Yi Zhang Hong

Healthy Sichuan cuisine on Wulumuqi Lu from Jian Guo 328's owner

Karen Chen's personality is all over her new Sichuan restaurant, unassumingly tucked in beside fruit stalls and lamb hotpots on Wulumuqi Lu. Walls are lined with bright peasant paintings and overhead is a red glass chandelier: a lone luxurious piece which juxtaposes cleverly with the simple lacquered wood of the tables and rafters. Vegetables brought in daily are cheerfully displayed on a shelf at the back.

Chen is the warm, sincere owner of one of our favourite Shanghainese neighbourhood stops, Jian Guo 328. Her steady philosophy carries over here: the kitchen uses only high-grade oil and filtered water and no MSG. There's no smoking allowed. Similar to the impetus for opening Jian Guo 328, Chen says she created Yi Zhang Hong because Sichuan restaurants in Shanghai add too much oil and artificial flavours and she wanted a healthier choice. Chen travelled to Sichuan to discover dishes she wanted to serve and to source ingredients. They'll also be serving hotpot with beef from Australia and New Zealand.

Even the look of the dishes is different: sauces are sunset orange and appear watery, rather than laced with the more typical fiery oil. Successful items include sautéed double cooked pork (58RMB), which, while a lighter version of the classic, gets body from the bacon-like chewy pork slices, fermented black beans and slender green peppers. Chilli-oiled fish (68RMB) is another pleasing softer-edged variation; here the tender fish slices and bean sprouts bathe in a mild soup that even the spice-averse can sip.

While everything tastes fresh and clean, many dishes unfortunately lack a kick. The anaemic sauce for 'spicy chicken with peanuts' (koushuiji, 38RMB) tastes almost too healthy, sorely missing the viscous chilli oil which is an express envoy of the pungency and intensity of Sichuan's finest. Meanwhile, green beans (32RMB) appear loaded with dried chillies, green peppercorns and garlic but taste bland. Spicy soft tofu (mapo doufu, 32RMB) has a twist, using smoky lao doufu (although you can request the traditional tender tofu), but the sauce is missing the usual black beans and chilli skins which provide that funk and fire making it one of Sichuan's most addictive dishes.

Although she is working on opening more new projects already, Chen is frequently in and out, smiling and greeting familiar faces. Despite the soft tone and mild manner of the cuisine here, there is enough charm and good flavour to keep the place busy. Just as at Jian Guo 328, Chen and her capable ever-present manager make everyone feel at home. Rest assured, you're eating carefully crafted from scratch recipes just as healthy as mum would make.

Details

Open Opening hours tba

Metro Changshu Lu

English address 356 Wulumuqi Zhong Lu, near Fuxing Xi Lu, Xuhui district