About this place

 This is a true Chinese restaurant. Many say that the Chinese prefer a “bright and noisy” atmosphere for their restaurants, and this one fits the bill perfectly. Fortunately, the cuisine here is excellent, but its kind of hard to navigate, so be wary, and bring a translator if possible. After being seated on the second floor of the restaurant, guests then return to the first floor with their server to choose their dishes from the tanks of seafood and cases of vegetables and meat. With each selection the server will ask how you would like it to be prepared, which is why this restaurant is trickier than just any typical Chinese restaurant for foreigners.  Frankly, I find it difficult to choose how I want my fish to be prepared in English, much less Chinese.  Often they do supply a few sample choices. There were two choices for the preparation of the mussels, so I pointed at one – they were FANTASTIC, steamed with garlic and onion).  The best thing to do, however, is to go in with an idea of how you like your meal prepared and ask for it that way. The kitchen can do just about anything you want.  Otherwise a translator can ask what they recommend and help you choose on the spot. A few of the servers speak a little English, but don’t rely on them for too much. This seafood joint is also a great locale to experiment with interesting and unusual foods.  Just for the experience we tried the water bugs that looked like cockroaches when they were served. Personally, I was not really impressed, but for 15 Yuan for a batch of them, we can at least say we tried something new.  The really adventurous out there should go for a sea slug, frog or even snake (big ones).  Of the more standard fare, we had delicious shrimp (stir fried with garlic and a little spice), white fish (fried with a sweet and sour sauce), eggplant, and string beans.  A meal including beer for five of us cost 500 Yuan in total – a great deal for all the food we had on that table! I really enjoyed this restaurant. For those seeking a true Chinese dining experience, this place is ideal. How to get there: Unfortunately the restaurant is not near a subway, but it’s still an easy taxi ride down HuaiHai Road. It is about 10 minutes past XiangYang market and next door to the Shanghai Sculpture Space.