Founded in 1935, Wei Xiang Zhai was originally called "Sirloin Cafe", and after liberation, it was renamed "Xiangyang Restaurant", providing beef soup, pork cutlets, hot sauce topping noodles and other civilian dishes; Around the 80s, the shop was renamed Wei Xiang Zhai again, and it immediately became one of the most famous noodle restaurants in Shanghai. In 2017, it was selected as a Michelin recommended restaurant, and its reputation rose instantly.
The restaurant's signature noodle, Sesame Sauce Noodles, is said to have been served since the days of the "Sirloin Cafe". Different from the regular water-mixed peanut sesame paste, the sesame sauce is stirred with peanut oil used for fried pork cutlets, and the finished product has a light and fragrant fragrance. Before the noodles are served, the aunt will pour a spoonful of gravy on the noodles, which is the secret marinade made from the restaurant's roasted spicy pork, pork ribs and stewed hoof toppings, which is the finishing touch to the whole bowl of noodles. The sesame sauce noodles that are just served need to be mixed immediately so that the noodles are evenly dipped in the sauce, and the slightly spicy taste attached to the gravy neutralizes the sweetness of the sesame sauce, and the fine taste does not feel jerky and greasy. Knowledgeable diners will also order a bowl of veal soup to accompany the meal, 50 catties of beef hind legs are thrown into a large pot to stew for four or five hours, and the beef soup seasoned with only curry powder and green onion and ginger is mellow, fresh and slightly spicy, and with hot sesame sauce noodles, the taste is wonderful.
Wei Xiang Zhai, which is a historical store, has not expanded its store scale to this day, and the wrought iron railings and old-style ceiling chandeliers at the door are still in use after decades of time, and the plain and unpretentious store is always crowded; However, the Michelin logo is discreetly pasted on the glass wall next to the doorway, and passers-by seem to ignore it. There is no tall decoration, and the simple façade and the delicious taste as before are the charm of Wei Xiang Zhai.
The price of Wei Xiang Zhai is close to the people, taking sesame sauce noodles as an example, a bowl only costs 10 yuan, and each bowl is configured with 3 taels (150 grams) of noodles by default, and only cash and Alipay payment are supported. Due to the large number of diners at the restaurant all year round, diners who arrive at the restaurant need to wait patiently for a table and sit together if necessary.
