Shanghai's Surprise; Jean-Georges arrives amid a burst of culinary creativity.(Jean-Georges Vongerichten)

Byline: Jen Lin-Liu and Sandy Lawrence Edry

Housed in a neoclassical building and decorated with eel-skin sofas and pony leather armchairs, Jean-Georges Vongerichten's latest shrine to contemporary French cuisine has the signature chic style of one of his New York restaurants, like Vong or 66. But instead of Manhattan views, this Jean-Georges eatery, which opened April 5, looks out onto the historic buildings lining the Bund, Shanghai's riverfront.

Jean-Georges is merely the highest-profile example of Shanghai's culinary boom. Few cities around the world have seen their cuisine evolve as dramatically over the past decade. New ingredients and supplies from foreign countries have infiltrated the port, while local chefs have studied abroad and adopted Western styles. "There's not been a culture that has seen so much change so quickly" in what they eat, says Bob Boyce, the owner of the Western-style restaurant KABB.

The new style of cuisine even has a name: hai pai, or "sea clan." Loosely defined as Shanghai food with influences from other parts of China and abroad, the explosion of hai pai restaurants has given the city's residents more culinary choices, with dishes like dates stuffed with glutinous rice and pork ribs seasoned with cumin.

It has also given chefs ...