Creole comfort food in Shanghai has a new home, and its name is Ruijin Cajun. Having long trodden the path of pop-ups, catering events and even shared digs with a local dive bar last year, proprietors Matt Rea and Nate Power have guided their Bayou-inspired brand through the proverbial desert to a space of their own in Jing'an.
Loyal Ruijers will recognise all the old favorites, including the swamp dog (RMB50), a housemade andouille sausage smothered in remoulade and crawfish étouffée, chicken and sausage jambalaya (RMB40) and savory sausage cheesecake (RMB45).
The larger kitchen has also allowed Rea (who takes care of the food, while Power provides the drinks) to play around with new menu items too. We loved the crispiness of their Creole fried chicken wings (RMB55), which come with mashed potatoes and gravy.
More intimidating eats come in the form of the aptly named 'heart attack' sandwich (RMB99), which sees an incredible two beef patties stacked on top of each other, smothered in mustard and remoulade betwixt two grilled cheese sandwiches. You read that right.
Though personally we were really feeling the classic shrimp po'boy sandwich (RMB55).
Anyways, the restaurant itself is spacious and chill, with a nice al fresco terrace outside and a full menu of affordable boozy drinks too. Once a week they also play host to the Shanghai Comedy Club, and host a weekly darts meetup on Tuesday. We say it's as close to good fun on the Bayou as Jing'an can get.
Price: RMB40-120 per person
Who's going: mainly expats
Good for: affordable Western food, serious hangovers, sandwiches, cocktails
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