Jessie Z.
Yelp
We were planning to celebrate my FIL's birthday at Chang's Garden, but it was booked for a private event. Pretty much accidentally stumbled upon this place and so glad we did!
TL;DR my in laws and husband are from Hangzhou (right next to Shanghai) and approve of this place.
This a nicer restaurant to eat quality authentic Chinese food with modern food presentation, without breaking the bank. The atmosphere is traditional, but more elevated (and clean) than your average Chinese banquet restaurant, though unpretentious (i.e. not Meizhou Dongpo status).
On a Saturday lunch, the place was full but without a wait, and most diners appeared to be upper middle class Chinese people. I would definitely take my parents or out-of-town relatives here. They do have several private rooms for larger parties.
The food is pricier but very fair. You get what you pay for in quality and presentation. People should know that Shainghainese food supposed to be generally lighter in flavor. It's no Chinese American takeout.
Shanghailander braised pork with brown sauce (4.5/5): The flavor was great, texture relatively tender, and the eggs were very flavorful. They do use a fattier pork belly (like the top is a big slab of fat), but it does have all 5 layers of a quality cut. Very good overall.
Fish fillet with seaweed (5/5): Almost every table ordered this. The batter is airy with a perfect delicate crisp on the outside and mild seaweed flavor, without being overly oily. The fish on the inside is very tender. They give you white pepper on the side for dipping.
Shaoxin wined chicken (5/5): Poached chicken marinated in wine. Super tender, not overly alcoholic, with a crisp and chewy skin.
House special hot pot (4/5): The soup base itself was really tasty, with an assortment of fish and beef balls, shrimp, fresh egg wrapper dumplings, bean thread noodles, napa, ham, pork skin, and even sea cucumber. Would hesitate to recommend it to a non-Asian because the items are pretty niche Chinese. Pretty good for a chilly day, but not amazing. The clay pot it comes in is huge, but the dish itself is also pretty pricey. Could feed at least 10 people. It's nice that the server will portion and serve the bowls for you.
Crab Tofu (2/5): I think the sauce is made with crab roe? But I was expecting there to be actual meat. The crab flavor and texture was barely detectable. I might as well have just been eating a vegetarian dish of tofu with peas and carrots dish. Not worth it for the price.
Shanghailander pan fried buns: We ordered this for my kid, who seemed to like the outer bun. No rating because I didn't actually try it. I will say these are some of the best looking Shanghai pan fried buns I've seen.
Service is slightly better than the average Chinese restaurant in that they'll pack your leftovers for you, serve you the soup, and don't rush you to leave.
For kids, they only provide a high chair and there's a changing table in the women's bathroom.
Parking is easy since they have their own lot.
