Teacher’s Favorite Restaurant

Sofia had the great honor to interview her school counselor Ms. Gillian last week. During her interview, Ms. Gillian introduced Sofia to her favorite restaurant in Shanghai, RIVIERA. RIVIERA Songhelou was established in 2013, specializing in Subang local cuisine. It was co-founded by two time-honored restaurants, RIVIERA and Songhelou. The concept of this restaurant is to bring the delicious essence of Suzhou local cuisine to every guest. Although the per capita consumption of this store may be on the high side, people who come here can eat many authentic and delicious Suzhou dishes, such as mandarin fish, squab, fried shrimp, abalone and braised pork, etc. In addition to the delicious Suzhou cuisine, since this restaurant is located on the Bund, people can enjoy the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Huangpu River while eating, the light show of the Bund buildings, and the cruise ships on the Huangpu River.

RIVIERA has always had many very special meanings to Ms. Gillian. During my conversation with Ms. Gillian, she mentioned that every time she had something important to celebrate, she would go to this restaurant to eat. The last time she went to the restaurant was last Christmas with a good friend she hadn’t seen in a while. They went to RIVIERA not only to celebrate Christmas, but also to celebrate all their achievements that year, and more importantly, to celebrate their long-lasting friendship. So for Ms. Gillian, this Suzhou local cuisine restaurant is a good place for her to enjoy a good time with friends. In addition, the taste of the dishes and the location of this restaurant also have unique meaning to Ms. Gillian. According to Ms. Gillian, every time she eats the food in this restaurant, she will think of the taste of the food her parents cooked for her when she was at home. In addition, the scenery on the Bund outside the window always reminds her of the wonderful memories of coming to the Bund with her parents to shop, ride boats, and watch fireworks when she was a child.

Among all the dishes provided by this restaurant, Ms. Gillian’s favorite dish is the restaurant’s signature dish, which is Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish. This dish is one of the top ten classic dishes in Jiangsu, and it is also a dish that almost all Suzhou cuisine restaurants will provide. The Mandarin fish in this dish will become crispy on the outside and tender on the inside after being poured with boiled sweet and sour sauce, making it very delicious for people to taste. The reason why Ms. Gillian loves this dish is because its taste is very classic and it often reminds her of the taste of this same dish her parents made for her when she was a child.