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| - Solid assortment of classic Shanghainese dishes. We were taken here by family friends who are Shanghainese who named it as their go-to place for Chinese food. My parents are also Shanghainese and were excited to see dishes like Pork Gelatin (Rou Dong), Kao Fu, and belt fish. Dim sum isn't really our thing, but I personally can never pass up pork dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) or Pan Fried Dumplings (Shen Jian Man Tou). Service was very slow, but worked out because our table was talking so much. At least the waiters kept the tea pot full!
Traditional meals start out with a few cold dishes, meant to be appetizers. The ones we ordered were good, but luckily I saved my appetite for the fried Belt Fish. It's a pain to deconstruct and eat, yet worth every tiny bone you have to remove. I was somewhat disappointed by the soup noodles (Cai Tang Mian). Although the XLB seemed to be smaller and less soupy than usual, they were still good. The Pan Fried Dumplings were just average. I'm not sure if I like them with the sesame seeds added...
The restaurant interior looks much more extravagant than its exterior belies. Individual booths are situated along the walls, above which rests a second floor of seating that I presume is used for large banquets. The two stories make for a higher ceiling, giving off a more spacious atmosphere and cleaner look. The bathrooms are bare and dull in comparison. I was surprised there was only one stall each for men and women to service the whole restaurant. Granted, it wasn't that busy - one of the waiters even seemed to be babysitting a little girl while working.
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