New Shanghai @ Chatswood Chase, Chatswood

New Shanghai @ Chatswood Chase

What would be a perfect warming meal for a freezing cold night in Sydney ? 

DUMPLINGS !!!!

New Shanghai as you all know can be found all around Sydney now (see my review for their branch at Westfield Bondi Junction) and their branch at Chatswood Chase is celebrating their 1st anniversary.

Since they are well known for their juicy soup dumpling, I just couldn't say no to George from Wasamedia when he asked whether I'm interested on trying out some of the new dishes they've added to their menu. 

Since I have no idea how to get to Chatswood, I secured my "date" for the night that is more than willing to drive there hehehe :P

Bi Luo Chun - Spiral Green Tea $3.50/glass

Love the grey and red colours of the place ! It is just so....well....Chinese ? But old style Chinese - if you get what I meant....

We went there on Wednesday night and the place was packed full of people - mostly in business suits though - straight from the office to tuck into some dumplings, great idea :D

I got a glass of the Bi Luo Chun tea as it was such a cold night ! Strangely enough, the tea didn't release it's flavour eventhough it was steeping throughout the dinner - didn't think it was because of lack of tea leaves, there were plenty of it for a glass.

Maybe it's just such a very mild flavoured tea ? 

Shredded Jellyfish & Radish tossed w/ Sea Salt & Light Soy Dressing  $6.80

Must have jellyfish salad when it's on the menu :) 

It was crunchy and refreshing, although the dressing was a bit too light for my liking. 

Dumpling Making Window

Warning !!

The next two items came with a special instruction / warning - follow the instructions carefully otherwise be prepared for unpleasantly hot burning sensation in your mouth - seriously...they are HOT STUFF !!

(This is speaking from experience... LOL)

New Shanghai Pan-Fried Pork Buns   $12.80

New Shanghai still makes the best pan fried pork buns I've ever had so far, so naturally it is a must !

Perfectly pan fried bottom ; Juicy soupy filling

Look at the bun's pan fried bum - perfectly fried !! The bun was crispy yet still fluffy, and what's inside tasted amazing - juicy pork mince with delicious piping hot soup...yummm.....

These babies may look so cute but be warned, they are very filling *buurp* (didn't stop me from eating more than one though... :P)

New Shanghai Xiao Long Bao  $9.20

We also ordered some xiao long bao a.k.a. steamed mini pork buns (dumplings) - juicy and delicious just like the pan fried buns, although I find the skin a bit too thick for my liking.

Crispy Skin King Prawns w/ Shanghai Style Sweet Sauce   $22.80

One of the 2 new items on the menu we tried that night, crispy skin green king prawns tossed in a special sweet Shanghai style home made sauce. 

The prawns were soooo crispy that you can eat everything - head, tail, shell - ALL ! 

It did looked a bit daunting at first as the prawns were quite large, but fret not , they are crispy indeed.

The almost caramelized sauce the prawns were coated in were finger licking good, there was just a right balance of sweetness and saltiness in this dish.

Deep Fried Crispy Skin Chicken w/ Special Garlic & Chilli Sauce on Noodle Soup  $11.50

My friend said this is the dish he'd always order when he dined here - although the deep fried chicken was not as crispy as I expected, there was no doubt that the meat was tender and juicy.

I'm usually not a fan of noodle soup, but I actually preferred the noodle soup than the chicken this time ;)

The slippery noodle had a nice bite to it and the chicken broth accompanying it was equally delicious and flavourful.

I'm glad to see that the chicken was served on the side instead of on the noodle soup as the menu stated hehehehe....we don't want soggy deep fried chicken, do we now ?

?

This next one took so long to come out we thought they have forgotten about it :)
Like always, when you are about to inquire with the waitress, we saw them being brought out to our table...

Steamed Meatball w/ Crab Meat & Chinese Chestnuts   $6.80

The 2nd new menu we tried arrived in a small white porcelain pot, a classic dish from South Eastern China. 

The steamed meatball was made of a mixture of pork mince, hand chopped pork belly, fresh female mud crab meat and chinese chestnut, which was then covered and steamed with for 3 long hours with a layer of cabbage !!

The broth was so rich and full of flavours, the meatball however we felt was a bit too soft - not sure if it's because of the long cooking process ? 

One thing for sure was they did not skimped on the pork belly and crab meat ;)

We spotted a delicious looking dish that the table next to us was having, after a quick exercise of "match visual with menu" , we concluded that it was Shredded Pork with Peking Sauce eaten with pillowy white steamed bun, why did we not spot that early on ?!?! ARRGHH !!

Never mind, it's the more reason to make a return visit to New Shanghai soon :)

The portion of the dishes are quite large and very decently priced, you will leave with a satisfied stomach and an equally happy wallet *_^

Love My Foods & Sugar dined courtesy of New Shanghai & Wasamedia