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| - Before the sudden appearance of LJ Shanghai on Cleveland's east side, there was a very noticeable gap in the xiaolongbao market - very few, if any, Chinese restaurants in Cleveland offer them on their menu. When we heard about a new Chinese restaurant that serves xiaolongbao, we obviously had to investigate!
We went upon hearing a lot of hype about the delicious food and affordable price (as poor graduate/professional students, the $5 for 5 xiaolongbao definitely sealed the deal). We were seated almost immediately, but the table space is definitely cramped and we felt like we were smashed up against the party of 3 next to us! They do not serve tea by default, but you can order by request. It's definitely a no-frills restaurant, but the modern interior with bright colors and plenty of lighting was a breath of fresh air from other, stuffier restaurants in the immediate Asiatown area. Service was a bit slow, but nothing dramatic especially since they were quite busy at the time.
We ordered two orders of the xiaolongbao, one spicy beef noodle, and one pork noodle. I would say that the inexpensive price per dumpling is accurate... they were not that great. After eating about 3 each, we became pretty uninterested. The dumplings themselves were quite doughy and the filling was nothing special - if the West Coast's Din Tai Fung is 5/5, then these were about 3/5. The soup wasn't exactly a juicy burst of flavor as expected, but instead just a burst of liquidy, oily meat stuff that your stomach could convert into energy.
Moving on to the entrée, the $10 for noodle soup is not a bad deal at all. There was plenty of meat and plenty of noodles in both bowls that we ordered, but along with the great portions came an extra portion of oil. As you can see in the picture, the oil was heavily pooled around the soup and gave it a greasy, unappetizing texture and appearance. Don't get me wrong - I love a good oily Chinese noodle soup, but this seemed a bit extra. That being said - the pork was very good! It was a bit tough in places, but had great flavor! The noodles were thick and hearty, so it's perfect for a cold Midwest day. The spicy beef was even better - the meat was beautifully tender and melted in the mouth. It did, however, suffer from the same oil issue and was also SO SPICY! Think shin ramyun x3. Since it was so heavily oil-based, it was difficult to appease the on-fire taste buds.
That being said, I would give LJ Shanghai a solid 3/5 in general, but 4/5 for Cleveland. I would definitely go back (mainly because there are literally no other options), but it really is nothing special. It's worth a taste, especially for the price!
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