Taste of Shanghai Restaurant at Ashfield for the dumplings & more - another lunch time savouring

So it goes, whilst pondering on what to have for lunch on a Saturday & whilst spending time out inner west, the thought that comes to mind...anyone for Xiao Long Bao's or fresh out the steamer for small steamed dumplings with soup?

So we head down the main strip (Liverpool St, Ashfield) and decide to  pick "Taste Of Shanghai at Ashfield" which is near the fruit shop, Ashfield Mall & hotel side. It was the renovations they had made to the front of the building and added the upstairs seating component that divided us from the packed people eating downstairs, & made the dining experience alot more relaxed vs cramped like sardines at a restaurant packed with people in places similar to this that we've experienced.

As we climbed the stairs to the upper floor, we were more at peace as we sat in the corner with a large table that could clearly fit double our guests! We were only a group of four today.




If you are up for a dumpling fix, don't forget to order both pan fried dumplings and the steam Xiao Long Baos...

We were lucky to arrive before peak hour and so once our dishes were ordered it made it to our table nearly instantaneously. When it's packed out & chock a block with people downstairs there might be a wait for food & service. But today, we had both, great food & great service. The lady that looked after our table took our order, spoke in english and repeated our order (sometimes at other restaurants with the minimal manderin we possess we usually point to the menu) but clearly they have renovated and provided a much better customer experience even for the faint hearted non chinese food lover with delicious pictures of the dishes in the menu to serving us of the dishes.

THE PICK

#1 Dish: Xiao Long Baos - freshly handmade out of the steamer, nice and hot in the mouth. Must have this dish fresh. Just place the entire one piece of steam portion into your mouth and make a bite. It's the soup & juice from inside the parcel that makes it a mouth watering dish to try!

Shanghai Styled Mini Pork Buns $8.80

 Before you eat it, you should add just a tinsy bit of chinese vinegar mixed with some soya sauce on the outside and eat it in the one mouthful. It takes just one bite to complete the flavour as the soup inside oodles into your mouth....

Xiao Long Baos

Panfried dumplings just as delicious as the steam ones $8-9 dish

Pan Fried Dumplings, In cantonese it is pronouced as "Wor Tip"

#2 Pick Pan Fried Dumplings : For those that are health conscious, the steamed dumplings maybe best, but we can't help having a bit of pan fried crunchiness to the dumplings....

Dilute some of the chinese vinegar on top to break down the fat and down it with some chinese tea. Great for the digestion :)

#3 Dish of the day: Sweet Fish Fillet in Unagi Sauce with Angels. Angels being the white buns.

Crunchy sweet fish fillets with chinese sweet buns called "Man Taos" in the shape of a fish. 

 How to eat: You sandwich them like a burger except it is in a shape of a fish

#4 Dish: Handmade Shanghai noodles with duck & veges.

The Chef making the handmade noodles called "Lai Min" in cantonese

#5 Dish: Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs - I love the sauce that it is in. This was a side dish as we had one two many dishes that we couldnt even fit in dessert...

THE PECK VERDICT

Will come back for more simply because there is alot more on the menu we didn't have enough man power nor stomach space to continue trying.

Will recruit more to the party to try out their pumpkin pancakes & sweet & sour deep fried live fish...
anyone want to come join me for a next time....

Here's some of the desserts to try next:

They also have other restaurants in Eastwood, World square (great if you are in the city) and another in Chatswood...


if you like Din Tai Fung's Xiao Long Baos & some of their side dishes, then dare to compare more Shanghainese eating outlets such as this one!

Taste Of Shanghai

a) Taste Of Shanghai - Sydney CBD
Shop 9.07, World Square Shopping Centre
644 George St, Sydney 2000
Ph: (02) 9261 8832

b) Taste Of Shanghai- Ashfield
264 Liverpool Rd, Ashfield 2131
Ph:(02) 9798 2877

c) Taste Of Shanghai - Eastwood
200 Rowe St, Eastwood 2122
Ph: (02) 9804 0388
Note: In the Eastwood restaurant they also have "Sweet Shangha Dessert House" more variety of dessert selection to be had!

We have personally been to all of these and have come back for more dumplings every time!


Here's the rest of what's on the menu....

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Taste of Shanghai

264 Liverpool Road, Ashfield NSW 2131
(02) 9798 2877
Open for lunch & dinner til late