You might have heard of Wisca (惠食佳), a Cantonese restaurant with roots in Guangzhou and Michelin acclaim. But have you heard of Suzaku? It’s part of the same group, and they do some seriously yummy Cantonese cuisine and dim sum at honest prices.
Nomfluence readers receive a complimentary dessert when dining in! Click here to book now.
About Wisca
Wisca was founded in 1992. It is a well-known Cantonese restaurant group with multiple locations in Guangzhou and Shanghai. Their Guangzhou Haizhu location has a one Michelin star, and the restaurant was even featured in the popular TV series A Bite of China for its soup and claypot dishes. It holds high standings today, but it began with humble origins, first as a street-side stall down south.
They expanded to in Shanghai in 2000, and currently has eight restaurants in town. One of them is a fast casual restaurant solely focused on claypot dishes.
Suzaku by Wisca
I went to the Suzaku by Wisca Xuhui location at the Orient Shopping Centre. You know the area — it’s where all the malls meet at that massive intersection.
The mall isn’t much to write home about, and to add to its peculiar location, the entrance of Suzaku is buried within the men’s section of the clothing department. But once you’re up the escalators to the restaurant, you’re met with the glittery bling bling of Suzaku by Wisca.
I’m talking ginormous crystal chandeliers, royal shades of purple, black marbled floors, walls adorned with artwork, and a banquet hall under a golden ceiling. I’d imagine that bigwigs would feel right at home entertaining in these plush rooms.
While it does feel like a bit “much,” I must also admit that the wall art is stupendous. The commissioned art pieces, painted with Yangzhou lacquer, feature dancing golden cranes, intricate sceneries, and blossoming flowers.
That said, there is one main dining hall, four semi-private rooms, and eight private rooms; private rooms are for four to 14 people. There’s even a cigar lounge. The restaurant gets a lunchtime and early dinner rush.
What To Order
Wisca does Cantonese cuisine best. That’s dim sum, soups, whole fish, seafood, and claypot rice. Most of their signature dishes are derived from age-old recipes and traditional cooking methods like their salt-baked pigeon and savory egg tart. They’ve also experimented with some, adding a little fusion twist, like adding cheese to potstickers, and integrating popular Shanghai flavors like red braising.
One menu serves all, from dim sum to banquet dishes, available for lunch and dinner.
Dim Sum at Wisca
First off, the dim sum-y stuff.
They do a savory egg tart, combining crab meat and roe with the custard, inspired by a dish from the Song Dynasty. The buttery pastry is capped to the brim with the fluffy, unctuous filling. Absolutely delish.
Instead of traditional shrimp dumplings, they’ve added an extra step to the cooking technique. Shrimp and shrimp roe are used for the filling, encased in the same springy opaque wrapper. But once steamed, it is then fried, like you would fried guotie, giving the bottom a crispy, lacy layer that crunches. I say, yes! The filling itself is generously chunky with large pieces of fresh, bouncy shrimp.
Those cheese-topped dumplings I mentioned before? Also made in the style of lacy guotie but with beef filling and topped with melted cheese. Each bite juicy and cheesy.
Next, the Signature Suzaku Sachima. It is inspired by the Manchurian dessert of the same name (沙琪玛), traditionally made with puffed, fried egg noodles gelled together with syrup, the Chinese version of Rice Krispies. It’s made here with eggs and flour, whipped and layered in a way so that it’s light but with a chew, almost like baked marshmallow cookies. Thankfully, despite its appearance, it isn’t at all sweet, but is instead airy and delicate.
The Deep-Fried Scallop & Shrimp with Pear is a signature, but in my opinion, also falls under the dim sum category. Chunky shrimp is combined with deep-fried scallop, molded into plump balls and deep-fried, then placed atop a slice of sweet pear. It’s luxurious in mouthfeel and juicy. Don’t miss this!
Signature Dishes at Wisca
The Claypot Rice with Preserved Meat is also fantastic. It’s served tableside, mixed in with their house soy sauce. They really do get the long grain rice to crisp, producing a crunchy guoba (锅巴). And it’s ¥59 for the whole pot!
They also do an Oyster Pancake, a version made without cornstarch, resulting in a crispy omelet versus gummy and chewy. It isn’t the traditional version that I’m used to, but it is very tasty all the same, and even has bits of octopus in addition to the oyster.
They have a wide range of banquet-style dishes, made to share. Cold appetizers see Noodles with Foie Gras, rice wine marinated goose liver that’s been torched, served atop springy noodles, and boiled Pork Tripe served in a savory soy sauce.
Of the hot dishes, the red braised monkfish liver, leopard coral grouper, and braised calamari with jasmine were standouts, all signatures.
Monkfish (anglerfish) liver is red braised like hong shao rou, topped with fresh chrysanthemums petals. The sticky sweet and savory coating helps cut through the richness of this “foie of the ocean”. It’s a dish that begs for rice and one I’d order again.
The Braised Calamari Roll is another dish inspired by olden recipes. Fresh squid is artfully sliced, allowing it to bloom when cooked, and retains a tender yet bouncy texture. There’s a bit of wokhei in addition to the savory sauce coating. Jasmine buds are fried together with the squid, imparting a fresh floral aroma.
The Stir-Fried Shredded Leopard Coral Grouper is all about knife and wok skills. The fish is fileted, then painstakingly deboned, then cut into fine shreds and then stir-fried with hotbed chives. It’s fresh tasting and imbued with a light spiciness from the chives, allowing the natural sweetness and tenderness of the fish to shine.
Vegetables to combat the weight of a dozen meat heavy dishes include the Celtuce Salad, a seasonal dish of crunchy diamond-shaped celtuce with sweet corn and extra virgin olive oil, and the tender Braised Pea Sprouts, topped with just a few slices of salted Jinhua ham for flavor.
In addition to classic Cantonese desserts like walnut cream and chilled mango sago, they also have ice cream. The Malted Milk Ice Cream, is an ode to the comforting drink many have savored during their childhood. Notes of roasted butterscotch in ice cream form for a touch of nostalgia for anyone who grew up with Horlicks or Ovaltine.
And for those looking to plan for Chinese New Year, Wisca also has Poon Choi from ¥666.
Favorite (must-order) dishes: Egg tart with crab, seared shrimp dumpling, scallop and shrimp with pear, claypot rice, oyster pancake, anglerfish liver, calamari rolls, and leopard coral grouper. It’s all really affordable too.
Nomfluence Readers Deals
Nomfluence readers who book via the link below will receive a complimentary dessert! Deal valid until December 30, 2024.
- Complimentary Malted Milk Ice Cream. Valid for dine-in guests only, one per person; limited 20 portions daily.
Click here to book now.
Suzaku by Wisca (惠食佳•朱雀)
Address: 4 1/2 Floor, Orient Shopping Centre, 8 Caoxi Bei Lu 漕溪北路8号东方商厦4楼1/2裙层
Tel: 62621888
Hours: Mon-Fri, 10am-2:30pm, 5pm-9pm; Sat-Sun, 10am-9pm
