Shanghai Dim Sum

A few of us were in the mood for some Chinese food the other night however it was a little hard press to find one that none of us had ever tried before.  However, with the help of the almighty internet we were able to see that Shanghai Dim Sum was a place that was close to us and it was a place that all of us had always wanted to try but never had the opportunity to. That was until a few nights ago. 

We got there on a Saturday about 6:30 pm and it was about half full.  The place was pretty small with about ten tables altogether.  We were able to get one of the larger tables in the corner and had a perfect view of the whole restaurant.  As there were about six of us, we decided to order about 10 dishes off the menu just so we could share a little bit of everything. 

The first meal to arrive was the Steamed Soup Dumplings with Pork and Crab Meats.  There were six perfectly steamed dumplings filled with crab and pork meat brought to our table.  When one is consuming this dish, one has to be very careful not to squirt the juices of the dumpling (which is inside the dumpling) all over themselves or to others as the juices are pretty hot.  The dumpling itself was delicious.  One could actually taste the crab meat embedded inside the pork.  The pork meat itself was not very fattening and blended well with the crab meat.   

Steamed Soup Dumplings with Pork and Crab Meats

Next to arrive was the Spicy Duck Neck.  This dish might not sound too appetizing for some but that was exactly what it was.  The meal itself is not that meaty, then again how much meat could there be on a duck’s neck.  They were each marinated to a spicy barbeque sauce of sorts and cooked.  The sauce itself was pretty spicy as it was loaded with red peppers. It was an interesting dish. 

Spicy Duck Neck

Next to arrive was the Cucumbers and Jellyfish Combination served with a sprinkle of green onions and sesame seeds.    This dish was served cold and pretty refreshing to have.  After the spicy duck neck, it was a much needed dish just to combat the spiciness.  The jellyfish was nice and fresh and the hold dish had that “crunchiness” texture to it.  The sesame added that little bit of extra flavor to the dish. 

Cucumbers and Jellyfish Combination

None of us were really in the mood for rice that evening so we went with a simple Shanghai Fried Noodles.  There was some lettuce on the bottom of the noodles which was probably the only added extra ingredient.  The noodles were not overly dry tasting and each strand of noodle was nicely marinated with soya sauce.  It was a great alternative to have as oppose to just a simple bowl of white rice. 

Shanghai Fried Noodles

Next to arrive which was my favorite for the evening was the Garlic Pepper Pork Meat.  Pieces of pork meat were sliced thinly and mixed with hot pepper sauce, garlic and green onions.  The pork as a result was pretty spicy but was it ever tasty.  It was one of those dishes that one should stop after one or two pieces but somehow makes you salivate for more.  The meat itself was a little fatty but if there was a time the meat needed to be fatty, it had to be this time only because the fatty juices of the pork mixed really well with the spicy red peppers juices.  The overall seasoning and taste of this dish really brought this dish out to the forefront and was by far my must-have dish for the evening. 

Garlic Pepper Pork Meat

The Tofu and Cabbage Fish Soup arrived next and it was pretty much as advertised.  I am personally not a huge fan of fish soup as I don’t like drinking soup that has that fishy taste to it.  My peers who did have this dish said it was as expected.  I was told that the tofu and cabbage really didn’t add a while lot of flavor to the soup and that the taste was pretty much all from the fish. 

Tofu and Cabbage Fish Soup

My second favorite dish of the evening was the Saliva Chicken Cucumber and Sauce.  About a dozen pieces of cold chicken were placed on top of some cucumbers and marinated with a spicy oil sauce, crushed peanuts and green onions.  The chicken was juicy, delicious and well seasoned.  Although the meat of the chicken was a little thick, the overall taste and the sauce helped to negate that feeling of eating a dry piece of white chicken meat. 

Saliva Chicken Cucumber and Sauce

With very little vegetables on the table, we decided to go with the Fried Egg-White Broccoli and the Oyster-Flavored Choy Sum.  There really wasn’t anything special from either of these dishes.  We wanted a couple of simple vegetables to go with our meat heavy laden meal and decided to go with these two dishes.  There were no special sauces or special spices added to either dish as they came as is. 

Fried Egg-White Broccoli

After a fulsome meal, there was still room for dessert and for this evening, rather than going with traditional red bean soups, we decided to go with the Precious Sticky Rice Pudding with Red Bean Paste.  I am so glad we picked this dish as this dish was absolutely amazing.  Presentation and taste wise, with its red and green cherry colored tops, this dessert was almost equivalent to the some of the best Mango Sticky Rice that we had while we were in Thailand.  The rice was perfectly moist, the whole dish was sweet but not too sweet and every bite was delicious.  This was an awesome way to end of the evening and a dessert that must be had if you were to visit this restaurant.

Precious Sticky Rice Pudding with Red Bean Paste

Overall, there certainly were no complaints from me for this restaurant.  Half way through the evening, we could see that there was a line up forming all the way outside the door.  I’m not too sure what their morning dim sums are like, but their dinner had certainly caught my attention.  This is one place I will definitely visit again.  Overall I give it a 4.25 out of 5.

Shanghai Dim Sum

 4401 Sheppard Avenue East

Toronto Ontario

647-344-3630