St. Mark’s Place has become one of the city’s most authentically Asian scenes in the last few years, with karaoke parlors, snack shops, and stores from across that continent. Crowds of expats stroll along a street that feels like it was airlifted from Taipei perhaps, or Osaka. It’s an appropriate setting, therefore, for a restaurant that takes a deep dive into the Chinese region of Jiangnan, both its small towns and Shanghai. It’s a subtle cuisine, one that (often) involves quickly frying the ingredient in question, and then stewing it for a long period in a closed container, to get the best of all its natural flavors. That may mean crab braised in peach resin, for example, or a meaty fish head long-poached in a delectable sweet-and-salty broth. Other delights include picture-perfect dim sum, soy-shellacked smoked fish, and green tea-infused shrimp. Some have a bit of heat, but nowhere near what you get with Sichuan cuisine. All this is served in a setting that charmingly evokes a traditional Chinese village, with hanging lanterns and wooden dividers between the tables.

Feel like something sweet after the meal? We recommend making your way to the Second Avenue end of St. Marks Place to Xing Fu Tang, a Taiwanese boba tea shop famed for cooking the tapioca in brown sugar fresh for customers.