Spice It Up with Shanghai’s Best Kimchi Fried Rice
This short article is from the June 16-29 City Weekend print magazine, page 41. Here is the link to the online version. Stay tuned for full write-ups about each restaurant.
Got a craving for some Korean? We sent one of our hungry food bloggers out into Shanghai to find the city’s best kimchi fried rice. Check them out below.
Annion Kitchen - No. 37, Jiashan Market, Lane 550 Shaanxi Nan Lu, near Shaoxing Lu 陕西南路550弄37号嘉善市场, 近绍兴路 3428-1855
Annion Kitchen | Korean Annion Kitchen’s kimchi fried rice (RMB40) combines both presentation and simplicity. The Yoon brothers who run this cozy spot bring bright flavors and heartiness using their grandmother’s recipe, and even without the usual fried egg or meat, this dish makes mouths salivate. Non-Koreans will definitely enjoy this interpretation of the old standard, and traditionalists who find it slightly too tame can always kick things up a notch and ask for it to be made super spicy. The dish is a great side to their bulgogi (marinated beef) and spicy bibim rice.
Bawubawu 巴屋巴屋 - Rm. 17, 1051 Hongquan Lu, near Hongxin Lu 虹泉路1051号17屋, 近虹莘路 3453-0720
Bawubawu 巴屋巴屋 | Korean One of the better and more traditional kimchi fried rice dishes (RMB30) is found in this hidden Korean enclave in Minhang. You may think after your first bite that this dish is too spicy or even too greasy, but that’s the way it ought to be. The runny yolk from the over-easy egg melds with the grease from the pork lard, which lusciously cakes together each bite. This kimchi fried rice is our personal favorite, and it’s especially good with their tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) or budaejeongol (stewed casserole).
Mapuwu 马普乌 - 1/F, Peace Square, 12-20 Shuicheng Lu, near Hongqiao Lu 水城路12-20号和平广场1楼, 近虹桥路 6209-9849
Mapuwu 马普乌 | Korean The hearty kimchi fried rice (RMB30) at Mapawu is a boozer’s best friend–it’s best enjoyed at the end of a late-night drinking binge. Not overly greasy or overpoweringly spicy, this one really brings out the taste of the kimchi, pork, egg, and spices. You could almost say that it’s just spicy fried rice with some kimchi. This hole-in-the-wall restaurant is open from 8am until really, really late and is a typical Korean shikdang, so it’s also got great seolleongtang (beef soup), sundubu jjigae (tofu stew), and kimchijeon (kimchi pancakes).
