SoGood Bistro is a casual Wenzhou restaurant and wine bar. They have two locations in Shanghai, the newer more bistro-y and rustic restaurant on Fuxing Zhong Lu and one on Nanchang Lu that’s more of a bar with food.
About Wenzhou Cuisine
Wenzhou cuisine is seafood-heavy, and many dishes are prepared with the help of cooking wine, mostly huadiao, which is favored when stewing. Other iconic dishes from the harbor city also include glutinous rice, fish balls, pork offal rice noodles, and yellow croaker.
One of Wenzhou’s treasured dishes is the wine-stewed freshwater eel, served at SoGood Bistro. It’s known as a replenishing, healthy dish. The collagen rich eel is simmered with plenty of yellow wine, along with rock sugar and aromatics of ginger and scallion, goji berries and red dates. The eel is gelatinous and fleshy, drowned in the aroma of huadiao, akin to sherry.
What To Order
Get the Wine-Stewed Freshwater Eel, perhaps the most defining dish at SoGood. This dish requires 40 minutes prep time. Good flavor, perhaps not suitable for those who don’t like dealing with the multitude of bones within the eel.
As mentioned, there are plenty of seafood options. The whole pomfret is a general crowd pleaser, braised with rice cakes and yellow wine until a sauce thickens. Very enjoyable.
For veggies, don’t miss the minced pork with eggplant. Thick fingers of eggplant are fried with minced meat and garlic, a dish that’s all umami and comfort. There’s also the crispy tofu skin with water chestnuts, served with a tangy and spicy dipping sauce. That one works as a starter or a course to share.
For nearby office workers on the go, there’s the Glutinous Rice “boxed lunch.” Glutinous rice served in a nostalgic lunch tin, topped with minced meat sautéed with mushrooms, dried krill, scallions, and crispy youtiao for texture. Tasty and good value.
For dessert, a salted egg Basque cheesecake. You don’t really notice the salted egg, only a bit at the end, which is crumbled into the base of the cheesecake. Surprisingly not too heavy.
Great service! Staff were polite and attentive. It’s also a dog-friendly restaurant.
SoGood Bistro 蛮好·酒馆
Click here for the Fuxing Road listing.
Click here for the Nanchang Road listing.
