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Shanghai Dumpling Shop (Chinese cuisine)  $

 8
JaT Rating

455 Broadway Ave, Millbrae, 94030  (Directions)


650.697.0682


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Fresh steamed dumplings and other delectable delights on Broadway


Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 992
Reviewed: 11/15/2007
Rating: 8
My photo gallery 		We arrived around 7'ish and this place was completely dead. I think we were the only other table occupying the restaurant for a good 20 minutes. Shanghai Dumpling Shop was a recommendation by our users and even had the dishes to order. Our waitress barely spoke english and had to call the help of another waiter to help out.

Shanghai Steamed Dumpling (image 7, 8) - XLB or xiao long bao or soupy dumpling balls or whatever you want to call them. These doughy balls area steamed in a bamboo container. The real treat or what most people look for when eating these bite size treats is the soupy consistency. I normally place them on the large spoon with ginger, vinegar, and start by poking a small hole in the dumpling. If you're lucky, soup doesn't burn the hell out of your mouth. The worst thing is finding a dumpling that has no broth. Unfortunately Shanghai Dumpling Soup served the non-soupy version. It wasn't gushing with broth or even steamy hot. Although pork mixture was decent tasting, xlb wasn't in true form. Off night, who knows, xlb rates barely a 7.

How Foo (image 5) - I had trouble ordering this one since I've normally ordered this by another name Kao Fu. I've had this dished served chilled at 3 other restaurants and this is the first time where I've had it warmed up. I honestly think they made a mistake, I checked the menu and it's in the cold plates section. It's a vegetarian dish consisting of anise, mushrooms, gluten, something sweet, something salty, and something good. The gluten is spongy and soaked in a sweet sauce. It's hard to explain the taste of this dish but it's quite good. Just imagine eating sweet spongy bread. Easy repeat order. Rated 8.

Stir Fried Noodle Shanghai style (image 6) - one of my favorite dishes of the night. I don't recall any meat and if there was any, it's wasn't enough to make a lasting impression. The spinach was plentiful and although good, I can only imagine how much better it would taste with beef or shrimp. The noodles were semi-thick and chewy. Tasted fresh and wondered if they make these in-house or obtained them locally. They cook the noodles in a high heat wok and with the right technique, the wok will attach a flavor (wok hay), kinda a steel fragrance mixed with the meal. Steel, not exactly what you want to eat but I guess you'll just have to trust me on this one. Rated 8.5.

Pan Fried Pork Buns (image 4) - they forgot to bring these out. Saw that they billed us for it and we could have either wait for the order or remove it. The pork buns were worth the wait. The pork mixture is similar to the steamed dumpling stuff and wrapping is almost like a thin Char Siu Bao bread. One side is pan fried and topped off with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve it on a plate and watch it disappear in 5 minutes. Very good stuff and makes an great appetizer.

For the four dishes, we shelled out $27.17. Divide that by four and you get about $7 a dish. Not too bad for dinner and considering how authentic everything tasted. It was money well spent. I would have rated mid 8's but I thought the weakest element to the dinner was their supposed trademark dish, XLB. If you're going to name your restaurant about a dumpling, I think you have to serve an exceptional one. Their steamed dumpling fell way short of even a great one. The least you can do is serve the dumplings on top of cabbage instead of wax paper.
 
9.5
Agent Rating


Reviewer: Lainie
Total Reviews: 41
Reviewed: 2/14/2008
Rating: 9.5
My photo gallery		 That's too bad you guys didn't have great XLB there. It's a must order there and always delish with a great amount of soupy goodness inside. It most definitely must've been an off day. It's one of my fave dishes there, along with the Lionshead Meatballs, Braised Fishtails, and so many others. Service is absent, but what do you expect at an authentic Chinese restaurant?
 
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bhsbob ate...

What dish did you eat?many

“never had a bad meal there. No problem with servers or the dumplings. Not even wearing my JatBar T-shirt”

12/3/2007 3:41:57 PM