With its authentic Shanghainese cooking and Shanghainese-speaking clientele, it’s tempting to think you’re in Shanghai. The dining room impresses with understated elegance and the booth seats offering more privacy are especially prized. Specialities include drunken squab whose velvety meat and springy skin exude an intoxicating winey aroma. Stir-fried shrimps, braised pig knuckle and braised ‘lion head’ meatballs are also not to be missed.

Liu Yuan Pavilion's Unique Features

• Hidden Location: The restaurant is located on the 3rd floor of a small office building in Wan Chai.
• Shanghainese Cuisine with a Western Twist: Despite its Western-style decor, Liu Yuan Pavilion serves traditional Shanghainese cuisine.
• Seasonal Specialties: During Hairy Crab Season (Fall), they offer special menus and dishes featuring the delicacy.

Signature Ingredients

• 古法蒸鰣魚: A cornerstone of Liu Yuan Pavilion’s Shanghai heritage, prepared using ancient steaming methods to coax maximum tenderness and a delicate, clean fish flavor. The dish centers on high-quality 鰣魚 (shad/roe fish) and is celebrated for its refined texture and subtle sweetness, highlighting the kitchen’s adherence to traditional technique.
• 蟹粉小籠包: Signature dumplings stuffed with crab meat and crab roe, delivering a luscious crab sweetness and rich umami from crab粉; a defining dish that embodies the restaurant’s luxury seafood focus and skillful pastry technique.
• 蟹膏粉皮: Crab fat (蟹膏) paired with 粉皮 (bean-curd sheet/starch sheet) to create a silky, flavorful interplay between delicate crab sweetness and the smooth, chewy skin; a distinctive Sha‑Shanghai flavor profile central to the menu.
• 糯米蟹: Glutinous rice crab; the crab is prepared to infuse sweet, briny crab flavors into the rice, resulting in a rich, comforting dish that showcases crustacean textures and aromatics.
• 黑松露蝦仁: Shrimp with black truffle, a modern, luxurious pairing that elevates classical Shanghai seafood with aromatic, earthy notes; a signature of the restaurant’s contemporary refinement within tradition.
• 鮑魚紅燒肉（訂）: Braised abalone with pork (order‑only), combining premium abalone with slow‑braised pork for an opulent, deeply flavored dish. The inclusion of abalone signals luxury ingredients and meticulous braising that characterize Liu Yuan Pavilion’s repertoire.