Lost Heaven — Restaurant in Shanghai

I had a friend in town this week for one night only, she left the planning “in my expert hands”. So I elected to meet her at Nanjing Dong Lu metro exit 3 at 7pm, we ambled down the riverfront on the Bund, and strolled into Lost Heaven where, even on a Tuesday night, we had to wait over 30 minutes for a table- on the beautifully adorned Yunnan-themed roof garden. With stylish cocktails. Tough life.

I have recommended Lost Heaven before, but now it’s time for a review of arguably one of my and many other local expats’ favourite Chinese restaurant. The delectable flavours hail from Yunnan, a province in Eastern China, which borders Thailand and is responsible for the Thai-Chinese fusion cuisine that Lost Heaven is reknowned for.

The food is my idea of the perfect oriental meal, from Kong Pao chicken, to seven spice fish stir-fry to spring rolls, curries and salads, the spread is reasonably priced, starting from 50RMB a dish. There are even a few Thai classics, such as Tom Yum Soup on the menu, too.

Whilst there, when you’ve been suitably impressed by the sumptuous oriental decor downstairs, be sure to head upstairs to check out the exquisite roof garden. The wooden terrace boasts a glorious view of the surrounding skyscrapers, and is scattered with deep and rich coloured cushions, in a mix of private booths and high tables, bathed in candlelight. Inside, there is an elaborate DJ box, and the ambience is warm, decadent and relaxed. The cocktails, although a little on the expensive side, are imaginative in flavour and thoroughly enjoyable- I recommend the Yunnan Mule, a ginger-beer based cocktail, if you’re as keen on ginger as I am, and the Basiltini. Be sure to sample the Lost Heaven ‘Thai Zeed’ signature cocktail- spicy yet zingy! ganbei!

To get to Lost Heaven, hop in a taxi to 17 Yan’an Dong Lu, near Sichuan Nan Lu 延安东路17号，近四川南路. Be sure to take a pre- or post-dinner stroll down the Bund, whilst your in the...

I have been to this location of Lost Heaven 4 times in two years, or twice each trip. It is the perfect place to go for a delicious, soothing meal the first day to get over the jet lag from the States, but I always need to go back the night before I leave because the memory of the first meal was so good! Because I don't know Chinese, I have to order by the pictures and numbers. There were 3 of us, and we had numbers 3, 18, 41, 49, and 54. I made a note of what we really liked to that next time we won't have to keep re-inventing the wheel, and we liked all except #49, which I remember were little asian ribs. I have never had a bad asian rib before, but these were terrible. What may have happened is that they forgot them, and when we told them they rushed making them, as we kidded about them looking uncooked (and someone else has posted that they were to die for). They have a nice little smoking area off the main entrance which is also the bar, so I like to go before the reservation and have a few drinks before dinner. A tip: This trip I bought the Lonely Planet Mandarin App for my iPhone which works offline (unlike Googles translator app) and it helped me out tremendously both at the bar and at the table....no one speaks a word of english....and the rest of my trip to Shanghai,...

Definitely a place to visit if in town for limited time...or for a long time! We decided to try one of the better rated place so our daughter made reservations(recommended). All three of us enjoyed our meals but the best was my choice, the Ancient Trails Crispy Chicken. It came out about 5 min after the other two dishes but was well worth the wait. Succulent chicken with wonderful seasoning. This is rated as one of the best places so expect to pay for it.

GOOD Friendly staff, patient in working with our limited Chinese language skills Each dish was a delight and different, but the Ancient Trail chicken was the best. Strong cocktails

BAD Staff does not explain that some dishes may take longer so you may think they forgot. Drinks are expensive, but they are everywhere in Shanghai

Lesson learned, not bad/good Unlike in the USA, you need to request rice with your dishes as an additional item Staff will wait until you signal them you are ready to order so don't expect them to stand...