chen's shanghai kitchen: xiao long baos at their best

shanghainese food in richmond is on every street corner and honestly, theyre all pretty dang good. trying to try every single one, my mom and i went to chen's shanghai kitchen near richmond center.

the parking here is horrendous BUT the food is awesome. good prices and delicious food without being too oily and tastes homemade in the best way...

xiao long bao ($4.50): juicy steamed pork buns  - these were AMAZING. the skin: not so thin that it would pop but also not thick in a way that it gets in the way of enjoying the little dumpling. the juice: PERFECT. steaming hot and tasty without being too salty and its filled to the brim with it. the meat: VERY GOOD, good flavour, not too fat. everything i look for in a xlb is right here.

5/5

black vinegar spare ribs ($~13): deep fried and then tossed in a very very tasty sauce, this dish was quite good! there were a long of bone parts but thats what spare ribs are so i cant complain. it was very tasty and did not feel too heavy since there was no real batter like in sweet and sour pork. 

this is now my go to dish when eating at chinese restaurants. delicious! :D 

4.45/5

sichuan style beef noodles ($~7): beef in spicy soup with noodles: this dish was really spicy but very good too! there was plenty of beef and the noodles were a good texture. the only thing i wish they had was a piece or two of vegetable but for the price, this was beyond my expectations! 

4.75/5

overall: chen's is a small little place that serves delicious shanghainese food. their menu is pretty big and their flavours are all on point. the xlb was very soupy and delicious and i would come back anytime! 

shanghai house: another visit of many

yes, my mom and i still come to shanghai house even though there's better in richmond BUT it is convenient and not too busy! we now order some different things and i honestly think they're pretty dang good. 

salted duck ($6.98) - cold duck that is actually delicious and probably my favourite place for it. a lot of breast meat, not overly salty and not filled with those splinter bones. you can taste the natural duck flavours which is the best. 

4.25/5

spicy beef noodle in soup ($6.98) - this is my new favourite dish here. it is quite spicy but very flavourful at the same time. they give quite a bit of meat which is not too fatty. the only thing i dont love is the noodles which are very "normal" compared to hand pulled noodles.

4.5/5 

xiao long bao ($4.98) - better than visit one: skin wasnt as chewy and was thinner. as you can see in the picture these were FILLED with soup but the pork texture is still not the best.

3.75/5

better choice of dishes makes for a better experience but overall, still a solid choice for shanghainese eats! 

suhang: lots of jewels in this duck

my brother visited home recently and he really missed chinese foods so we thought it would be nice to try something special at suhang and also, we can only order so much food when he's here to help eat it! 

xiao long bao ($7.50) -  the flavour of the meat and juice is delicious with a skin that is a tad thicker than normal. i would recommend trying it despite its high price tag. 

4/5

egg white with seafood ($19.80) - a must order for us at most shanghainese restaurants since it is usually a bit lighter. the egg whites are nice and fluffy but the seafood was only small pieces of shrimp and scallops. unfortunately, this rendition left an oilier taste in my mouth than i wanted. 

3.5/5

meatball hot pot ($19.80) - did not get a chance to try, so i cannot comment. 

stuffed crispy duck ($52.80) - this duck has to be preordered and is a specialty here at suhang. the duck is hollowed out and filled with "jewels" including lots of sticky rice, egg yolk, some beans, chestnuts, mushrooms and some duck meat. although visually appealing and with quite a tasty filling, it lacks duck meat and has way too much rice. 

the only meat the meat from the outside which was a really thin layer and not enough for me and the rice is also very heavy so you can only eat so many carbs before feeling stuffed. good to try once because you dont see it often, but i wouldn't get it again. 

3.5/5

enoki and conpoy noodle ($16.80) - perfectly al dente noodles with a thick sauce filled with enoki. again, quite expensive for noodles that lack any protein but tasted good.

3.75/5

overall, this meal was not bad but very carb heavy (might be our ordering mistakes). i feel they skimp on the toppings and amount of meat and charge way too much for what you get. 

shanghai house: no-wait shanghai food

before my recent desire to try every shanghainese restaurant in richmond, shanghai house was my staple for xlbs. the place is pretty spacious and we never had to wait for a table plus its super close to richmond centre so my mom and i would go here all the time. 

xiao long bao ($4.95) - the classic shanghainese dumpling filled with hot soup and pork. the skin is a bit thicker but i dont really mind since i love carbs. the filling is a bit chunkier than i prefer but solid xlbs. 

3.75/5

deep fried spareribs with peppery salt ($13.98) - a nice deep fry to them without dripping oil but there are quite a few chunks of just fat. also this dish is inconsistent as we've ordered it multiple times but sometimes it is spicy, sometimes it is hard, sometimes there's a lot of fat, sometimes the dish is smaller. this makes us not want to order it again.  

due to inconsistency: 3.5/5

i have now found better in richmond but prices are not high (dinner dishes are a bit more expensive) and the food is good.