I want to preface this review with the fact that the staff here were great. The service was some of the best I have had in a mid-range/casual restaurant in Hong Kong. The decor is good. The food was nothing special. Really. I don't get it - why is this place so beloved? I lived in Hangzhou and visited neighbouring Shanghai very often. I often crave certain Shanghai classics. This place did not satisfy any of my cravings. We left feeling a bit sad.
Going through the menu, we were slightly baffled. Whil there were some really classic Shanghai dishes, nothing really stood out. We ended up opting for xiaolongbao, fried mantou, sticky rice siu mai, fried banana souffle and a distinctly HK style Sichuanese Dan Dan Mian. We wanted to order the beef patties, but they have been removed from the menu.
SO, the Dan Dan came out first and it was the same as you would get in any cheap place, but at a much higher price. It was shrimpy and a bad way and really did not stand out in any way. Well - it's not Shanghainese and we thought that perhaps we had kind of missed the mark with our order.
Out came the xiaolongbao. Mediocre. They looked good and had the right texture, but were totally lacking in flavour. the words 'run of the mill' sprang to mind.
The siu mai were not as good as the cheapo dirty little place you find in Shanghai, but were five times the price. They were OK, but lacked in flavour yet again.
Fried mantou served with condensed milk - well, it was what it was. A hunk of steamed bread that had been fried. It was OK, but uninspiring.
The worst thing we ate all evening was the fried souffle. It was appaling. It had a squeaky texture that felt strange on the teeth. When you got to the centre, it had some sweet red bean paste and a piece of semi steamed banana in it. It was unpleasant. We expected more of a banana puree with a soft but crispy coating. Instead, rubber filled with half cooked fruit. Not good.
Like I said, the service was great, but the food was not up to standard. I wouldn't go again or recommend it to anyone else.