Shun Xin Restaurant

Food was decent but Service is bad and the food took over half an hour to come. Felt like business was not appreciated at all.

Really, really liked this place, but the pricetag is high, otherwise it would be a 4 for sure,
Four people, one crab and prawn pot pot with yam noodle, asparagus leaves, beef, and potatoe,.and and jug of coke = $ 95 including tip.
Hole in the wall service, not so nice looking place but that is par for the course in Richmond (and actually our server was pleasant, not like some Chinese places, or what other reviewers have noted).
Now for the good part: this thing was both generous and delicious. The routine is that you put a plastic glove on one hand and go at it with chopsticks in the other and serve from a big bowl to your plate. There were MANY huge prawns,. so many that 4 people attacking it, at the end we were lik «cmon,. someone has to eat the last 2.» the crab was thin on the meat and the labour involved made me think if I went back I’d opt for the prawns only and presumably the price would come down a bit. I think we chose our items well, and wow even at the second to lowest on spicy,… pretty spicy for us,. but very, flavourful w. tons of garlic and ginger.
What I really want to emphasize here is this is kind on a experiential meal,. like hotpot or fondue (this is a dry hotpot, much more enjoyable for me). What I really liked was that it was focused really on one dish but does it well. Often in asian places I find the menu size overwhelming and I question if I ordered the right things for my ignorance.
The one thing I will say is that the pricing is a mystery to us. Each item that you buy beyond the hotpot has price of 4 $, 5 $, or 6 $ — but the hotpot price is a variable that is explained only in asian characters,. we just rolled with it but if that bothers you,. that could be an issue.

This place has stood for many years and changed its style overtime. It does get extremely busy fast and it is only open during the evening.
I am more than addicted to their spicy crab dish and can devour an entire bucket on my own. The spices are legitimate imported because I’m sure we don’t have it here to make this special flavour, and everything is as fresh as can be. The cleanliness of the food there for hot pot and quality of the things you order makes you feel satisfied for the price you pay. When we order seafood, we are usually prepared to cough up a large one for the bill, but for 35 bucks you can get a giant bucket of freshly prepared crab, also for a bit more you can add personalized sides to your spicy crab.
I usually get lettuce root and lotus root for mine, and if you are sensitive to heat, don’t even bother challenging the medium or hot because your tongue will fall off.
Their deep fried Chinese steam bun with condensed milk is also out of this world. I have many friends, who call it the Chinese donut. It’s addicting, you can eat it as dessert but we usually can’t wait and eat a bunch as appy.
Although I must warn you, the service, like many typical Chinese restaurants aren’t the most satisfying due to how busy it get. You might have to remind them to bring your order, especially the little things like sauce or drinks. But as long as the food is good and you satisfy your spicy crab cravings, you tend to forget about the other crap and somehow find yourself back again with new friends to share it with.

Went to have hotpot with my girlfriend. Selection was lacking with many items crossed off the menu (A sauce option was not available, and we were «recommended» to try another sauce. And what kind of hotpot place does not have pork blood?). Some of the things we ordered from what remained wasn’t available as well (tofu, corn. again, how can a hotpot place not have something this basic?). Some of our order never showed until we requested again. When it finally showed up it was missing the sauce that they skimped out on. Would not recommend, they cut many corners and customer service was non-​existent. Spend your money somewhere else.

The concept here is quite simple: You have a choice between a «dry-​style» hot pot or the actual hot pot that we are more familiar with.
A“dry-style” hot pot comes with a spicy stir-​fried crab or spicy stir-​fried shrimp-​based base, or a mix of both. To which you can add an assortments of meat and vegetables to be flipped in the wok together. Then the sizzling dish is served in a giant hot pot, steaming with heat, garlic, and spices.
A quick flip through the pot you’ll capture glimpses of oily dried red peppers and freshly-​cracked peppercorns that certainly ignites the temperature of your tongue. For the entry-​level spicy palates, your best bets are to go with «Mild». But for the adventurous ones, I challenge you to ask for «Super Spicy.»
I think this place is A-​Ok because I find the ingredients can be a bit more fresher. For instance I pulled out the crab meats from the shell that look like they are limping on the plate to catch the last breath of their lives. The shrimp does not have the springy texture of fresh ones, though the sizes were good. Also, the selection of ingredients can be expanded to include more options. .
You’d be surprised to find how big the space is, and that it is quickly packed with a bustling crowd. If you’ve never tried a «dry-​style» hot pot, I suppose you can give it a go.
Cheerio~