Chai Men Hui (柴门荟) is a refined Sichuan restaurant from Chai Men Hospitality Group, led by chef-founder Chen Tianfu. It was founded in Chengdu in 2019, where they currently hold a Michelin one-star. In Shanghai, there are two locations: Taikoo Li and BFC. I visited the latter.
About Chai Men Hui
The BFC location is modern and elegant with sophisticated Chinese aesthetics. It’s the kind of Chinese restaurant you’d be comfortable with entertaining business associates — the service is excellent, its easy on the eyes, and the price point not too serious.
There are multiple private rooms, and there’s even counter seating for a tasting menu, priced at ¥880 and ¥1,280. Otherwise, the average check here bounces between ¥400 to ¥600, higher if you get premium seafood.
The cuisine here is considered innovative (read: not exactly traditional). You’ll find all the classic dishes here, just elevated for the modern diner or given the house spin. A core tenet of Chai Men Hui is sourcing premium produce directly from Sichuan and across China.
What To Order
Welcome snacks are served before you even order your dishes.
One of my personal favorites, a dish of deceptively simple components, is the Sliced Pork with Garlic Paste (温拌蒜泥白肉, ¥65/small, ¥98/regular).
Thinly sliced pork belly is drowned in an absolutely addictive sauce. The sauce is a potent mix of raw minced garlic, Sichuan chili oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and a touch of sugar, all with a subtle mala tingle from Sichuan peppercorns.
This is the kind of dish that finds its true soulmate in a bowl of plain rice. And Chai Men Hui’s is one of my favorite versions thus far.
Next is the “Addictive” Numbing Spicy Chicken (成瘾麻辣鸡, ¥98/small, ¥158/regular), a dish that lives up to its name. It’s a close cousin to the famous “saliva chicken,” and it earns its name through a robust, aromatic blend of Sichuan chilies, numbing peppercorns, nutty sesame seeds and peanuts, and the holy trinity of garlic, ginger, and scallions. The result is tingly, complex, and yes, addictive. Plus, the chicken also has a pleasingly taut texture.
The Clear Broth with Chicken Tofu (清汤鸡豆花, ¥68) is a good intermission between the fiery dishes. Don’t let its simple appearance fool you; its a dish that represents the ultimate test of skill. Chicken breast is pounded into a fine, silky paste, bound with egg whites, and poached to achieve a delicate and fluffy tofu-like texture that floats in a pristine, consommé-clear chicken broth.
The menu takes a luxurious turn with the Braised Yantuan Fish (古法红烧岩团, ¥480/small). Yantuan is a type of rockfish known for its tender, delicate flesh.
The flaky fish is braised in a complex sauce boosted with doubanjiang (Sichuan fermented chili bean paste), shiitake mushrooms, and salted air-dried ham.
Then there’s the cleverly named Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork with Fish (有鱼的鱼香肉丝, ¥138), a witty play on the Sichuan classic. The original “Yuxiang” or “fish-fragrance” sauce contains no seafood, named only for the result of having fish-like umami flavors.
Here, they’ve made the name literal by adding actual fish to the pork, along with crunchy celtuce and and wood ear mushrooms. It’s tangy, sweet, savory, and bursting with umami.
But the true star of the show is the Angus Prime Short Rib (怪味安格斯极佳牛小排, ¥78). This dish is a showcase for the celebrated “Guàiwèi” (怪味) or “strange flavor” sauce.
Don’t let the “strange” put you off; it’s a brilliant, multi-layered flavor bomb that is sweet, sour, salty, spicy, numbing, and nutty all at once. Coating a premium cut of Angus beef, it’s a mesmerizing bite where the complex sauce is the undeniable hero. I instantly wished I had ordered extra portions.
Of course, no Sichuan meal is complete without its most famous dish. The Mapo Tofu with Angus Beef (安格斯牛肉麻婆豆腐, ¥98) is Chai Men Hui’s luxury take, swapping in high-grade beef for the more common pork, elevating the comforting, numbing classic.
However, the dish tasted burnt to me, like when you scrape the charred layer at the bottom of a pot. I inquired, and was assured that this was the authentic flavor — smoky. To each their own, but it was not my favorite.
For a quick, savory bite, the Kongfu Marinated Pork Buns (功夫酱肉包, ¥10/piece) are solid, their minced pork filling richly flavored with sweet fermented sauce (甜面酱).
Finally, dessert. The Chilled Rice Jelly & Ice Jelly Dessert (凉虾冰粉, ¥19) is essential to quell the burn. A beloved Sichuan street food, its name “凉虾” (cold shrimp) refers only to the shape of the rice jelly; there’s no seafood in this refreshing, slightly sweet bowl of jellies, dried fruit and nuts, and sweet fermented rice.
In Summary
And for those seeking a different experience, a large part of the menu is dedicated to hotpot, simmered table-side with broths like Green Sichuan Pepper and Fermented Sour Soup.
Chai Men Hui is a place I’d recommend people looking to entertain or to treat yourself to a more luxurious experience of Sichuan cuisine. It has its merits for sure, but personally, I’d favor a place that’s more casual.
Chai Men Hui 柴门荟 (BFC)
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