LJ Shanghai is a great place to go for "small eats" and cafe style food. We've been a few times now and have enjoyed the soup dumplings every time - they make them fresh and the wrappers have gotten more tender each time. (If you are new to soup dumplings, do yourself a favor and learn how to eat them before you go - don't let the soup inside the dumpling spill out! That's the best part!)
The Chongqing style beef noodle soup is delicious. It packs a ton of heat unapologetically. The sliced pork (belly) noodle soup is also really good- not spicy but with a light/clean broth. The pork and veg wontons also come with a really light and clean broth as well.
For sides, we typically go with the cucumber side dish and the spicy pig ear dish. We'll consistently be back to try other small dishes too!