Dumplings at New Shanghai, Ashfield

6:15pm… that’s about the latest time you can rock up to New Shanghai on a Wednesday night and get a table straight away.

We had a bit of a midweek feast here – shallot pancakes, xiao long bao (of course), pan fried pork buns, steamed pork and chive dumplings, fried rice, eggplant hot pot, and stir fried beans. All the dishes were delish, served steaming hot (or maybe it just felt that way due to it being winter outside), and fresh. If I had to pick my favourite dish of the night, it had to be the pan fried pork buns. Soft and fluffy on the top, crispy on the bottom. A sweet bao wrapped around a savoury pork filling with a bit of soup (xiao long bao, you are not alone in that)… that is comfort food. The unexpected dish of the night though was the eggplant because I don’t think I’ve ever eaten eggplant like that. Coated in a bit of flour, fried, then placed in a hotpot with delicious sauce… the fry before the hotpot had produced a great texture with a bit of chewiness on the outside before hitting the soft melt-in-your-mouth eggplant inside. One could almost be forgiven for thinking it tasted meaty.

I wrote a review of Taste of Shanghai not too long ago (link here). To be frank, the difference in quality between the two locations was minimal, though the decor at New Shanghai was prettier and it looked cleaner too. But if I were you, I would just go to the one with a shorter line as the food was great at both places. #aintnobodygottimeforthat

Details: New Shanghai, 273 Liverpool Rd, Ashfield NSW 2131