Chris E.
Yelp
Busy, busy, busy. That's what our impression was after dining here.
We came by on a Saturday evening at 6pm and the restaurant was bustling from the word "Go!". Waiters were flying around, literally, but, luckily, we didn't have to wait for a table and were able to get situated immediately, however a wait did begin to develop soon after. Also, this restaurant does not have a parking lot, so be prepared to search for a spot on the street.
The restaurant's menu was very typical of most Shanghainese restaurants, highlighted by soup dumplings, cold dishes and noodles. However, if you were to look at another Shanghainese restaurant's menu in Fort Lee or NYC and compare it, chances are the menu items are nearly identical, so if you eat the cuisine frequently, you won't be surprised by anything here.
We pretty much ordered what we normally order when we go to a Shanghainese restaurant, which, OF COURSE, includes an order of soup dumplings, specifically the Steamed Crab Meat & Pork Soup Dumplings. In addition, we also ordered the Braised Fried Gluten, Crispy Noodle w. Chicken, Pork Fried Dumplings and Pan Fried Pork Buns.
Everything was solid and good --- to me, at least. The soup dumplings were right on with other restaurants we've been to and so was the rest of the items that we ordered. Maybe the soup dumplings' soup could have been hotter, but that's a small gripe. My wife on the other hand had a different opinion of it all, although her opinion might have been swayed by the lack of good, attentive service. Ultimately, everything felt a bit rushed as waiters were whizzing by, but she felt the flavors were off and not on par with other Shanghainese restaurants.
Maybe it was the experience where things felt fast, but, the food IS decent here IMO. Honestly, I couldn't tell if the flavors were off. Everything we ordered tasted pretty typical like other spots. You're not going to go home and dream about the food here, but if you're craving Shanghainese food and soup dumplings, I think this restaurant can hit the spot. Just show up a bit earlier.