Fu 1039

About

Hidden away in a dark alley off of Yu Yuan Road in Shanghai’s French Concession, you might have trouble finding your way there, but the majestic restaurant is definitely a sight to behold when you find it. Fu 1039 is set in a beautiful 3-storey villa from the 1920s, bringing an air of elegance to this acclaimed restaurant.

Unlike the more modern fare served at sister restaurants Fu 1088 and 1015, Fu 1039 has gone all in on authentic, traditional Shanghainese food prepared and presented in an elegant manner. The food is delicious and classy, yet still super affordable—especially for a restaurant featured in both the 2018 and 2019 Michelin Guides!

The smoked fish was one of our favourite dishes we got to try at Fu 1039. It was wonderfully crisp with just the right amount of smokiness. Some of their other specialties are their succulent, melt-in-the-mouth stewed pork in sweet soy sauce, and their mini eight treasure rice (made with a variety of nuts, dried fruit and different types of rice) served with walnut cream.

Another standout dish was their marinated free range chicken served with shaved frozen Shaoxing rice wine, and their deep-fried Mandarin fish served with pine nuts, peas and river shrimp in a rich sweet and sour tomato sauce. We also enjoyed the herbal “gui lin gao” jelly with coconut juice as a refreshing dessert after the bold, flavoursome mains.