Most of these Shanghainese moms' dining rooms are in old residential areas.

Linglong

The highest compliment to a chef from someone who is Shanghai-born-and-bred goes something like: "It's almost as good as my grandma's cooking". And yes, that "almost" will still be there should the kitchen be helmed by a Michelin-starred chef.

At Linglong, a name that reflects its petite dining area, almost every dish tastes "almost as good as grandma's cooking".

Drunken prawns, for example, are a rare treat, as the pickling sauce alone can take days, if not weeks, to prepare. The prawns arrive twitching wildly on the table, splashing around the hard liquor-laced sauce. White spirits and yellow wine are added for flavor and to eradicate any parasites that dare to linger.

The laobanniang, or boss lady, claims the prawns are all freshly caught and sent to the kitchen every day, and that their sweet, solid flesh is enough reason for sending them off to crustacean heaven.

57 South Shaanxi Lu (Road), near Xinle Lu (Road), Shanghai.

021-5403-9970.

Recommended: Drunken Prawns, Water Spinach in Pickled Bean Curd Sauce.