did its thing, the aromas of the soy and dashi broth began to rise, tantalising our noses. You need to have patience and leave the casserole to do its thing. The intestines would only be ready until the end of the meal, when they are properly simmered and incorporated the flavours of the ingredients in the casserole. I sipped the broth and tasted the greens. Sweet, spicy, garlicky. The intestine was soft and spongy and fatty, but fat is flavour.

Horse Sashimi 马肉刺身

馬刺し Basashi is an acquired taste. Compared to beef, it is low in calories and high in protein, and is known as a healthy food rich in iron and vitamins. Condiments that eliminate any unpleasant odour while enhancing the meat’s flavour are essential. Ginger is the most classic condiment, it leaves a refreshing aftertaste. Garlic pairs perfectly with soy sauce, allowing you to enjoy a punchy flavour. However they forgot the onions and Japanese ginger (みょうが myoga).

Threadfin in Three Ways 马友鱼三吃

These are locally sourced threadfin and usually we would steamed and chilled it in Teochew cuisine as one of the staple “fish rice” (鱼饭) choices. I have not seen this done any other way as threadfin does not hold well out of water. Today, it was available and can be prepared in three ways – sashimi, sushi and grilled.

Threadfin sashimi, known in Japan as itoyori イトヨリ, features a delicate, lean, and subtly sweet white flesh. Because the fish is highly perishable, it is prized as a premium seasonal delicacy often flown in directly from Japan’s fish markets for upscale omakase dining.

Given that there were only two of us and we had a lot to eat already, they prepared only four pieces of sushi. These were competently made sushi, the shari was of the right temperature and texture, and the fish was sliced just right for sushi.

Half of the fish was grilled with salt, the fats under the skin rendered beautifully to produce a very fragrant wonderful piece of grilled fillet.

Deep Fried Chicken Skin with Yuzu Dressing 柚子醋鸡皮

And one fried food before leaving for the airport. The chicken skin tasted like original recipe KFC and was slightly soggy from the yuzu dressing.

We have found a nice place to eat Japanese in Shanghai. The food was good, and the service was good. But the price was a bit steep for lunch, but given the quality of the catch, it was IMHO a good value.

Rantei Izakaya Robata 兰亭海钓居酒屋·炉端烧
H105, No. 1525 Dingxi Road, Shanghai 定西路1525号h105
Tel : +86 21 51721190

Visited Apr 2026