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Teochew cuisine shines brighter than tacky interior
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CHAO Hui is a jewel on the Bund that it calls home.
Opposite the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund, the Teochew cuisine (Chaozhou) restaurant offers delicate, heartwarming and delightful offerings regardless of its rather tacky interior.
The space on Sichuan Road M. used to house premium Spanish restaurant Sabor. But soon after the team left, Leo Dai took over the place and turned it into a 200-seat restaurant specializing in Teochew delicacies.
The decorations are typically Chinese, with bright lighting and round tables, yet the moment you start the food journey, you simply ignore the noisy surroundings.
Teochew cuisine originates from the Chaoshan region in the eastern part of Guangdong Province and the cuisine is pretty unique to the area. It’s generally more delicate, focusing on mostly fresh ingredients for flavor and bears more similarities to that of Fujian cuisine.
Dai has invited chefs from all over the region to cook at Chao Hui — a testament to the restaurant’s commitment to authenticity. Dai personally twists traditional recipes to ensure dishes remain true to Teochew heritage, which is more appealing to local diners. Most dishes here stand out for their delicate simplicity and surprising depth.
Teochew braised meat represents the soul of the local cooking method. Local chefs are well known for their skills in preparing braised food and it often yields a juicy and flavorful result.
Start the dinner with their excellent braised pig’s intestine, goose head and homemade turnip. Most of the cold dishes are served with a garlic and vinegar dip, to give the perfect “kick” to your taste buds.
Teochew-style duck feet with peanuts, coriander, onion and garlic is another good pick, pleasing in color and flavor. It opened up the appetite with the generous use of coriander and garlic.
The dinner was followed by stewed bean curd with meats, shrimps and mushrooms. The bean curd texture was smooth and creamy to the touch. It soaks up the flavorsome gravy without overpowering its original taste.
Oyster pancake is another notable dish from the region, similar to the more widely known Taiwanese oyster omelette.
They look quite alike but the proportion of batter and egg varies in the two dishes. Here, duck egg is used instead of chicken egg to give a more enhanced flavor. Dry and crispy with a bit of chew is the golden standard for a good pancake. It’s served with Teochew fish sauce to highlight the umami of oyster.
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