[New Eats] Modern Canto Newcomer, Madame Ching is Badass!

The Snapshot

This is not the first (nor the second, nor even the third) time Shanghai has seen the likes of modern Cantonese dining concept Madame Ching, backed by Chef Dali (Derek Wong). What began as a pop-up at the now-shuttered Shanghai Love in 2022 gave way to Anarkia x Madame Ching in Joye&Sam – an upscale food court tucked into a mall basement that has since also closed – before rolling into Yi Long x Madame Ching on Donghu Road from 2023 to 2024. That iteration took the form of a symbiotic two-restaurants-in-one concept, with Cantonese flavors as the shared middle ground, balancing the traditional leanings of Yi Long with the not-so-traditional approach of Madame Ching. But that, too, came to an end in 2024.

Dali knew it was time for his first solo foray in the world of restaurateurs. And thus Madame Ching, in all her glory, has reopened as a stand-alone restaurant in the old Revolucion Cocktail space on Yanping Road, a concept that has evolved and developed for over three years into what it is today.

And does it live up to the reputation of the pioneer and disruptor of traditions Madame Ching? For reference, she was one of the fiercest (and most feared) pirates who commanded over 80,000 men and 1,800 vessels that ruled the South China Sea in the early 1800s?

Well, typically writers for New Eats stay neutral and descriptive, but I'll break the mold here and say, Madame Ching is pretty badass.

Following the same pirate theme, a hidden (in plain sight) "speakeasy" inside Madame Ching, The Treasury's cocktail menu by Jackie Ho draws inspiration from the travels of said Cantonese pirate (the eponymous Madame Ching), who explored the sea from Macau to Malaysia collecting treasures, hence the bar's name. In the same vein as the food, cocktails draw on flavors from Cantonese dim sum, Southeast Asian spices and Minnan tastes so that every drink reflects a story. Expect flavors distilled from history and memories carried across the South China Sea.

The Food & Drinks

An Australian born to Hong Kong parents, Dali has deconstructed, dissected and dismantled his way through conventional Cantonese cooking, bending the rules to rebuild recipes that combine a Cantonese flavor base with Western techniques and plating.

"Think of it as a culinary playground where there are no rules except for amplifying the familiar tastes of Cantonese cuisines and turning them into unbridled morsels," mentions Dali. And as Shanghai's culinary scene continues to assert itself, it is precisely this kind of nuance, originality and innovation that is coming to define it.

Expect dishes like:

• Cantonese roast goose baked paella
• 30-hour slow cooked bone in short rib in charsiu sauce
• Wok fried broccolini with yuzu labneh foam and XO crumble
• Hargow shrimp katsu sandwich
• Torched beef chuck Cantonese curry paccheri

... all served in a space for 50 patrons.

Think of the menu as contemporary Cantonese tapas. But not tapas in that it's Spanish fusion, but rather small, finger-friendly bites made for sharing. A great option for the nightlife crowds that want light (but nice) bites before an all-night rager.

"Is that not dim sum in a roundabout way?" adds Dali, popping a salted egg yolk spiced fish skin crisp in his mouth.

We couldn't agree more and fell head over heels for his riff on what Cantonese cooking can be, playfully served in Madame Ching-branded dim sum steamer baskets.

We began this culinary voyage with tasty treasures like the Black Gold Fried Cauliflower (38 yuan/US$5.5) – dredged and fried cauliflower florets best enjoyed slathered in the salted egg yolk sauce. Then we went on to the Rough Seas Pani Puri (38 yuan), hollow pani puri shells filled with a zippy pomelo salsa that tempers fatty dehydrated halibut, dotted with sweet capsicum sauce.

An order of Grind Me Down (38 yuan), or the edamame hummus, appears on nearly every table, and for good reason. It is a blend of edamame soaked in zaolu, a fragrant, savory Chinese brine made from fermented rice wine lees dregs mixed with Shaoxing wine, spices, and aromatics, then dusted with duka and smoked paprika. Paired with homemade tempeh crackers, it serves as a salute to Dali's time spent traveling around South East Asia, where tempeh is a vital source of protein.

