Formally operating under the banner of Tienmu's popular Fang's Restaurant (方家小館), Shanghai Story underwent refurbishment and renamed itself last February. The menu might have changed slightly, but the same fine quality food and excellent service it has offered customers for almost 18 years, thankfully, remains unchanged.
Located close to the busy intersection of Hsinyi and Fuhsing North roads, and with manager, Chen Tsai-fu (陳再復) -- who oversaw the kitchen at Fang's for almost 13 years -- at the helm, the eatery has already become the venue of choice for both office workers and neighborhood families looking for authentic Shanghai cuisine. "We changed the name and made a few alterations to the menu, but that was it," explained Chen. "Having built up a good reputation, there was little point in changing everything and having to start from scratch."
Sparsely, yet tastefully, decorated in a minimalist manner, what Shanghai Story lacks in decor it more than makes up for with its whopping 17-page menu: a menu that includes both typical Shanghai style dishes as well as some interesting local additions. A favorite with diners for nearly two decades, the joint's steamed dumplings (小籠包) (NT$100/160), shrimp and pork dumplings (蝦肉蒸餃) (NT$110/180) and the crab and pork dumplings (蟹黃小包) (NT$180/280) remain the restaurant's most popular dishes and a must-try for any first-time patron.
In what has become the restaurant's signature dish, the superior Shanghai-style rice (金牌 海菜飯) (NT$120), which, while for all purposes a side dish, is one that can serve as a meal. As the restaurant is named after the port city, no feast there would be complete without one of Shanghai Story's many fish dishes adorning the dinning table. Some of the tastiest and most succulent are braised yellow croaker (糖醋黃魚) (NT$420), which offers diners a mildly spicy kick, and the stewed yellow croaker (大蒜黃魚) (NT$420), a dish that while prepared in a garlic sauce, doesn't leave one with pungent breath.
Other popular marine dishes include pan fried eel (清炒鱔湖) (NT$328), and, although not to everyone's palate, the simmered fish head with brown sauce (紅燒下巴) (NT$120), which although somewhat tricky to eat, is still a true gastronomic delight.
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