I don't do fusion," Jereme Leung said confidently as he bent over a mixed plate of seafood, nuts and vegetables. Leung is the founding chef of 3 on the Bund's Whampoa Club, and it is his uncompromising traditional style that has been invaluable in making a name for the Whampoa Club.

Leung has devoted himself to furthering modern Shanghainese cuisine through adding modern flair to classic dishes. And now, as Chinese New Year preparations step up and plans are being made concerning where to go, and more importantly, what to eat, Whampoa Club is looking increasingly appealing.
Over Spring Festival, it would seem inappropriate to attend any restaurant that wasn't traditionally Chinese. However, a problem faced by many westerners is a lack of knowledge concerning traditional Spring Festival delicacies and their meaning.

Whampoa Club is looking to remedy this through four set menus that provide an array of authentic Spring Festival dishes over the holiday period.

Ironically, the signature dish that is being promoted on the Whampoa Club's New Year menu is a Chinese delicacy that is more common in Singapore and Indonesia than it is in Shanghai.

Fa Cai Yu Sheng is a fresh seafood dish that is elaborately prepared and tossed with shredded vegetables, nuts and fresh fruit. Each element of the dish is representative of good fortune and prosperity in the New Year. To ensure your good fortune there is a tossing "ceremony" that the table is supposed to engage in. The logic behind it being that the higher you toss the salad, the more luck your new year will hold. While this sounds like a poor attempt at a group activity, it is actually a fun and friendly way to start the meal.

There are four set menus which focus on two different themes; longevity and prosperity. It is not an easy choice but it is made easier by the fact that all the food is good. In the typical Whampoa Club style, the food is delicately prepared and magnificently presented. The Shanghainese tea smoked eggs that are topped with Sevruga caviar and the slow-cooked shark's fin in golden broth are both triumphs of Shanghainese cuisine that are well worth trying (both come in the Longevity set menu C) and as a dessert, the Chinese Niao Gao dumplings in warm black sesame cream that come in traditional brown sugar flavor, coconut milk and chocolate are perfect for a sweet tooth and each dumpling features one of the twelve Chinese zodiac characters.

All these set menus are faithful to the Whampoa Club's high quality cuisine and presentation and represent a good option for anyone looking for a Chinese New Year feast. The family style set menus are priced from 688 yuan (US$84.94) to 1,688 yuan per person.