Here Shanghai Daily explores classical flavors in some five-star hotels in Nanjing.

Jinling Salted Duck

The restaurant’s signature dish requires 72 hours of preparation, including marinating, long soaking and drying. The duck has white skin, red meat and dark green bones. It has an intense fragrant aroma of spices. The meat is tender and juicy with a salty and deep flavor and pleasant, lingering aftertaste.

Venue: Plum Garden, 2/F, Jinling Hotel Nanjing

Address: 2 Hanzhong Rd, Xinjiekou Square, Nanjing

Tel: (025) 8471-1888 ext 4204

Palace Lantern and Phoenix Tail Shrimp

The dish is presented in the shape of a phoenix inside a lantern. The phoenix is shaped of shelled shrimp that retain their shelled tail. The shrimp is pan-fried so that the meat is white and the tail turns red, like the tail of the legendary phoenix. The “lantern” surrounding the shrimp is made of cucumber slices.

Venue: Kingsley Room, Sheraton Nanjing Kingsley Hotel and Towers

Address: 41/F, 169 Hanzhong Rd, Baixia District, Nanjing

Tel: (025) 8666-8888 ext 7878

Fried Mugwort Shrimp

The white shrimp meat is pierced with “spears” of tender, green mugwort shoots. The shrimp is wrapped in egg white which gives it a crystal-like appearance. Each bite, containing both the juicy shrimp and crispy mugwort, is rich in textures and flavors.

Venue: Five Zen5es, The Westin Nanjing

Address: 9/F, Nanjing International Center South Tower, 201 Zhongyang Rd, Nanjing

Tel: (025) 8556-8888 ext 7528

Meatball stewed with vegetable

The meatball is made of pork and crab meat and topped with crab roe. It has an umami taste, soft, fluffy texture and juicy mouth feel.

Venue: Yue Yang Chinese Restaurant, Hilton Nanjing

Address: 2/F, 100 Jiangdong Rd M., Jianye District, Nanjing

Tel: (025) 8665-8888 ext 8222

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