Wo Jia Canting

The front of this restaurant is a cramped, cha canting-like interior enhanced by craters in the ceiling and plastic lace tablecloths.

For a more “elegant” setting, glide across the casual dining room (exactly five steps), pass the “behind the scenes” sign a foot away from the man cooking up fire in his wok and enter the formal dining room filled with Shanghainese families bantering over tables of carp, tofu casserole and lion head meatballs.

Wo Jia has been open for 22 years. The place is falling apart. And still it’s full at lunch time and at night.

The cooking is authentically Shanghainese, and nothing on the menu is over RMB 50 -- the definition of cheap eats.

The gem of the menu is the classic sautéed tomato and egg (RMB 18).

The tomatoes are saucy and sweet, and the egg is very, very tender. They add a hint of rice wine. It’s the perfect pairing with a simple bowl of rice.

Your plate will come so filled with velvety egg and pulpy tomatoes that it will dribble over onto the table.