As winner of the ‘2024 Vancouver Best Chinese Restaurant Award - Shanghainese food category’. I approach our luncheon rendezvous at this award recipient with high hopes and expectations!
Our meal started off with a huge and impressive bang! The arrival of one of my most favorite Shanghainese Dim-Sum - “ Fried/Baked Shredded Turnip Puff “ looked refined and gorgeous. The generous, savory filling of shredded fresh turnip threads, diced house-cured salted pork and pickled turnip bits was juicy and absolutely delectable! What a fantastic start!
Sadly, things started to deteriorate and went downhill from there.!
Unlike the near perfect rendition we had at Yuan’s Garden a few days ago, the ‘Drunken chicken’ we ordered here was bland and one dimensional tasting, the wine marinade, diluted and under seasoned, the chicken appearing dull and unattractive.
Based on our server’s input that wild Warsaw Grouper filet is used for their ‘ Braised white fish in wine sauce and black fungus ‘, my ordering of this favorite fish dish of mine was a cakewalk. Unfortunately, once again, the dish was under seasoned with the requisite sweet tasting component totally missing?! Worse still, the fish was way over-cooked rendering the texture rough and tough!
Missing the wonderfully executed ‘Stirred fry Shanghainese Rice Cake ‘ my wife recently had in Hong Kong. We ordered this similar dish in the hope it will satisfy her yearning. Well, I guess without my saying, most of you would have guessed the outcome?! Indeed, the execution was nothing close to Hong Kong’s standard. Shanghai River’s rendition was way below par, totally lacking in ‘wok-hay ‘ components. The taste profile, flat and savorless, the ingredients smothered in thick starchy gravy.
The supposedly famous ‘ Water, pan fried pork buns ‘ were acceptable, with fairly light, bun cocoons and crispy bottom. However, the overall product could use a touch more wine seasoning for the pork filling and a more complex broth.
Guess an
award does not necessarily equate to great food?!!
With this and some fond memories we headed to the airport and I regretted not ordering some more of those yummy Turnip Puffs for take out and munching on the plane!
