Last weekend, I took M there for the first time. Since it was only the two of us, we only ordered three items.
First up, Xiao Long Baos, of course. They were hot and soupy and rich. Not as nice as when I went with mom and sis, but delicious nonetheless. I had to warn M about the "exploding capacity" of this dish - because, like any male in my family, he tends to just shovel food into his mouth, and suffer the consequences later (see, he fits right into my family!). He heeded my warning and thus no injuries succumbed. :)
I *had* to have their turnip pastry. I tried it before and I always love it. Flakey, turnipy, and slightly sweet. What I love the most about it (and you can't tell from this photo) is that the bottoms of the pastries are dredged heavily in sesame before being baked / panfried. It yields a nice crust and also adds a load of flavour to this simple dish.
Finally, what was lunch in a Shanghainese restaurant without some good old Shanghai Noodles? These noodles hold a little bit of a sentimental thread with me. I remember going to a Shanghainese restaurant near our house when I was a kid with my grandparents or my mother - I remember one of my uncles making fun of me because of shiny they made my lips.
Yeah, Shanghai noodles can be greasey. But if it ain't broken, don't fix it! M kept on persuading me to "reinvent" Shanghai noodles. I flat out said (uncharacteristically too), "No. This is the way Shanghai noodles are made. They *always* have the julienned pork. they *always* have the Chinese cabbage / siu choy. They *always* have this type of noodle. The *only* thing different places might change about their Shanghai noodle, is whether or not they have spinach cooked into the mix. And even *that* is subtle!"
Umm, yeah. I'm a little particular about nostalgic dishes. And Shanghai Wonderful does it all just right. Yes, we were full for about six hours after eating this meal. And we even took some leftovers home! ....at only $10 per person with leftovers, you can bet I'll be back for some Shanghai Wonderful goodies.
#110 - 8380 Lansdowne Road [map]
Richmond BC
Phone: 604-278-8829
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That turnip pastry sounds excellent!
ReplyDeleteI went to Shanghai Wonderful with a certain person you might know (his initials are JAY). We really enjoyed our meal there. The prices are pretty good too. Great Xiao Long Baos.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I thought too! It was relatively cheap, considering that for two people you'd probably have to shell out another 50% to get a decent meal. Plus the fact that the dumplings are prepared fresh on the premises is a bonus.
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