The whole gang is going out tonight! We've got the Burros, Po, Hobbits, Mr and I decide to watch Skyfall opening weekend (I know, crazy right?) so we need a place to eat before the movie. Mrs. Burro says she wants Chinese so Mr and I go rack our brains: where could we make a last minute reservation and where could we eat "Chinese-light" food. "Chinese-light" meaning dishes that non-Chinese people are more comfortable with but that aren't normally ordered by hardcore Chinese food lovers.
Mr and I have been to Shanghai Wonderful before and we know they have dishes that even my picky neice likes so we make a last minute reservation and head on down. They have a nice mixture of more hardcore dishes (intestines, etc) and light dishes that I think everyone in our group can enjoy. Well, at least I hope so... I'm worried about Po because his idea of good Chinese food is Manchu Wok at the food court. *sigh* I am in competition with highly processed and super sugary nuclear coloured foods. And Mr Hobbit is allergic to peanuts so we have to go somewhere where they understand peanut allergies. Everyone leaves the ordering up to me (the pressure!) so I make a few selections and hope for the best!
Honey Garlic Spareribs - $12.95
A little more fatty that I would've liked but everyone at the table seems to enjoy it. Burro loves the sauce so much we joke he should go around picking up the leftover sauce from other tables. I think he seriously considered it... It's good bad Chinese food, that's for sure.
BBQ Pork Fried Rice - $12.95
It is as described. Fried rice with BBQ pork - nothing more and nothing less. A tad on the salty side but overall not bad. Wish it had some vegetables in it other than a few sad peas since it seems kind of plain with just rice and pork.
Lemon Chicken - $12.95
Is everything in this restaurant $12.95? Anyhoo, this dish is pretty good for what it is - usually lemon chicken is too sugary but this has more lemon flavour than just plain old sweet. The breading on it is holding up to the sauce really well, not getting soggy when the sauce comes near. Why is it on a bed of iceberg lettuce? *sigh*
Pan Fried Pork Buns - $5.95
Po pokes a whole into the top and the soup squirts right up his nose! That's a lethal pan fried bun! Just goes to show how soupy these buns are. Not too doughy with a good bun to filling ratio and a nice crispy bottom from the frying. Delish!
Shanghai Style Juicy Pork Buns - $5.95
Everyone pretty much had the same problem - one bite and there's soup EVERYWHERE. RIP beige blouse, it was my first time wearing you so hopefully the grease comes out! I like that the wrapping is thin, not too doughy and the filling is pretty tasty. A dip in the soy sauce with ginger... *drool* I'm telling you folks, these are up there with some of the yummiest xiao long bao available in the Lower Mainland - they just have that great spoonful of soup that is fantastic.
Pan Fried Pork Dumplings - $5.95
Ok, I think this is getting out of hand. The filling is the same for all 3 bao/bun/dumpling dishes but they're just in different delivering mechanisms. Don't get me wrong, this is still good and they pan fried them well here but if you're going to order off the dim sum menu, best to just stick to one or two dishes because you're basically getting the same thing again. i.e. dough with pork filling and soup.
House Special Fried Noodle - $12.95
Doesn't matter where we are, Mr always orders the house special noodle. This one has crispy noodles and lots of toppings and everyone seems to enjoy it. Not bad but there are a lot more interesting dishes on this menu to choose from so unless you're completely lost, order something else (crispy rice with tomato sauce and seafood is a good one).
Green Beans with Chili Sauce - $12.95
A tad on the greasy side but the flavours are really good though and the beans are still crunchy which is nice. I would recommend eating this with a rice or noodle because on it's own, these beans can be salty.
Cashew Nuts Chicken - $14.95
I think of all the dishes tonight, this dish was the least exciting in terms of flavours and the most expensive. I'm not actually really sure what the flavours are supposed to be. I like the addition of the cashews in this dish but some of them have been cooking too long and become soggy. I also find there's WAY too much celery in this dish - it's called chicken and cashews so shouldn't the main ingredients be a combination of the two. Anyways, Mr and I would probably skip on this one next time and suggest you do so as well.
Mr and I have already been here multiple times with multiple parties - his parents, my parents and now our friends as well. Why do we come here? It's not the cheapest or the prettiest but the majority of the dishes we have eaten here are solid and some very very good. This is a go-to place for us, a place that we don't even have to think about, is not super pricey and we know that when we go, we'll come out satisfied. They also have some really good steamed dumplings and pan fried buns. Give it a shot and let us know if you've got a better go-to place. Bon appetite!
Oinks:
- Good food - try the dumplings!
- Moderate prices
- Free parking
- Menu in English and Chinese and lots of photos to go with it
Doinks:
- Cash or debit only
- Terrible parking lot
- Very busy during prime dinner hours and weekends - make reservations if you can!
- Rushed service - they aren't the nicest but pretty efficient
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