Shangri La
Porta Venezia area boasts a number of top-notch Asian restaurants, and Shangri La is not surprisingly one of them. Known for being the second oldest Chinese restaurant in Milan, it is still one of the main points of reference for those who love classic Chinese cuisine, which is the one best known to us Italians.
What is immediately striking about this restaurant is the ambience, nothing short of spectacular. Here everything recalls the famous and homonymous novel by James Hilton: the two rooms present are a triumph of wood, finely finished walls, coffered ceiling, jade ornaments, the aquarium and, everywhere, wonderful compositions of white orchids.
The staff is kind and professional, there is also Mrs. Lisa Hu, perfect and attentive hostess.
The menu is quite extensive, so take your time to choose between Hong Kong dishes, some spicy from Sichuan and Thai.
Do not miss the off-menu: I tried the Vietnamese roll, really delicious. I also point out the steamed dumplings with lobster and those with red prawn.
I recommend ordering different courses of dumplings (so I invite you to dine at Shangri La in company, so as to try as much as possible), because they are the specialty of the house: I tried the Shiu Mai, grilled Pekingese with pork and ginger, steamed Shanghai, one better than the other. What is striking is the freshness of the ingredients (which actually connotes all the dishes) and the craftsmanship: almost all the dishes are embellished with edible carved vegetables, a reference to a well-known and ancient technique of Chinese haute cuisine.
Dinner then continued with classic soy noodles sautéed with prawns (excellent fish and noodles not at all greasy), Singapore-style prawns (meaty and spicy) and very fresh squids with celery.
Everything was concluded with delicious fried fruit (banana, apple and pineapple).
As already stated, the proposals are really numerous. They also include dishes based on chicken, duck, beef, pork, tofu, soups and eggs, as well as crispy rice and earthenware preparations. Therefore it is absolutely worth returning several times, in addition to the really honest final bill and a setting so refined it will make you dream.
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