Named After a Pirate Queen, Madame Ching Serves Up a Lobster Curry Worth Going Back For

Named after the famed Cantonese female pirate Ching Shih, the restaurant itself shows barely a hint of ferocity. The walls are storm-cloud grey, and canvas is stretched above the bar to mimic a ship's sail. The staff, meanwhile, are almost aggressively friendly—the most menacing thing they'll do is holler a jokey "arrgh" as a send-off. That contrast between concept and hospitality is probably the first impression Madame Ching leaves on Yanping Road, one of Jing'an's most crowded dining strips.

This is a solo project from self-taught chef Derek Wong, which opened around Lunar New Year this year. The menu is built on a Cantonese foundation, but the seasoning draws from across Asia—Indian curries, Malaysian sambal, Japanese umami boosters, Chinese sauces—all folded into a single menu that produces dishes with "familiar bloodlines but unfamiliar faces."

The small plates take the form of dim sum, but the fillings often don't match expectations. Skewered Up (¥78 for three skewers) looks like siu mai on the outside, but inside follows the logic of Chaozhou-style braised dishes—pork and shrimp pressed into a firm patty, wrapped in bean curd skin, and brushed with a sweet-savory glaze. It's the most surprising bite of the meal. Rough Seas (¥88 for four) uses the crispy shells of Indian street snack pani puri to hold engawa (sole jaw meat) and oil-vinegar-cured grapefruit, hitting richness and freshness at once. The other two small plates are a tempeh crisp with edamame "hummus" seasoned with dukkah spice mix (Grind Me Down, ¥68), and a shrimp cake sandwich with XO sauce mayo and pickled purple cabbage (Hard Pressed, ¥98 for four)—the latter would work even better as a full-size sandwich for a lunch special. These small plates are also the stars of Tapas Tuesday: all-you-can-eat for three hours at ¥198 per person, a solid deal.

Among the large plates, the lobster curry is the true showstopper

The standout among the large shareable dishes is Big Catch (¥398), a whole lobster submerged in curry. The lobster is certainly a draw, but what really carries the dish is the curry itself—rich and velvety without relying on coconut milk to build body, layered in complexity, and hitting the right level of heat. It's hard not to order a full bowl of rice just to soak it up. The curry also includes Thai eggplant and lychee, though the lychee ratio could be dialed back in favor of potato or okra for better balance. The lobster is butchered fresh the same day, with sweet, tender meat.

Another dish worth ordering is Smoking Gun (¥268), a whole spring chicken that's roasted then smoked, taking a Cantonese approach with a savory base built on fermented bean curd and house-made sriracha. The soba noodles (¥108) are topped with charcoal-grilled tiger prawns, edamame, pineapple, and nori, lightly seasoned so the shrimp can take center stage—smoky enough and firm without being tough, well-executed, and sized somewhere between an appetizer and a main. Silly Goose (¥188) is arguably the most "fusion" dish on the whole menu: Cantonese roast goose laid over a Spanish-style risotto, with the rice simmered in sweet bean sauce, goose fat, and goose meat for deep savoriness. The heartiest portion is Captain's Cut (¥298), 36-hour slow-cooked M3 wagyu short ribs drizzled with a char siu-flavored demi-glace, served with mashed potatoes and fried garlic. For dessert, the Hong Kong-style milk tea crème brûlée (¥58), topped with caramelized peanuts, comes recommended.

Overall, this restaurant is more fully realized than expected—some dishes push boldly at the boundaries of fusion cuisine, while others win people over with sheer solid flavor. The three dishes to prioritize are the pork-and-shrimp bean curd skin roll from Skewered Up, the lobster curry from Big Catch, and the smoked chicken from Smoking Gun. For address and reservation details, check Madame Ching's storefront on Yanping Road in Jing'an, Shanghai.