Taste of Shanghai Restaurant

Such a mix of reviews on this place! Since I am a XLB fan, I must say that this place passes the test.
We came here for lunch and the lunch specials were delicious and below $ 10 (!!). Shared a platter of XLBs which were excellent. Din Tai Fung is still the pinnacle of XLBs (and the real deals in Shanghai, of course), but these were up there. Meal for two people, one lunch special each, plus dumplings to share for $ 25? Can’t complain.
Service was a miss. Sour and unaccommodating but luckily, I never expected anything more!
P.S — they charge an extra $ 1 for EFTPOS for all you card-​friendly people of 2016.

Fantastic food. Nice staff.
Can get really busy so best to book ahead.
Recommended:
Pan fried pork buns

If what you crave is great tasting food then is it and at very reasonable price. $ 15 – 20 each will leave you full. There are some really surprising dishes like the smoked cold fish and drunken chicken that are yum. The duck with pancakes if finger likn good! If you are on a budget get the soup which massive.
Its not fancy but it is clean and the service not bad at all for this in-​out type restaurant.
I think its better than it rival across the road. which does do amazing dumplings.

This Ashfield Chinese restaurant is part of a four restaurant Taste of Shanghai chain with the others located in the CBD and Eastwood. The menu is huge, however they are most well-​known for the dumpling section.
PORK AND CHIVE DUMPLING $ 8.80 (+$ 2 Fried)
The skin was too thick compared to other dumpling specialists. The filling was tasty no complains here.
PORK & PRAWN WONTON SOUP (12pcs) $ 8.80
The soup was light almost bland. I hope it’s a simple soup not to overpower the wontons, I am giving them the benefit of the doubt for that. The wontons were average, I would have preferred less wontons but more flavour. That’s not a huge chip on the bowl, it’s the spoon holder xD…
SHANDONG CRISPY SKINNED CHICKEN $ 20.80
This a such a disappointing dish. The chicken was tough almost like it was cooked too quickly although it did take quite a while to come out. The sauce had too much ginger and too much overpowering sweetness. Ordered this with rice, and the rice was tough (probably an old batch). Complete fail, a Woolies roast chicken would have tasted better.
Conclusion
Now I understand why the line is at New Shanghai and not here. The dumplings were acceptable, the rest is pretty bad for these prices. The Shandong chicken is a fail and if that is an indication of the standard of the a-​la-​carte food I’m never going back here, I prefer to cook.
@thesydneynoob

Very tasty food and so fresh. The green tea flowed as soon as we walked in. The restaurant was very busy and quick. If you like good authentic food this is the place to go to. The prices are quite reasonable. We had three dishes for $ 40. The servings are large and filling. There was no MSG taste afterwards. The only downfall is the atmosphere… it is a busy place for busy people. Probably a place to go before heading off for somewhere else.

The food is always really good here. This time I tried the pan fried pork buns, String bean and prawn dumplings.
The pork buns were pretty average. But the string bean dumplings were fantastic. I would recommend them to anyone who likes dumplings.
As always the service is pretty average. But that’s always the case at all dumpling places I’ve been to.

Just okay, nothing special or out of the norm.
Drunken chicken– large pieces of chicken, I’d prefer them cut smaller. Flavor is there
Regular pork xiao long bao– mini pork soup dumplings. These were good but came out a little cold and the soup was a little murky and not smooth.
Preserved vegetable with shredded pork– large bowl and very filling. There was not much pork though.
Pea and shrimp dumplings (green ones not sure of the name) — to me the shrimp tasted a little fake, I personally would not order again
Verdict: probably would be back but need to try the other Shanghainese shops around first, look out for my other reviews

