South Beauty (Qiao Jiang Nan)
just east of Tongren Lu
Cuisines: Chinese, Asian
About
There are five South Beauty locations around town, but this one in an old financier's mansion off the old Avenue Edward VII (today's Yan'an Lu) gets raves for its glamorous ambience. Given a contemporary makeover complete with Chinese motifs, lattice paneling, and wooden floors, the restaurant is huge, with a lounge, bar, cigar room, and different dining areas including a patio that can be quite romantic at night. The food is not excessively spicy here, perhaps to accommodate local and expatriate tastes, but you can always request them to jia la (pile on the spicy). Start with the Four Seasons Cold Dish Platter where you can select four appetizers from a wide range of choices; graduate to the Australian Beef Tender in Hot Oil with Stones (tender and succulent as the name suggests), and the delicious Lan Style Spare Ribs with Chili and Spices. Save room for the dan-dan noodles in spicy peanut sauce. I found the staff to be attentive and efficient, but there have been occasional complaints of poor service.
