New Shanghai, Ashfield

Having been my first time walking around Ashfield (unless I've forgotten), I was bombarded with all the signs emblazoned with "Shanghai".

I probably would have forgotten the name of the restaurant had I not picked up a business card. It's not exactly the best for differentiating your business (not all of my Commerce knowledge from junior high school has escaped me).
I can just imagine a conversation...
"So which place did you eat at?"
"Umm... it was something to do with Shanghai"
(In fact, I actually started typing this up using the wrong restaurant name, thinking it was Shanghai Night instead; lucky I checked!)

All that aside, we stepped into the busy New Shanghai and waited for a small amount of time before we were seated. While we waited, we got a chance to see the dumplings being made through their open kitchen. It's definitely a winner way to get me on side when I'm eating out. The women were so deft and skilful, but I guess that's expected with their (most likely) years and years of practice.

We had to place orders and eat promptly because they were closing soon, so I didn't really get a chance to savour my meal. I wasn't and still am not 100% sure of what we ordered, because the adults handled that, and it was done in Mandarin. I'm pretty sure that what follows is right though.

 

Pan-fried pork dumplings were the first to arrive and I wish they were the last! I'm one of those people that likes to leave their favourite 'til last, and these morsels with their crispy bottoms were my favourite of the night.

 

Their pork xiao long bao was quickly devoured, no complaints. I don't recall there being much soup in comparison to others I've had.

I struggle to remember what was in the wontons - pork and something else? Either way, they were mini little bits of yum. I definitely ate my fair share of these.

 

These, I'm not exactly sure of what they're called, but they had a thicker encasing than I'd like. Perhaps they're meant to be like that?

We ordered two congees that night - one with fish and the other with century egg. Many of the adults commented that it was not as great as others and that it was a bit more bland. However, they also mentioned that this sort of congee is how it's meant to be - not necessarily bland and dull, but less flavourful than congees from other cuisines. I didn't mind too much; after the other dishes we had, it was nice to have something more 'light'.

I definitely want to come back to this stretch of road - actually, just Ashfield in general - to see what other tasty treats they have to offer. I've only visited one Shanghai - there's still more to explore!