Shanghailander

It is okay Shanghai food, had to return the small steam bao, dry and half cooked. Wuxi ribs tasted like from fast food Chinese restaurant with 3 x price. Other dishes are about average.

I just don’t get it. This place should have a rating close to 5.0/5.0. The dishes are so delicious and well prepared. This is the best restaurant during our 4 day trip in LA. Btw we stayed at Anaheim. And the restaurants rated 4.5/5.0 in Ervin are nowhere near the level of this one.

Rarely do I find myself compelled to express dissatisfaction with a dining experience, but the recent visit to this restaurant left me with no choice but to share my disappointment on Yelp. Our family decided to celebrate the end of Chinese New Year, particularly the Lantern Festival, a tradition that involves indulging in Sesame Rice Ball in Wine Soup to mark the festivities. Our server, Michelle, provided exemplary service, showcasing friendliness and attentiveness throughout the evening. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the culinary aspect, as the food fell significantly short of the expected standard for a restaurant of this caliber. Commendable dishes included the Marinated Bran Dough with Peanuts, which was well-executed and genuinely delicious. Similarly, the Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant in Pot impressed with its expert preparation and delightful flavors. Regrettably, the same cannot be said for the Fish Fillet with Seaweed, a dish that was not only plagued by soggy batter but also lacked any discernible flavor. This particular dish, when properly executed, boasts a delightful interplay of textures between the crispy exterior and tender fish inside—a stark contrast to the lackluster rendition we encountered. The Xiao Long Bao, a staple of Shanghai cuisine, proved to be a mixed bag. While the meat filling displayed commendable flavor and tenderness, the disappointing aspect lay in the unpalatable hardness of the skin, indicating a lack of freshness. Given the restaurant's specialization in Shanghainese dishes, this oversight was particularly disheartening. The Shanghai Trotter in Rock Candy, purportedly a highlight, turned out to be the worst rendition I've ever encountered. Lacking the essential pork fat and featuring dry, overcooked meat, it was a far cry from the juicy, flavorful experience it should have been. The only salvageable element was the bok choy garnish, highlighting the overall failure of this dish. The centerpiece of our Lantern Festival celebration, the Sesame Rice Ball in Wine Soup, was a profound letdown. It was evident that the chef had compromised on quality, likely due to high demand, resulting in a diluted dish that felt like eating rice balls in hot water. The chef's decision to sacrifice flavor for quantity left us feeling not only disappointed but also somewhat cheated as paying customers. A preferable approach would have been to serve a smaller portion without compromising the dish's integrity. In conclusion, while the service under Michelle's guidance was commendable, the overall dining experience left much to be desired. The restaurant's diminishing food quality, especially considering the price point, is disheartening. Despite the excellent service, it's challenging to justify a return visit based on the subpar culinary offerings.

The place is comfortable. The services are prompt. We ordered meatball casserole, steam whole fish, eggplant with garlic sauce (a bit spicy), shrimp stir fried, and silk squash . All are flavorful.