Shanghai Wonderful - Richmond

We came for the Xiao Long Boa and stayed for the stimulating conversation. My brother was in for the weekend from Calgary so we always go for dim sum. We brought our parents and some old friends and the conversation strayed as it always does to tax scandals, telecommunications and music . And yes, I still maintain that Celine Dion rocked in the pre Disney big ballad days! Shanghai Wonderful is in  the Best Western Abercorn in Richmond. It's a comfortable room and we sat at a table with a big lazy susan which is great as long as you spin it slowly.

Hot and Sour Soup

Hot and Sour Soup was a good way to start on this rainy ugly day.  It was thick with mushrooms and  noodles and just sour enough to qualify for the name. Very nice!

Soup Dumplings

The main event was next and we all agreed that the soup dumplings were very good! The skin was just thick enough to hold together and the soup was tasty. Inside the little pork nugget provided a nice finish to the experience. Later we had another round but the version with crab. I believe the crab is only in the actual soup with the same pork nugget. I felt obliged to photograph the crab soup dumplings as well but you really can't tell the difference!

Green Onion Pancake

We tried a few other items such as Green Onion Pancakes which were crisp on the outside but tasty and chewy inside.

Beef Roll

The Beef Roll was also enjoyable. Some cucumber added a pleasant crunch and there was just enough Hoisin inside to add a bit of sweetness. 

Chinese Doughnut

The Chinese Donut was less of a hit and the only thing that we didn't even finish. I assume this is a Shanghaiese version and were more doughy than what I am used to (usually a little closer to a Mexican churro. Am I wrong?)

Vegetable Chow Mein

We had a true vegetarian in our midst and so ordered a Vegetable Chow Mein. The vegetables themselves were nicely just cooked but overall the dish was a little bit meh. Still it was nice to see some green. 

Sticky Rice Shao Mai

We tried Sticky Rice Shao Mai. I have never had anything quite like this. The rice was rich with mushrooms and meaty flavour. These went quickly! 

Pan Fried Soup Dumplings

Finally to my delight, we ordered Shen Jiang Bao. I recently discovered the existence of these tasty variations on Xiao Long Bao from Dennis The Foodie (http://dennisthefoodie.com/). They are the pan fried slightly leavened dough version of a soup dumpling with the same soup and pork meatball inside! These were great although to be honest, since I have never had them before, I have no benchmark. The soup was very hot inside so care was needed! I am not even sure what they are called on the English menu as someone else ordered them and they just appeared as if by magic!

Sesame Balls in Rice Wine Soup

We don't order dessert very often but I am glad we did this time. We had Sesame Balls in Rice Wine Soup! The interior of these balls was a tasty sesame paste and they were floating in a light, not too sweet, citrusy syrup. The best part of any meal is the company and conversation but I think we all enjoyed the food as well. Service was very good and food came out of the kitchen in a timely manner. Everything was great! The dim sum menu is a little different at this Shanghaiese restaurant than what we usually have but that just means more to explore!