linda 6 October 2008 Chinese 2 Comments  Print This Post  Email This Post

Ashfield is the new Shanghai

One of my first tastes of Xiao Long Bao was at a Yum Cha restaurant in the hustle and bustle of Shenzhen, China and then followed by a few in Shanghai. After the experience of slurping away at the concentrated soup then eating the pork mince encassed in a translucent flour skin I was amazed at how such a simple piece of food could pack so much flavour. Ever since the unveilling of Din Tai Fung (DTF) in Sydney, it appears that most people, fazed and intrigued by the Taipei restaurant chain that popularised Xiao Long Bao has flocked to it. However, what most people don’t realise is that, long before the new kids on the block dominated the scene, Ashfield was the destination of choice, notably for dumplings and Xiao Long Bao. Mind you, I still prefer coming to Ashfield than going to DTF and Chinatown itself.

Walking along Liverpool Rd, inundated with Restaurants displaying images of types of food on offer, ruminating which store to gratify our craving, we couldn’t help but follow the crowd and join a queue. There seems to be a few new dishes in town as well, these include the specail and roat duck. I was tempted to try these, but I entrusted my stomach into the hand of the restaurant with the longest queue.

How could one not be tempted by the only restaurant with a Daylight saving special ?

Xia Long Bao (8 for $7.80)

My missionn is to try every xia long bao dumpling in Ashfield. On this occasion, the dumpling skin is thin yet sturdy. The meat and soup dominate the dumpling, which is a good sign. I did find one or two which didn’t hold its form and exploded once I picked it up, but it might have been due to my carelessness rather than the poor construction of the dumpling. The soup is sweet and flavoursome, and most importantly does not burn on contact with my mouth.

The heat source

Generous amounts of vermicelli

Blue swimmer crab with Vermicelli noodles ($13.80)

I love crab cooked in vermicelli noodles and at $13.80 I couldn’t refuse. What amazed me was the way it was served. The crab and noodles are cooked in some wax paper which is put on top of a vase like heat source. The crab was surprisingly sweet and there were copious amounts of vermicelli noodles it was enough for a meal in it self. The usual price is $16.80, I’d pay that without blinking an eye as the dish was fantastic in both price and flavour. If you have you have tasted mud crab served with vermicelli noodles in other chinese restaurants, you can expect similiar flavours in the Taste of Shanghai version.

Fried lamb in cumin powder ($14.80)

If there was one dissapointment , it was the lamb. The coating was overpowered by flour and I could barely taste the cumin. The amount was generous though, and was a good accompaniment to our giant serving of vermicelli.

Sweet sesame sticky rice balls ($5 / bowl)

Luscious sticky rice balls were filled with oozing amounts of sweet sesame. The rice balls were so soft, they were almost too delicate to eat.

Double filling sticky rice balls (4 for $7.80)

Once again, the sticky rice was tender and soft which made each bite melt in your mouth. The outside was dasted with yellow bean flour, while the Inside consisted of two layers. The top was filled with a thick red bean paste in contrast to the gooey sesame paste in the bottom layer. This format is good for us because we usually can’t decide between the two.

Taste of Shanghai is yet another addition to the array of Shanghai cuisine offerings available in Ashfield. I’d say it is one of the better one’s at this stage but it’s a close call. I think any one of them can take the mantle as ‘best in Ashfield’ depending how hungry I am at the time , or perhaps which one has the longest queue on any given night as they are all fantastic in their own right. Who needs Shanghai when you have Ashfield ?

Find out what Notquitenigella thought of this place

Taste of Shanghai Restaurant
264 Liverpool Road
Ashfield, NSW, 2131
Ph: (02) 9798 2877

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