Z&W Shanghai Kitchen: Mui Choy Kau Yuk and Xiao Long Bao

In mid-March, right before the whole coronapocalypse closed up all of the restaurants in town (other than take-out), we dropped by Z&W Shanghai Kitchen on West Broadway, near Arbutus. For the longest time, this location used to be the home of an all-you-can-eat Japanese place. Upon walking inside, we immediately noticed the improvements to the decor… including the elegantly adorned wall.

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Dong Tai Xiang Shanghai Dim Sum: Pan Fried Pork Buns

Recently, I noticed a place called Dong Tai Xiang Shanghai Dim Sum open up on Cambie Street in Vancouver. Normally, I’m more of a Cantonese-style dim sum goer but there are certain specific Shanghai dim sum dishes that, when done properly, are amazing. One of the more well-known Shanghai dim sum dishes is the pan-fried pork dumplings (alongside the similar steamed pork dumplings) which is famous for the hot and soupy filling that’s found inside the dumplings.

Mama’s Dumpling: Hidden Shanghainese Cuisine

If you were to ask what one food item seems to cross cultural boundaries, it’s probably the humble dumpling. Whether you call it a dumpling, gyoza, perogy, ravioli, or samosa… every culture has some form of dumpling. And, if you ask someone, they’ll usually say that no one makes dumplings like Mama (I don’t know from experience because my mother never made dumplings – but that’s another story).

Shanghai Lu: Dim Sum

It’s been a few years since we’ve last been to Shanghai Lu on West Broadway. We were initially interested in heading over to nearby Dynasty Seafood but they were too busy so we came here instead. What I’ve never known before is that they actually have free parking located on the 4th floor of the Holiday Inn garage.

Shanghai Dimsum House: Bayulan Steamed Mini Pork Buns

There’s so many reasons why I don’t dine in Crystal Mall… the first and foremost is the insane circular parking lot. Let’s not forget the food court which doesn’t have enough seating and the lack of air conditioning which makes you feel like you’re sitting in a blast furnace. But if you could get past all of that, there are some good food stalls here such as Shanghai Dimsum House.

Wang’s Shanghai Cuisine: Steamed Soupy Pork Buns

If you’re looking for a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant that serves up unexpectedly good food, you only have to visit Wang’s Shanghai Cuisine. This tiny eatery is tucked away in a mini mall on Kingsway, next to London Drugs, and fairly hidden from passing street traffic.

Peaceful Restaurant (Kingsway): Hand-Dragged or Blade-Sheared Noodles

Peaceful Restaurant is a popular noodle house chain which recently opened a new location on Kingsway. Surprisingly, the inside of this location isn’t too small (a pet peeve of their Broadway location).

Ningtu Restaurant: Peking Duck

Ningtu is a small Chinese restaurant that’s been around for over 2 decades on Kingsway, on the same block as Happy Family Restaurant. The interior has an odd L-shape with the restaurant frontage smaller than it is in the back of the establishment.

Top Shanghai Cuisine – Worst. Service. Ever.

Ok, the thing that you’ve got to know about most Chinese restaurants is that you can’t expect much in terms of service. So when you run into a restaurant which makes all of the other Chinese restaurants look like 5-star contenders, that’s saying a lot.