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102 House

Shanghai

Ancient Cantonese culinary traditions revived with passion

On the Pass

Xu Jingye

The bite-sized story: Fourteen years after first opening as a modest private kitchen in Foshan, Guangdong, 102 House took up residence at one of Shanghai’s ritzy addresses on The Bund in 2021. Chef-owner Xu Jingye is passionate and determined, driven by his vision to revive Cantonese culinary traditions – often buried in old cookbooks and nearly lost – with a kaiseki-inspired sensitivity to seasonality and hospitality.

What to expect: A meal here is a delicious education in traditional Cantonese banquet cuisine, interpreted for the modern palate: elevated-yet-approachable renditions of dishes from the south of China arrive in a seemingly endless succession to the table.

Take one dish: While 102 House’s menu changes with the season, you’ll always find its signature sweet-and-sour pork. Xu’s take on the familiar classic (and one of his own childhood memories) is truly otherworldly. Crisp on the outside, fried Jinhua pork melts in the mouth, balanced expertly with seasonal fruit and its housemate vinegar – pineapple in spring, lychee in summer, peach in autumn and strawberry in winter. 

What’s the vibe? Intimate and personal, the understated space – with three private dining rooms and a small main seating area – is as elegant yet accessible as the food. Impressive, rough-cut slabs of stone used traditionally for foundations in Guangdong feature at the entryway in a nod to the restaurant’s roots, making a sharp minimalist contrast to views of Shanghai’s futuristic skyline in two of the private rooms.

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