Jishi or Jesse

The original Jesse. Not New Jesse. Just Jishi (the sign outside says Jesse) or "Old Jesse." The small restaurant split on two low-ceiling levels is famous for its Shanghainese food. After reading so much about it, I finally was able to make reservations at the original location. There were two seatings and we opted for the later one at 19:30. Upon arrival, we were asked to wait a moment before our party of four was crammed into a corner table on the second floor surrounded by tables holding larger parties.

The menu has a poor English translation and could use a pinyin one as well, which could help food travelers pick out the dishes that they hear about. Regardless, the server is able to recommend popular Shanghainese dishes, most of which sat on every table in the restaurant.

The first cold starter was mixed mushrooms and shredded tofu. The tofu had a wonderful, almost meaty texture and hid the the mushrooms hiding underneath in a bath of vinegar and light oil. The dish was light and very satisfying.


This was followed by cold chicken, which was extremely tender and moist, maintaining a subtle, although not bland flavor.


Then came the dates with glutinous rice. This is classically Shanghainese being subtley sweet, yet savory. It was a sweet contrast to the cold chicken and more salty shredded tofu.


The best part of the meal was the Hong Shou Rou or red-braised pork belly. The sauce was thick and sweet with mild caramelization. This is Mao's favorite dish and tasting it, you know why. Bowls of rice where ordered to soak up the sweet and savory sauce the pork meat was stewing in. This is the one of the best hongshourou dishes I have tried, especially since the sauce was thick and dark as well as not being so oily as other versions.


It seemed like the same sauce was used in the Jishi fish, which was charged for per jin or 500 grams. The fish was not overcooked, still tender and moist. The disappointing factor was that the sauce was too similar to that of the hongshourou, which would have otherwise expanded the flavor palette of the night.


The meal was rounded off with some basic stir-fried greens, which were not as exciting nor common as the watercress. Unfortunately for the small table of non-native speakers, the proper name was not remembered at the time of ordering. We also missed out on the river shrimp. But there will always be a next time.

To be honest, I am not sure if they add MSG to the dishes, which most restaurants in China do, but each bite was totally addictive and you cannot help but serve yourself one more small bite. Old Jesse was absolutely amazing, especially if you want a Shanghainese gastronomic experience. It is not the fanciest sit-down restaurant, but the original Jesse is dependable for excellent, affordable Shanghainese food.

Jesse Restaurant. 41 Tianping Road (Middle Huaihai Road) 天平路41号 (近淮海中路), Shanghai, People's Republic of China..