Deng Huadong's Two Restaurants: Grand Spread at Nanxing Yuan, True Sichuan Flavor at Deng Ji Shi Yuan

A Sichuan chef who once cooked for Joël Robuchon turning around to open a small joint averaging 200 RMB a head — that alone is worth an article. Deng Huadong is the head chef at Nanxing Yuan, a Black Pearl-listed, Michelin Guide restaurant on Huaihai Road, known for its refined southern-style banquet cuisine, where a table can run 1500 RMB per person. Deng Ji Shi Yuan is his other side — same hands, price slashed to roughly an eighth.

Deng Ji Shi Yuan was originally on Dingxi Road and closed in 2017, but Shanghai's Sichuan food crowd never forgot it. In September 2025, it reopened on the second floor of Jing'an PAC. The location changed; the cooking didn't.

Deng Huadong is from Sichuan, with over forty years in the trade, cooking his way from Chengdu to Shanghai to Hong Kong — a résumé that includes a stint cooking for Robuchon. These days he's best known as head chef at Nanxing Yuan, where the southern-style menu is formal, multi-course, and built for grandeur, deliberately breaking away from the outside world's assumption that Sichuan food is "just spicy." Deng Ji Shi Yuan is the everyday version of that same approach: Jiangsu-Zhejiang ingredients paired with Sichuan technique, where flavor doesn't lean on numbing spice alone — sweet, sour, fragrant, and mala all get their place.

From Mala Beef Tail Bamboo Shoots to Dan Dan Noodles

The first dish out, mala beef tail bamboo shoots (¥48), looks plain but surprises. The Sichuan-sourced bamboo shoots are cut crisp and tossed in a scallion-scented sauce, with just enough Sichuan peppercorn to bring aroma and a touch of numbness. It was the first plate wiped clean at the table.

Chengdu-style poached pork (¥78) is served warm rather than cold, with a heavy garlic punch and sweetness laced with heat — a classic rice-killer. Deng Ji's version doesn't disappoint.

Deng Ji's mouth-watering chicken (¥88) is mala-poached chicken with red oil — clean, not greasy, with heat sitting around an 8 out of 10. You'll break a sweat, but it never feels heavy.

Tianfu camphor tea-smoked duck (¥138 for half a bird) is a labor-intensive dish — smoked over camphor leaves and tea, marinated with Sichuan pepper and spices, then air-dried, re-smoked, and finally deep-fried. The skin is crisp, the smoke flavor unmistakable, with smoke rings visible when cut. It's memorable, but some of the meat runs a bit dry, making it the least exciting dish of the meal.

The shrimp in the kung pao shrimp balls (¥168) are properly sized, bouncy, and meaty, though the sauce could use more thickness and punch, and the sweetness doesn't quite land.

Sliced pork liver with scallion (¥88) turned out to be the surprise of the meal — plenty of cuisines cook pork liver, but this is actually a genuine Sichuan classic. The liver is stir-fried just right, tender without being tough, the scallion sauce carries a peppercorn fragrance, and it's paired with crisp green beans for clear layers of texture.

Yu-xiang shredded pork (¥128) hits all the expected sweet, sour, fragrant, and spicy notes — textbook-steady, and sometimes that's exactly what you want. Mapo tofu with shrimp (¥88) has a smoky-scented tofu topped with the crystal shrimp common in Jiangsu-Zhejiang cooking; the approach leans modern, though personally I still prefer the classic version.

Chengdu dan dan noodles (¥18) was the one miss of the meal — the broth ran too watery and the sauce wasn't concentrated enough, leaving the noodles feeling like they were fished out of peanut-flavored water. A shame.

All told, the mala beef tail bamboo shoots, Chengdu-style poached pork, kung pao shrimp balls, and sliced pork liver with scallion were the four dishes most worth ordering again. For address and reservations, please refer to the official Deng Ji Shi Yuan channels for the current Jing'an PAC 2nd floor information.