JW MARRIOTT KUALA LUMPUR SHANGHAI RESTAURANT REVIEW

Hi guys! Today I'll be sharing all about my visit to JW Marriott KL's Shanghai Restaurant, as well as my review and thoughts on my dining experience.

Located in JW Marriott (across Pavilion), Shanghai has been a popular restaurant in KL for more than two decades now. Serving over 200 exquisite Shanghainese classics and dimsum, they have a reputation for being one of the best spots for authentic Chinese cuisine in town.

Address:
183, Bukit Bintang St, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur

Opening Hours:
 Lunch:

Tuesday to Saturday: 12pm - 2.30pm

Sunday & Public Holidays: 10.30am - 2.30pm

Dinner:
Tuesday to Sunday: 6pm - 10pm

Reservations required
018-591 8537

They're only open from 12pm-3pm, and even though I arrived at 12pm sharp, the place was already quite packed. I didn't get many photos of the space, but here's a quick phone snap I took on my way out:

They were kind enough to let me use one of the main table for shots, and if you're coming with a group of around 4-5 people, I recommend trying to reserve this table:

However, if you're only a group of two people (like me and my friend that day), I highly recommend booking a table by their instagrammable wall decor:

Didn't get to see much of the private rooms as they were occupied, but if you'd like some privacy, I recommend booking one. As Shanghai is quite popular with families, having your meal inside the rooms away from crying children might make for a better dining experience.

From my understanding, they previously had sets. However, during my visit they only had ala-carte items. To view their current menu, click here.

Do note that Shanghai serves pork in their menu and is not halal.

Considering their reputation and that this is a hotel restaurant, I was actually quite surprised how nicely priced their dimsum prices were. In my opinion they were okay, and our entire order of 10 dishes and 2 desserts amounted to RM336. For 2 pax it was a hearty lunch, but I think for 3 pax it would still be quite filling.

Now, let's get on with my thoughts on the dishes!

上海小籠包

Steamed Shanghainese Meat Dumplings • RM25 for 3 pieces

A must-have at any dimsum or Chinese restaurant, their xiaolongbao was nice and hearty. The flavour was good and the soup was contained nicely in the dumpling skin. They sell a set of 3 in a basket, but for our table of 2, they recommended getting an extra one (not exactly sure how they calculated it) so that we could each have 2 pieces.

鱈魚鵝肝醬蝦多士

Deep-fried French Goose Liver Wrapped in Cod • RM30

This was quite unexpected as it only came with one piece, but I think it'se definitely something to try. It contains foie gras and although the flavour was quite strong, it only kicked in a while after I started chewing. This might not be for everyone, but if you're sharing, I think it's a nice conversational piece.

莱脯炒香芋糕

Stir-fried Yam Cake with Preserved Vegetable • RM20

A personal dimsum fave of mine is fried yam cake, and Shanghai did not disappoint. I particularly liked how theirs wasn't too oily, and I love how their chilli sauce didn't taste too spicy.  

蝦餃

Steamed Prawn Dumplings • RM18

The hargaw was a delight as the prawns were nice and juicy. Looking back I should have asked for some soysauce since I usually enjoy my hargaw like that, but it tasted so nice that it didn't even cross my mind at the moment haha.

鮮蝦肉燒賣

Steamed Pork Dumplings • RM18

Another crowd fave, xiumai is a staple when having dimsum. Their xiumai was good, and it was tempting to order another basket.

海味灌湯餃

Double-boiled Soup with Seafood Ravioli • RM58

The priciest thing that we ordered, we actually got one each to try. It contains one big dumpling per serving, and inside it contains lots of goodies. I think if you're someone who enjoys hearty soups, this is definitely a must-try.

生煎包

Pan-fried Meat Buns • RM25

I was quite surprised with this because the pan-fried bottom of these buns were nice and crispy. They added a nice texture to the buns, and I feel like they elevated the buns so much. I really enjoyed these, and I think it was one of my fave dishes that day.

上海包

Steamed Barbecued Pork Buns • RM18

These are actually just pork/charsiew buns, but something different with these is that the filling is slightly redder than how normal charsiew buns here in Malaysia are. They tasted fine for me, not particularly spectacular nor bad. Just nice and homey.

擔擔麵

Noodle Soup with Minced Pork and Peanut Sauce • RM28

We ordered this as per my friend's suggestion, and I think it was such a good choice! The peanuty flavour mixed really well with the soup and the sauce, and it had the perfect kick of spiciness to complement the overall flavour.

桂花杞子糕

Chilled Osmanthus Cake with Wolfberry • RM20 3 pieces

To end our meal, we decided to order light and refreshing desserts. This one in particular stood out because of their use of osmanthus flowers, and I think it's quite nice. It's not sweet and has a more "tea" kind of flavour. It actually went well with our pu-erh tea.

凍杏仁豆腐

Chilled Almond Bean Curd with Assorted Fruits • RM18

Sweet and refreshing, this bowl of taufufa and fruits was the perfect end to our meal. I just feel like it cleansed our palettes, and the fruits' natural sweetness complemented the taufufa well.

Overall I really enjoyed my meal at Shanghai! We arrived at 12pm and left around 2.30 (near their closing time), so I think it would be best to make a reservation for 12 so you can fully enjoy your dining experience.

For the food, I feel like nothing was bad. I would say my least ranked ones are only least ranked because the others tasted amazing. Overall the quality of the food was great, and the waiting time for the dishes to come out wasn't bad as well.

Like I said, price-wise it wasn't bad considering it's hotel dining and the restaurant has quite the reputation. At around RM336 for food and RM10 each for tea, each pax (in our group of two) cost RM178. For 11 dishes that were all good, I think that's quite worth it.

And that's it for this post! I hope you guys found it helpful and informative. 

See y'all in my next post!