It was my last day in Sydney and my friend and I took a quick train ride to Hurtsville for lunch, we walked by Taste of Shanghai on another night and there was a big line up so naturally it was a good indication for us that the food must be good! But decided to go somewhere else. This time we managed to get a seat and poured over the menu in interest. The famous Xiaolong dumplings were a must have so we ordered two serves of that, the original with pork and another with prawns, a cold entrée chicken dish and a fried rice cake dish. I was impressed with the service, as soon as we were seated, a pot of tea was ready at our table and our meals came out fast and steaming from the kitchen.
The Xiaolong bao was delicious, the broth inside it was amazing! And the cold chicken dish was refreshing. The fried rice cake dish was also amazing, and so filling! Aside from great, efficient service and tasty, authentic food, the price was good too. If only I had more time in Sydney, I would come back, the menu had so many other things I would love to try but will keep it in mind for my next visit!

Food tastes great and I always walk out stuffed, satisfied and surprised how cheap it was.
Can be busy so eat early or late to get straight in.

We came here because we normally go to the one in Hurstville but were in the area, I have to say that I won’t be returning, service was very poor, food quality did not compare, I was a little embarrassed as we went with friends and I was raving on about it.
Disappointed to say the least I’ll stick to what I know!

Very busy Sunday night. Shanghai Xiaolongbao is authentic but average. Xiaolongbao means little-​basket buns literally, which is from the Jiangnan region of China where I grew up. The broth inside the buns comes from melted aspic made from pork stock and skin.
The Shanghai-​style sweet & sour pork ribs look dull but taste great, highly recommended. BTW, if you do not like pork gristle, don’t try it.
The last dish we ordered is fish fillet in sizzling hot sauce. I’m not a fan of basa fillets and the whole dish is full of oil. It’s Hunan/​Xiang cuisine and they did not nail it.

Great place to sit down or take food home.
Always packed but they are very quick so you won’t be waiting long.
Food was amazing and prices were actually reasonable.
The dumplings were fab!

Din Tai Fung has nothing on Taste of Shanghai. They have the best pan fried pork buns and the other dumplings (Shanghai xiao long bao and poached pork and chive dumpling) here are just as tasty. I craved Chinese food all the time when I was pregnant with my first son and this was my restaurant of choice.
My husband loves the salt and pepper pork chops and the stir fired green beans with pork mince.
On special occasions we got the mud crabs with ginger and shallots or live barramundi in sweet and sour sauce. Never a disappointment.

Fabulous cold duck and chicken dishes. Great dumplings and Tsing Tao longnecks.

Dang Dang Noodle Soup at Taste of Shanghai is so so so goooood. This is where I first got a taste of that freaky tingle that real sichuan spice is supposed to have! At first I though I was having an allergic reaction (ignorant anglo moment)… but wow, that buzzing, numbing feeling from the pepper and pickles and the flavour of the rich broth is something I now get irrational cravings for.
You can’t really go wrong with anything on the menu at Taste of Shanghai. The dumplings, noodles, meats and soups are great. It’s cheap, busy and quick.

Taste of Shanghai introduced me to the world of dumplings. For that, I am forever thankful.
Never had I experienced the taste sensation of good dumplings until I popped in here one night for dinner. I ordered the vegetarian dumplings (which are relatively cheap compared to the rest of the menu) and waited about 20 minutes — a longish wait, but understandable as this place gets busy. When the dumplings arrived, I dipped the plump steaming parcels into my soy/​chilli/​vinegar solution before taking my first bite. I could go on to describe in detail the party that then proceeded to take place in my mouth, but suffice it to say that from that moment, my eyes were opened to an entirely new world and even still, Taste of Shanghai sits pretty in my top three dumpling houses.
The restaurant itself is also one of the nicer establishments to dine-​out in at Ashfield and a good place to brush up on your grasp of the Chinese language. The specials on the walls are written in Chinese, the waiters talk to each other in Chinese, the TV is on a Chinese channel (no subtitles so it’s a guessing game too) and most of the people in there are Chinese. Taste of Shanghai is authentic too — when I mentioned that I had been in Ashfield to some Chinese friends, they asked if I’d been to Taste of Shanghai. Of course I had. I know where it’s at.