The Hard Pressed Mini Hargow Sandwiches (68 yuan) are built around the recognizable Cantonese flavor and texture of bouncy shrimp. Instead of a translucent, thin wrapper, the hargow is pressed into a patty and flash fried before being accented with XO mayo. Nestled inside two toasted pieces of bread, the acidic crunch of pickled cabbage cuts through the contrasting richness from the mayo and fry, a nod to the Japanese katsu sandwich.

A nostalgic ode to crushing tanghulu (a Chinese street snack of skewered hawthorn, coated in a hard sugar glaze) in winter, the Sweet Nothings Sweet and Sour Pork (68 yuan) showcases a trio of skewered pork pieces coated in that same glass-like saccharine coating, with a side-serve of hawthorn flakes, a cherished childhood candy.

Dali is all about playing with ingredients, pushing boundaries on (mis)conceptions of what a particular dish can be. Take the humble churro for instance, a beloved fried dough pastry coated in cinnamon and sugar. Dali flips the notion on its head that it can only be a sweet treat with the Three's a Crowd Crab Churros (88 yuan). This take on a crab cake sees the coating in the form of a savory churro piped with crab salad, and it's genius. The red crab meat is tossed in an umami-bomb of shrimp head XO aioli, finished with a dollop of Madame Ching's Pirate Sauce aka sweet capsicum dip.

As for mains, expect to find elevated Cantonese roast goose – in shredded meat and crispy chip-like skin forms – when hoovering the Silly Goose Paella (168 yuan). But the prize is the smoke-imbued fat-speckled goose liver sausage from Guangdong and lip-pucker-inducing pickled gooseberries.

There are those unfortunate times when dessert falls flat when weighed up against a meal. This is not the case at Madame Ching. Here, Dali delivers on texture and taste while still following the same Cantonese tapas ethos.

The Sticky Balls Bubble Waffle (58 yuan) is rooted in the idea of a Hong Kong-style bubble waffle, but made in a takoyaki pan for a finger food "donut hole" aesthetic. The molten Ovaltine ganache center is further amplified by a thick dribble of condensed milk cream and a generous dusting of Ovaltine crumble.

Similarly, the Burnt to a Crisp Crème Brûlée (58 yuan) is a Hong Kong milk tea reimagined as a custard, with a crunchy skirt of peanut caramel sheathing the top.

Strengthening the ties between the kitchen and the bar, the Macau (95 yuan) spotlights homemade Macau peri-peri sauce shaken with earl grey-infused gin and sugarcane juice. This fragrant jolt of spice is tempered by the drink's inherent sweetness, presented alongside Macanese almond cookies.

The Atmosphere

The space features billowy sails overhanging the rigging rope-wrapped and sea treasure-lined bar, a tasteful tip of the (tricorn pirate) hat to the pirate life of Madame Ching, without being too Disneyland.

The music program (and speaker quality) is noteworthy, as music is another passion for Dali. The curated playlist involves a fusion of Asian instruments against an electronic/ house backbone, resulting in ethereal, almost tribal-like beats that amplify the harmony between the food, space, lighting and tunes. After 9:30pm, the music turns up, the lights drop down, and the Madame Ching transitions into her alter ego – Treasury Bar, a lounge where the pass becomes a turntable with live DJs playing every Friday and Saturday night.

A common misconception, the mosaic on the back wall – conceptualized and executed by Dali himself – is not Madame Ching. Like the dread Pirate Roberts, there are no records of what she actually looked like. Instead, it's a personification of the Chinese goddess of the sea, Mazu, that all seafarers along China's southern coast, including pirates like Madame Ching, would pray to for safe travel. Using leftover pieces of tiles and pottery from Jingdezhen, Dali painstakingly affixed this mosaic to the restaurant's back wall, the first thing patrons see upon entering.

Just as Mazu helped Madame Ching navigate treacherous waters and secure safe passage for her fleets, Madame Ching restaurant brings the history and folklore of the seas of South China to the table without the fear of having to walk the plank.

The Damage

Smaller plates range from 38 yuan to 98 yuan, while mains fall in the 120-200-yuan bracket, with cocktails priced around 95 yuan. This makes Madame Ching an easy fit for those looking to keep things light ahead of a long night out, as well as for diners settling in for something more substantial.

What's It Good for?

Casual dates, friendly catch-ups and drinks with snacks to get the night rolling.

If you go...

Madame Ching

Address: 98 Yanping Rd (by Wuding Rd)

延平路98号, 近武定路