Shanghai JJ Restaurant

As a first-​timer to the Vancouver/​Richmond area, I strolled up and down No. 3 road, in search of some XLB places. I figured I’d give the mom-​and-​pop looking shop some business.
The décor was simple– with one large poster of the Shanghai waterfront spanning the length of the place– a corny but cute idea. I ordered:
1) XLB– The 6 little steamed buggers were decent in regards to flavor, but the dough was too thick at the top, and there was just an average amount of soup in them. It’s ok, but definitely doesn’t pose a threat to great XLB places. (2.75)
2) dan dan mien– I shouldn’t have ordered this. Upon initial glance, this looked like it was going to be tasty– but ended up being soupy and rather bland in flavor, despite the chili oil and peanut base of the sauce. Bleh. (2)
Granted, I only had 2 items– there seemed to be several elderly regulars that frequented the place. So I’m sure it’s not a horrible place– but there’s definitely better around the area.

* Different name, same «meh» rating *
I visited this location when it used to be called Shanghai Wind. The xiao long bao were ok, and the rest of the dishes were «meh.»
Passing by today I noticed it now has a new name of «Shanghai JJ» so had to go in and sample the goods.
The service was very friendly, but it was pretty easy to get seated quickly — not a great sign!
Ordered the xiao long bao, which arrived fairly quickly. The wrapper was a bit too thick, and really clumpy at the top. The meat was flavourful and the broth was decent. The ginger slices in the vinegar were a bit too thick, as I prefer a very thin julienne. This was more of a rustic slice.
Also had the rice cakes with pickled veggies. This was much blander than I would normally like. It also didn’t have that slightly burned smoky flavour that I normally love in this dish. It also seemed that they put some corn starch into the wok to give a bit of a goopy sauce which reminded me of the sauces you get at Canadian Chinese restaurants a bit too much for my liking.
Overall with such a nice variety of spots in Richmond I definitely won’t be returning anytime soon. So the name has changed, and I gave it a chance. But it is still «meh» for moi!