Fu 1088 is in a class of its own. It has an older brother (Fu 1039, two years its senior) which has already been well-received for its refined Shanghainese dishes and rarefied atmosphere. And the younger brother has a highly skilled kitchen that brings the Bund’s Whampoa Club to mind. But the comparisons to either end there. This 17-private-room house, decorated with early 20th century antiques and heavy on beautiful woodwork, outclasses its sibling. Its renditions of xunyu (smoked fish), tea-smoked eggs, pork rib soup with bamboo, and drunken chicken blow the rest of the city away. The level of service and organization of the kitchen are straight out of a five-star hotel.

But this isn’t any hotel restaurant. Fu 1088 lies on an unassuming stretch of Zhenning Lu, marked only by a grip of men in long black coats, and the occasional black Audi disappearing behind its heavy iron gate. Get beyond them, and you’re in arguably the best Shanghainese restaurant in Shanghai. It’s young, barely two months old, but polished. The service is effortless, and the food remarkable. Heavy sugar-soy treatments are kept in check, and lightness comes through in all of the dishes, none more so than crystal shrimp with sweet, freshly-shelled peas. The broth of Fu 1088’s xiaolongbao is richly satisfying, and the wrappers paper thin. Simple dishes like a housemade tofu with asparagus and mushrooms are beautiful in their presentation, vibrant and full of color, and even better in their execution. Funny, then, that the character they take their name from should mean luck. With a restaurant as good as this, it’s obviously played no part.