Deng Ji Gourmet Garden (邓记食园) is a Sichuan restaurant that carries weight in Shanghai. Originally on Dingxi Road, it closed in 2017 but is still fondly remembered by Sichuan cuisine fanatics across the city. It returned in September 2025, on the second floor of PAC in Jing’an.
Deng Ji’s Background: Nan Xing Yuan
Behind the food is master chef Deng Huadong (邓华东), a Sichuan native with over forty years of experience. His career has taken him from Chengdu to Shanghai, Hong Kong, and beyond — he’s even cooked for Joël Robuchon.
Today, he’s best known for Nan Xing Yuan (南兴园), a Black Pearl–awarded and Michelin-selected restaurant on Huaihai Road. There, the focus is refined Nantang banquet cuisine: formal, multi-course, elaborate, and far removed from the stereotype that Sichuan food is just about spice. That place averages ¥1,500 a head. Deng Ji Gourmet Garden is its more affordable counterpart, at around ¥200.
At Deng Ji Gourmet Garden, Chef Deng still works in the Nantang style, just more approachably. Jiangsu and Zhejiang ingredients meet Sichuan techniques; other subtle regional flavors come into play. It stays true to the essence of Sichuan cuisine, featuring a variety of flavor profiles.
To start, make sure you order the Mala Oxtail Bamboo (¥48, 麻辣牛尾笋). It doesn’t look like much, but it surprises. A cold plate of crunchy oxtail bamboo shoots, native to Sichuan, is tossed in a fragrant scallion sauce spiked with just enough peppercorns for aroma and a subtle numbing kick. It ended up being the first dish polished off.
My favorite Sichuan dish is the Sliced Pork with Garlic & Chili (¥78, 成都白肉), and Deng Ji’s did not disappoint. It’s served warm instead of cold, aggressively garlicky with a hint of sweetness and spice. Utterly amazing. A true “rice killer.”
Another usual suspect is the “Saliva” Chicken (¥88, 邓记口水鸡). Spicy and numbing poached chicken in a flavorful chili oil. The oil is clean, light, doesn’t feel greasy. For me, this was an 8/10 on the spice scale. Enjoyable, but definitely had me breaking a sweat.
Moving on to something I hadn’t tried before: the Smoked Tea Duck (¥138/half, 天府樟茶鸭). It’s a traditional Sichuan dish where the duck is smoked with camphor tree leaves and tea leaves, marinated with peppercorns and spices, then air-dried, smoked again, and finally deep-fried. The skin is crisp, the smokiness comes through, and there’s even a smoke ring.
Flavor-wise, it’s memorable, but some parts can come across a bit dry — understandable given the process. Not my favorite of the meal.
The Gongbao Prawns (¥168, 宫保虾球) were the better bet. The prawns themselves are phenomenal, jumbo-sized, bouncy, and meaty. The sauce could’ve been a bit thicker and punchier to make the dish pop. It was unusually “not sweet enough” for me.
Also memorable was the Sliced Liver with Scallions (¥88, 葱末肝片). It’s a dish you see in many regional Chinese restaurants, but it’s actually a Sichuan original. The liver is wok-fried just long enough to stay silky and tender — velvety, not grainy — then topped with a scallion sauce spiked with Sichuan peppercorns. Snap peas add a fresh crunch.
The Fish Fragrant Fried Pork (¥128, 鱼香肉丝) was tasty, boasting its iconic sweet, sour, savory, and spicy depth. Pretty textbook, and sometimes that’s exactly what you want in a dish.
The Mapo Tofu with Shrimp (¥88, 虾仁麻婆豆腐) was alright, just not my favorite version, as I prefer classic over modern. The tofu itself had a smoky aroma, similar to Chai Men Hui’s, topped with crystal shrimp normally found in Jiangzhe cuisine.
Unfortunately, the Dan Dan Noodles (¥18, 成都担担面) performed poorly. It arrived watery, and the sauce lacked the richness you’d expect from a bowl of dan dan. It was almost like eating noodles in peanut scented water. A real pity.
Overall, it was the Mala Oxtail Bamboo, the Pork with Garlic & Chili, the Gongbao Prawns, and the Sliced Liver with Scallions that really won me over. I’d totally come back for those.
Deng Ji Gourmet Garden (邓记食园)
View the listing here.
