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La Bourriche 133

Shanghai

Superior sea-to-table dining

An international taste of the sea: Occupying a riparian location in Rockbund – one of Shanghai's most fashionable neighbourhoods, poised at the confluence of the Suzhou Creek and the Huangpu River – La Bourriche 133 may only have opened in 2023, but it's already made a name for itself among seafood-loving circles. A partnership between connoisseur of premium ingredients Shen Jialin and Singaporean chef Lee Jiawei (formerly of Odette), it's a celebration of global coastal cuisines, prepared with French technique.

Showcasing seasonality: This is a place where the ocean's larder is treated with reverence; menus change frequently, with sought-after catches sourced from the sea when they're at their most flavoursome. To allow the taste and texture of each high-quality ingredient to speak for itself – and to highlight the wholesome nature of its provenance – presentation is understated rather than ostentatious.

A sense of the submarine: The restaurant's decor follows the same restrained theme as its cooking: as dimly lit as the depths of the East China Sea, the space is decked out with warm wooden touches, brushed metal accents and quietly luxurious leather banquettes, with travertine walls and artistic lighting working in harmony to evoke the motion of the current.

Standout dishes: If you spot it on the menu, don't miss the Basque-inspired snow crab Donostiarra-style, served with toon leaf (an edible frond with an onion-like flavour). Other past favourites have included rock lobster with buffalo whey sauce and Shanghai-style dover sole presented with a soy reduction and sesame oil. The signature oyster platter, a mainstay of the menu, is also impossible to resist.

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