Ice lettuce and organic vegetables with fermented tofu dip.[Photo by Mike Peters/China Daily]

Michelin critics didn't give the restaurant a star but were obviously impressed: the 2017 guide for Shanghai awards it a Bib Gourmand, Michelin's salute to favorite eateries with food under 200 yuan. The reviewers clearly shared our enthusiasm for the crispy beef. And for the slow-cooked short ribs with orange marmalade. And for the eight-hour golden broth, so luxuriously silky that the tender morsels of seafood set afloat there are almost an afterthought (but a tasty one－we eat every bit).

We thought we were too full for dessert, especially a dim sum finale, but our host convinced us we should not miss the restaurant's signature "black gold egg". This steamed bun, colored by Japanese charcoal, streaked with gold and filled with a goose-egg yolk and rich custard, was so amazing that after one bite we ordered seconds.

Sometimes simplicity deserves a fancy touch.

If you go

From a Chinese Cookbook 5/F Wharf Warehouse No 2, 579 Waima Lu, Huangpu district, Shanghai. 021-6339-1188.