Restaurant Review: Lost Heaven Silk Road

By Tongfei Zhang

The Place
Lost Heaven. It’s arguably the most famous face of Yunnan cuisine in Shanghai. And, let’s face it, it’s probably somewhere you’d take your parents visit. Inspired by the rampant success of Lost Heaven and its Thai sister restaurant Coconut Paradise, the owners have branched out with a new restaurant that focuses on the cuisines along the Silk Road.
Set in the former home of popular Mediterranean restaurant Mesa & Manifesto, the giant building on bustling Julu Lu is now renovated to the tune of an exotic pan-Asian vibe, complete with a ‘cave temple’ adorned with floor-to-ceiling replicas of Dunhuang’s famous Buddhist wall paintings–the result of seven months’ work by local artisans and art students.

The Food
Echoing the South China ‘tea-and-horse trail,’ the Silk Road served as one of the world’s most important trading paths, snaking from Xi’an in the West all the way through Mongolia, Tibet, Afghanistan, India and Europe. Many of the distinctive regional specialties along this road hail back centuries, and all landed on our table at the restaurant.

Silk Road lotus flower tarts (RMB60) sees petal-shaped curry base pastry topped with dices of freshly chopped tomatoes, onions and cucumbers.

A good starter, but it was bested by the Tang Wei Hu Bing (RMB40/half portion, RMB80/full portion), a more refined version of one of our favorite Xi’an specialties: rou jiamo (肉夹馍). Luscious fatty pork belly cubes mixed with coriander are stuffed inside a pocket-shaped bun– so good we contemplated ordering a second serving.
Tibetan-style roasted beef (RMB150/half portion, RMB300/whole) makes for a no-nonsense entrée tailored for carnivorous appetites. Served as thick, rugged slices, the dish is paired with spicy satay sauce, lightly pickled purple cabbage and kimchi.
Another option is the enormous Mongolian roasted lamb shank (RMB160). With crispy skin on the outside, the meat is remarkably lean, and with a less gamey taste than is often typical of Mongolian lamb. Opt for the aforementioned beef if you prefer something fattier.

Our final stop along the Silk Road concludes with a hearty portion of Xi’an-style rice noodles (RMB46), topped with spicy sauce, shredded cucumber, scallions and cilantro. It’s hard to beat the street-side version of this chilled noodle dish, but this one makes for a tasty restaurant take on it. 2/3

The Vibe
Occupying the entire second and third floor plus a lovely outdoor leafy terrace, the vast and airy dining area could seat around 350 diners, so anticipate a lively atmosphere. It’s worth taking a minute to a visit to the impressive ‘Dunhuang cave’ wall paintings at the back of the restaurant fora dose of cultural experience. 1/1

Value for Money
There are lots of places doing Xi’an, Xinjiang and Indian food in Shanghai, but noneare doing it all at the same time. Of course, if you’re looking for specialized cuisine you’d be better off at dedicated restaurants, but Silk Road does a good job in highlighting specialties from along this 7,000-kilometer trail of human history. Coupled with the beautiful interiors, Silk Road makes for a well-executed addition to the Lost Heaven family. 0.5/1

TOTAL VERDICT: 3.5/5
Price: RMB200-250per person
Who’s going: locals, families, expats
Good for: special occasions, groups, dinner to impress

Lost Heaven Silk Road, 758 Julu Lu, by Fumin Lu.

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