When late spring brings you to Shanghai, you should always save one dinner for Jin Lin by the Bund. Tucked inside Regent Shanghai on the Bund, this restaurant offers an elegant view directly facing the Huangpu River, weaving the flowing lights of the Bund and the silhouette of its international architecture into a gentle interpretation of Cantonese craftsmanship and Eastern grace.
The Signature Five Appetiser Platter sets the stage for this feast with a richly layered opening. Five cold dishes, each with its own character, come together in perfect balance—fresh, fragrant, mildly numbing, sweet, and refreshing. The delicate crabmeat, the savoury yellow fish rolls, the crisp chill of jade pear, the bouncy shrimp, and the crunchy white radish—every bite reflects the chef’s precise command of ingredients, quietly awakening the palate’s full expectations.
Char siu paired with crispy roast pork is the very foundation of Cantonese barbecue. The black pork char siu carries a rich yet elegant fragrance. Served warm, it is sweet without being cloying, its generous flavour lingering on the lips and teeth. Meanwhile, the roast pork crackles audibly with each bite, while the meat inside remains perfectly juicy. Between the crispness and the tenderness lies the most authentic Cantonese soul.
A clay pot of double‑boiled clear chicken broth with gorgon fruit and cabbage looks deceptively homely, yet it holds the essence of Cantonese cuisine. Slowly simmered with aged chicken, the broth is crystal clear. The creamy gorgon fruit and the natural sweetness of the cabbage unfold gently within—clean, never cloying; nourishing, yet light. It is like a soft rain in late spring, gently soothing the stomach and quietly preparing the way for the meal’s main event.
The highlight is Jin Lin’s signature pigeon leg stuffed with abalone, also the restaurant’s crowning glory. The chef debones a pigeon leg and stuffs a whole fresh abalone inside. The pigeon skin shatters at the first bite, while the meat within remains succulent and tender. The braised abalone, rich and creamy, releases its savoury aroma in layers. With one bite, the fragrance of roasted fat and abalone bloom on the palate—a stunning collision of tradition and ingenuity.
When the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Cantonese‑style rice arrives, the meal has already reached its peak. The rich broth, deep with the umami of seafood and mushrooms, is poured over separate, plump grains of rice, each kernel coated in a velvety, collagen‑rich texture—fragrant, sticky, and deeply savoury. The chef has thoughtfully replaced the usual abalone with a single quail egg, both to avoid repeating the flavour of the earlier dish and to lend the rice a fuller, rounder fragrance.
