Taste of Shanghai, Hurstville

Dumpling time again as we make our way into Hurstville's Taste of Shanghai which is also the group that runs the hugely successful Shanghai Stories 1938 down Chatswood.

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New Shanghai, Ashfield

Always keen for a good xiao long bao, we went down Ashfield one lazy Sunday afternoon hopeful to find a shop who offers it. Haha please. When walking into Ashfield, you'll encounter a multitude of dumpling options to choose from down the strip of Hume Highway and be hard pressed not to find a shop which offers xiao long bao. Which is a good thing. 

The interior looks fancy and it was promising to see the kitchen so efficient and high tech with the stainless steel and black smooth brickwork interior.

New Shanghai steamed mini pork bun 6.8

Xiao Long Bao arrive perfectly formed, plump and juicy. It is well seasoned already so taste it first before adjusting the saltage with soy sauce.

New Shanghai pan fried pork bun 8.8

The shen jian bao here are bloody brilliant. It's missing more of that much desired soup and the dough's a bit much but the bottom... Oh crispy bottom exterior. There's nothing quite like it. It's just brilliant how insanely crispy ours were. 

Sliced fresh fish congee 7.8

A very unadorned congee is a very unappreciated thing; it comes missing the usual garnishes but the simplicity is pleasantly remarkable on our end. The chunks of fish were incredibly fresh with none of that fishy taste which was nice and only perfumed with thin hits of light ginger.

Beef in five special sauce noodle soup 8.8

Beef noodle arrives but it comes not quite the way we expect it. I think I'm too used to the large moreish chunks of slow cooked beef, deep, heady broth and thick ramen but this pleasantly surprises. The lighter, almost medicinal broth can be very much credited to the 5 spice along with the thin slices of beef which results in a pleasant finish to the evening.

As seems to be sadly accepted within most Chinese restaurants, service seems to be a bit irregular but I'm hardly there for the service. Still it does leave sort of a sour note. Chairs are placed within doorways and often you'll sit forgotten waiting to grab a waiters attention but on the bright side they are incredibly efficient. It's undeniably delicious food and the locals would certainly agree with me.


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Shanghai Night, Ashfield

Busy restaurateurs have been recently capitalizing on the recent craze over dumplinga, what with Din Tai Fung opening it's multiple franchises and the newly opened Mr Wong that's drawing in droves. For me, however, it's the forgotten street down Liverpool Road in Ashfield that needs the attention; all the Xiao Long Bao without the premium prices. Every third store (slight exaggeration) are Shanghainese Xiao Long Bao specialists. No foodie can possibly resist that treasure trove of goodness now there.

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Shanghai Stories 1938, Chatswood

Often called the Paris of the Orient, Shanghai represents the bubbling hub of modern western culture intermingling with the more traditional old-world Asia. Shanghai Stories 1938's dining area beautifully encapsulates the clash of the two regions and is quite possibly the main appeal of visiting here.

Shanghai Stories 1938 is quite a popular place around the locals. My booking at 12 hardly did anything to get us in quicker and we found ourselves waiting outside for at least 10 minutes. I did manage to converse in Mandarin however, which I'm quite proud of.

You'll find people of all walks of life eating around here. The menu is set out in an easy to read picture display and it wasn't hard picking what we wanted to eat straight away.

Xiao Long Bao 6

One of their main dishes, the Xiao Long Bao here is scrumptious. A really delicate skin encapsulates a juicy meaty filling and they all arrived unbroken which is always a good sign of precision. Ginger was mixed within the filling rather than put on the side but I didn't really mind and at $6 for 6, it has to be one of the cheapest Xiao long bao in Sydney if i'm not mistaken .

Crab Meat Xiao Long Bao 9.80

You can see sweet flakes of crab within the mixture but I was under the impression that it was going to be all crab. At $9.80 for 6? Wishful thinking but it was delightful none the less.

Party De Elderflower 6.80

It tasted more like a raspberry grenadine with only the faintest hits of floral elderflower notes rather than a proper elderflower drink but it was quite refreshing.

Pan Fried Buns 7.80

This is the first time I've ever eaten anything like this and I find the combination fascinating. It's like the mixture of a juicy Xiao Long Bao filling and the softness of a bun along with the crisp fried bottom and it was quite delicious.

BBQ Pork pastry 7.80

The mother's day special; it had a thick saucy filling akin to a pork bun but an exterior of sweet bread.

Onion Pancake 6.80

Onion pancakes were a lot more successful; the generous filling of chives and crisp exterior won me over.

Fried Tofu 10.80

These weren't at all crunch and there wasn't much flavour, however the soft pillows of the interior kept me coming back for more. Maybe a little spritz of fried chive and chilli wouldn't go amiss.

Chicken Rice Paper 6.80

These consisted of thick glass noodles, chicken and a peanutey satay sauce. The flavour wasn't remarkable but they were polished off quickly.

Spicy Calamari 12.80

Probably one of the most disappointing things today, the octopus was very overcooked and had a rubbery texture. I found myself going for the much more successful shallot and chilli garnish.

Buddha's Wrap 7.80

 Not content on the sheer amount of food, my mum went and ordered more. I know where my love of food came from. Happy mothers' day to all mothers. As per tradition, the Buddha's delight rolls were served cold and the filling had precisely cut vegetables and each were scrumptious mouthfuls.

Shanghai Noodle 9.80

As if we weren't filled enough, the amount of noodles was staggering and the depth of the sauce was thoroughly enjoyable.

I'm rather disappointed that many Shanghainese staples aren't on the menu like spicy fried chicken and spicy beef noodle ramen and the service suffers, like a lot of Chinese eateries, through the mentality of getting people in and out as quickly as possible rather than actually making them feel welcome. Furthermore, although far from disappointing, the food does nothing to distinguish itself from other Shanghainese eateries quickly popping up around the North of Sydney. However my family enjoys this place, and the staggeringly beautiful, spacious dining area and the very reasonable prices are what will bring me back and I certainly wouldn't mind another visit.



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