This long-established restaurant with a Michelin Guide one-star has a complex history. Lao Zhengxing's name comes from the 1862 Xibang restaurant "Zhengxing Restaurant" (Tongzhi Lao Zhengxing), apprentice Fan Bingshun then set up his own door and founded the "fake" Zhengxing Restaurant (Yuanji Lao Zhengxing), which made a bad start in Shanghai's catering industry at that time, until the liberation, Shanghai Tang called itself "Lao Zhengxing" as many as 120 restaurants. At present, the existing old Zhengxing in Shanghai, formerly known as the "Zhengyuan Pavilion" founded by Xia Lianfa of Wuxi, was renamed "Lao Zhengxing Pavilion" in the 30s of the 20th century, and gradually entered a better situation under the management of Xia Shunqing, the son of Xia Lianfa. With the fading out of other "old Zhengxing", Xia Shunqing's Lao Zhengxing gradually took charge of himself and became the representative of Wuxi's cuisine.

In the process of forming this dish, a large amount of flavor characteristics of Xibang cuisine and the cooking method of river fresh are absorbed. Lao Zhengxing used to be a tin gang restaurant, with the foundation of Taihu Lake boat dishes good at river freshness, many parts of the herring can be prepared separately, braised belly stalls, braised paddling, chin paddling and other famous dishes have typical Suxi gang characteristics. The belly stall is the belly meat, the paddling is the tail of the fish, and the chin stroke is made of two pieces of chin meat and fish tail from the head of the herring, which are all examples of thick oil red sauce. Among the herring dishes of Lao Zhengxing, the most distinctive is the herring bald lung, that is, the herring liver is taken into the dish, and the green onion, ginger, sugar, rice wine, soy sauce, bamboo shoots, etc. are fired together, and you need to make a reservation two to three days in advance. The taste of herring liver is similar to that of brain flower, and the taste is equivalent to that of ordinary animal liver, with tender and smooth entrance, rich sauce flavor, and balanced sweet and salty. The herring has the signature muddy smell of freshwater fish, although Lao Zhengxing uses excellent quality black green, but it is not neat enough, and the thick oil red sauce cannot hide the obvious fishy smell of the corners and other parts of the fish.

As a time-honored brand in Shanghai, Lao Zhengxing Restaurant has won many awards over the years, such as fried shrimp, grass head circle, rock sugar soft-shelled turtle, stir-fried crab butter, sauce recipe, Zhengxing crispy meal, shrimp and black cucumber, Babao whole duck and other signature dishes are almost award-winning, and the menu is full of gold medal dishes. The most famous of the signature dishes is the fried shrimp, which in the eyes of many old diners, Lao Zhengxing's fried shrimp is the top level in Shanghai. Today's Lao Zhengxing still maintains a fairly stable performance in this housekeeping dish, the use of materials is regular, the selection is the average size of fresh river shrimp, hot pot, stir-fry and break raw, the shrimp gills are swollen, the shrimp shell is crispy, the shrimp meat is sweet and crispy, and the oil temperature and fire are in place, which can be called a perfect fire. The production of the grass head circle is acceptable, the grass head is moderately tender, the circle part is thick and thick, the layers are clear, the taste is not soft and rotten, the intestinal wall is still chewing, the oil film fat is removed, and the seasoning is moderate and palatable. The eel silk is very fat and strong, the taste is smooth, the softness and hardness are moderate, the salty and sweet are not fishy, but the umami is insufficient. It is worth noting that Lao Zhengxing generally walks the dishes are warm and cool, and many dishes are no longer hot on the table, which has different degrees of impact on the taste and entrance experience, and is often criticized by diners.

Located on Fuzhou Road, Lao Zhengxing is a six-storey building with a green background and gold signboard with a strong old state-run atmosphere, and the interior decoration is tasteful. The first floor is the reception hall with waiting seats, and the individual dining room is located in the hall on the second floor, with dignified decoration, and the third floor is a private room, which needs to be booked in advance. By the standards of a one-Michelin-starred restaurant, Lao Zhengxing's service is downright subpar. It seems that there are enough people and they are busy, but in fact they are passive and passive, and the waiters can do less than one thing, pretending to be deaf and dumb, and have no sense of service at all. For today's consumers, Lao Zhengxing is by no means the first choice for this dish, whether it is the stability of the production or the detailed control of the service, Lao Zhengxing still has a lot of room for improvement. In addition, Lao Zhengxing opened a new branch in Xuhui Longhua at the end of 2017, and the dishes are basically similar to the main store, the environment is relatively brisk and beautiful, but the service is equally lax.