Encouraged by early autumn’s sporadic showers, mushrooms — different kinds from what you’d encounter in spring and summer — are bursting forth from the earth, and being foraged or farmed for nationwide enjoyment.
Whether you’re a mushroom enthusiast or simply looking to savour the season’s best, these Chinese eateries in Shanghai provide the perfect setting for unforgettable fall feasts.
Chimido Farm Restaurant
( 柴米多农场餐厅 )
📍 Wuzhong Market, 2/F, 318 Wulumuqi Middle Road, Xuhui
☎️ 021-64035700
Chimido, a farm-to-table restaurant from Yunnan, takes pride in bringing a taste of the mountains and fields to Shanghai.
Here, porcini mushrooms, which are part of fall’s earliest batch of mushrooms, are pan-fried with oil and sautéed with sliced garlic until fragrant. Qiubei peppers (the wrinkly green ones) are then added to the pan. High-temperature stir-frying locks in the natural flavour of the mushrooms, and makes them even plumper and smoother.
Save for a little salt, no other seasonings are added to the mushrooms — just as Yunnan locals like theirs.
Pan-fried porcini aside, Chaimiduo offers a wide range of mushroom dishes prepared in a wide variety of styles. Think matsutake ‘sashimi,’ porcini mushroom stew, ganba mushroom braised rice, cold hydrangea mushrooms with scallion oil, chicken soup with mushrooms, and more.
In & Out
( 一坐一忘云南菜 )
📍 150 Hubin Road, 3/F, Huangpu
☎️ 021-63332697
Mushroom season in China every fall is particularly exciting, as we are treated to a fantastic assortment of fungi: huitlacoche aka corn smut, chanterelles, old man of the woods, chicken of the woods, milk cap mushrooms, coral mushrooms, tiger palm mushrooms, and the list goes on...
Traveling from the mountains to the dining table, these ‘fun guys’ are delicious whether stir-fried or freshly stewed. Thanks to their natual umami quality, simple cooking techniques are enough to whet any appetite.
In Yunnan, stir-frying your precious haul from a successful foraging trip is considered a bit of a luxury; instead, soup is the best way to stretch out your mushrooms and to feed more mouths.
There are countless varieties of chicken and mushroom soup throughout China, but they mostly begin the same way: first, plump, free-range chicken is carefully selected and simmered for hours, bringing out every ounce of flavour from the bird.
At In & Out, the chicken and mushroom soup is not to be missed. Ladle a steaming mouthful of broth from the pot, take a careful sip, and allow the aroma of mushrooms to wash over your senses. Don’t forget to savour that first mouthful of mushrooms, letting their juices explore on your palate.
When frying fresh porcini mushrooms, the persistent Yunnan chef at this restaurant insists on using dry peppers from Qiubei or wrinkled peppers from Yuxi, which are said to bring out the best in the fungi.
We couldn’t bear to pair this dish with white rich, as its subtlety and elegance deserves singular appreciation!
Gui Hua Lou
( 桂花楼淮扬中餐厅 )
📍 Pudong Shangri-La, Shanghai 1/F, 33 Fucheng Road, Pudong
☎️ 021-28286888
A treasure in the culinary world since ancient times, mushrooms have a unique flavour and fragrance, and the brigade of chefs at Gui Hua Lou, a Huaiyang restaurant in the Pudong Shangri-La, Shanghai, sure know how to tease out these traits.
Fresh matsutake mushrooms are served chilled to preserve their natural umami quality and to maintain their delicate yet firm texture. The crisp and refreshing mushrooms are paired with the chefs’ secret sauce.
Also get the stir-fried pork with porcini mushrooms; the latter absorb the fat from the pork, becoming oilier and more tender, and making for a smooth and rich mouthfeel.
Meanwhile, fresh matsutake is turned into crispy tempura bites while remaining tender on the inside. Pair this with the accompanying seasoning powder spun out of minced garlic, scallops and black truffles.
MOOSE
( 鹿园MOOSE )
📍 Lane 119, 1 Xinhua Road, Changning
☎️ 021-62055058
The matsutake, sometimes dubbed the “King of Fungi,” is persnickety about its growing conditions, making them all the more coveted. Some liken its flavour to that of abalone and high-quality versions of the fungus can be eaten semi-raw as ‘sashimi’ — slices are flash-fried in tea oil to maintain their original flavour.
One of the best places in town to savour this delicacy is at Michelin-starred restaurant MOOSE.
The highly-acclaimed specialist in Huaiyang cuisine originally opened in Changning, expanded to Pudong, and has opened a third location in Jing’an, which speaks for its success.
Under Clouds
( 半山腰·云南菜 )
📍 S-L4-07, Taikoo Lishi District, Qiantan, Lane 500, Dongyu Road
☎️ 13062620331
As that old adage goes, what grows together goes together. And in Yunnan, wild mushrooms are often married with wrinkled peppers. Some even make it a ‘mé·nage à trois’ by adding Yunnan Nuodeng ham to the equation!
At Under Clouds, the classic combo of Yunnan wrinkled peppers and mushrooms is seen in a dish of braised rice with potatoes, where every grain of rice is permeated by the hot and rich aroma of the peppers and mushrooms.
Another fungus-based dish to try is the spicy Xinjiang fried ‘chicken fungus’ aka ‘chicken of the woods,’ which earned its common name for its textural resemblance to chicken.
Hong 0871
( 泓0871 )
📍 Shanghai Chengtou Holding, 5/F, 130 Wusong Road, Hongkou
☎️ 021-56776898
To quote verbatim the Michelin Guide’s listing for Hong 0871, “In Chinese, ‘Hong’ means vast and deep, aptly describing the menu and the Yunnanese food culture that the owner from Kunming wants to popularise. Over 90% of the ingredients ship from Yunnan and the mushroom feast [...] is especially spectacular.”
Diners are spoiled for choice when it comes to mushroom dishes here, but a must-try is jian shou qing. Although the mushroom has hallucinogenic properties, these are dispelled when cooked by skilled Chinese chefs, and the mushrooms’ rich, nutty flavour is second to none.
Complete your mushroom feast here with chicken of the woods that is hand-shredded and steamed with Yunnan specialty ham; Qingtoujun aka ‘green-headed mushrooms,’ which taste especially sweet when grilled over charcoal; and Ganba fungus stir-fried with peppers.
Written by: Jamie Zheng
Adapted by: Sammi Sowerby
All photos were sourced via the respective restaurants. This article is not to be replicated without prior consent.
