ZHEN Shanghai

218 Campos Eliseos , Intercontinental Presidente Hotel

Mexico City , Mexico http://www.zhen.com.mx/

52-55-5327-7774

ZHEN’s base camp may be in Shanghai, but this Mexico City outpost inside the Polanco district’s Presidente InterContinental Hotel is as close to gourmet Chinese cuisine as visitors can get. The interior is strikingly elegant with subdued lighting, leather-upholstered furniture, and round tables designed for sharing. The chefs here were trained in Hong Kong, so start with a few dim sum plates or the famed shark fin soup. Regulars come for the wok dishes filled with farm-fresh vegetables or the fall-apart spicy spare ribs. Don’t miss the Peking duck, which takes 24 hours to prepare.