The Temple in the Sky at Lost Heaven on the Bund, Shanghai

Lost Heaven, located near the Bund in Shanghai, is visual experience much as it is a culinary one. A fusion of Burmese, Thai, and Yunnan dishes, Lost Heaven is ideal for an intimate date as well as a large gathering. With Bund pricing, it was well worth the time.

As you hike up the stairs as if you were near Tibet, your eyes are memorized with the enormity, the dark hues, and detailed effects of this great space. The hard wood accents is evident in the traditional, yet stylish chairs and tables. Welcoming us to our tables were the servers and hostess, each of whom are dressed to the nines in Yunnan attire.

We ordered the Yunnan eggplant and tofu, Yunnan wild vegetable cakes, Spicy cod steamed in banana leaves, Da li style chicken with chili and green onions with the bilingual menus. We also had a soup and a vegetable dish as well. I was coerced into getting the Thai Zeed – the alcoholic version of a Thai Tom Yum Soup. My dining partners, Mr. B. and Ms E. each got the Ice Burmese Milk Tea – such a weak non-alcoholic pick.

I must say my Thai Zeed was the best drink I have had in a long time. The sour, yet savory drink – clearly tasting like the Tom Yum soup was fascinating. It was such a strange mix that I know I will remember it forever. This clear drink, which is usually milky orange soup with chicken or shrimp, was strangely not ordered by anyone else in our group. Ms E. expected me to hate it, yet I loved it.

Our first dish, the Yunnan eggplant and tofu featured little diced red peppers is making my mouth water and tongue retract in fear – as I write these words. Almost painful, yet flavorful, I know this is something I would recommend. To calm our taste sensations the Yunnan wild vegetable cakes with tomato sauce (like a mild salsa) swung us toward the salt side of the spectrum. As I was happy lapping my drink – Thai Zeed, the fire bowl beneath the spicy cod came to thoroughly decimate and numb my taste buds. Remember those little diced red peppers . . . It was good, but they were killing me & Mr. B. (kinda rhymes). But the masochistic side of me wanted more. And I almost finished the fish myself.

Anyways. . . I don’t care if this the pop and bastardized version of Yunnan fare, as most locals do. If you feel more foreigners visit a place, it loses the traditional sense, then Lost Heaven isn’t for you. But if you want visual appeal coupled with intense flavors, I would gladly take you with my on my journey into the Lost Heaven.

What to Order: I enjoyed the Thai Zeed. The Chicken was excellent.
What not to Order: I liked almost everything. Though I expected more from the soup.

Rating
2 Pigs
¥¥

Lost Heaven on the Bund
花马天堂 云南餐厅
17 Yan’an Dong Lu
上海延安东路17号
21-63300967
lostheaven.com.cn

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