At a destination that’s been making waves, the dim sum brunch doesn’t drown in the hype. The experience has a distinctly local twist – street food making the unlikely leap onto Jereme Leung’s haute Shanghainese menu (no vinegar stains on this dumpling list). The xiaolongbao and fried pork guotie, which may cost ten times what you’d pay on the street, tasted great. But it’s certainly more embarrassing when you squirt steaming, ginger-tinged pork fat all over yourself here than in a grimy eating den, and strange scooping up xiaolongbao with elegant silverware. The Whampoa’s setting is among the best around – views of the river and Pudong, and a strikingly bold Alan Chan design inside, with brightly colored panes of glass that break up the space and lend a kaleidoscopic effect. Their more conventional Cantonese dim sum was superb, from the pork buns, deliciously rich but not too sweet, to the delicate shrimp and chive rolls. The preserved egg and salty pork congee was also outstanding, while dainty chicken and bacon pies – one of a range of modern ‘dim sum’ that stray from the Cantonese standards – are appetising and playfully presented. Everything from the chunky tableware to the first-rate service crowns an excellent brunch. Chances are, you’ll be back for dinner. Open 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-10pm. Dim sum brunch only available on weekends, all cards.

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