Wen and Ling

Welcome to Shanghai Ling. My name is Wen Mikun, and I'm your chef. I was nineteen when I started cooking, and it's been my passion and my pastime for over twenty years.

After graduating from a traditional cooking school (specialising in the cuisine of the Eastern province), I worked for a decade in a number of Shanghai's finest restaurants, starting with two years at Mei Long Zheng, one of the biggest and most famous. In 1990, I emigrated to Melbourne where I met your hostess, Ms Ling. We had a lot in common - I love to cook and she loves to eat - and with the help of much duck soup, little Ms Jane was born.

Here I am cooking food of the Shanghai region - known for its delicate and individual flavours - and Si Chuan Province - renowned for its aromatic and vibrant cooking.

The food of Shanghai is different from the Cantonese style that Melburnians usually associate with Chinese cooking. Known as the Easter style, Shanghai cuisine is renowned for its wonderful special sauces, and being a port city on the Pacific Ocean, its food is also influenced by the influx of people from all of China's regions, catching the flavours of the Southern or Cantonese style (home of the stir-fry and light tastes), the Northern or Beijing Style, and the hot and spicy tastes of the Western or Si Chuan style.

Wen