World Foodie Guide

As part of my current research for the post Where To Eat Dim Sum In London, my husband and I headed for Shanghai Blues.

I’ve only been once (read previous review here), but as that was for a special lunch offer, I thought I’d go again for dim sum with a vegetarian. I love dim sum, but my husband always struggles to find anything decent that he can eat. Why are Chinese restaurants so unimaginative when it comes to vegetarian dim sum? They would make so much more money if they catered properly for vegetarians! So, encouraged by the vegetarian dim sum section on the Shanghai Blues menu, he was willing to be a guinea pig.

At 12.15 on a Saturday, only a couple of tables were occupied, although it did fill up during lunch. It was interesting that the restaurant was filled entirely with Chinese diners. I’m not sure if it was to do with it being Chinese New Year weekend, but some were certainly regulars and warmly greeted by the staff.

What I ordered:

We chose four types of dim sum each. Descriptions are taken from the menu.

Vegetarian – (8 items in the vegetarian dim sum section)

• Mooli Croissant – Shanghai crispy turnip puff (£3.80)
• Vegetable Beancurd Rolls (£3.80)
• Mini Golden Pumpkin – fresh pumpkin juice pastry filled with pumpkin and chopped Chinese mushrooms (£4.00)
• Grilled Shanghai Vegetable Dumplings (£4.00)

Standard -

• Har gau – crystal prawn dumplings (£4.00)
• Original Shanghai ‘Xiao Long Bao’ – with minced pork & chef’s special stock (£4.00)
• Shanghai ‘Shui Jiao’in Exotic Chilli Sauce – dumpling with prawns, minced chicken and mushrooms (£4.00)
• ‘Tai Chi’ Dumplings – flour-made pastry with half black octopus juice to create Yuan-Yang effect; filled with diced roast duck, preserved vegetables, peanuts, Chinese mushrooms and ‘Guilin’ chilli sauce (£4.00)

The beautiful presentation of the vegetarian dim sum was deceptive. Husband thought the mooli croissant was the best in terms of flavour, while the others tasted somewhat bland. The pumpkin looked the prettiest, but was too starchy and didn’t taste of anything except starch. It’s definitely a brave step in the right direction of providing vegetarian dim sum, but I think the chefs are perhaps worried about flavouring these items, in case some people don’t like spicy, others don’t like garlicky and so on. Which is a shame.

The har gau was good, with firm, crunchy pieces of prawn and the skin was transparent, as opposed to thick or gooey. An auspicious start. I had of course followed my friend Susan S. Cheung’s advice on ordering the classics as a good test of the quality of dim sum.

Next came the shui jiao, which were served dry (soupless) and covered with the exotic chilli sauce. It was strong stuff, but as the shui jiao were only subtly flavoured, it wasn’t too much of a problem. The shui jiao wrappers were very thin and delicate, and the filling was tasty too.

I didn’t like the Tai Chi dumplings at all. There were too many ingredients and clashing flavours for it to work. I thought I was being a bit too adventurous by ordering this one!

Finally, the xiao long bao arrived, with a little dish of vinegar dipping sauce and ginger slivers. These were really rather delicious, especially after I’d bitten the tops off and poured more vinegar into them. No accidents either! If you want to read more about xiao long bao, have a look at What are Xiao Long Bao or Shanghai Dumplings? and How To Eat Xiao Long Bao or Shanghai Dumplings

I don’t know why, but both times I’ve noticed the staff (all Chinese) coming across as ever so slightly stiff and awkward. They’re very polite, too polite even. But it’s not a criticism, as I’d rather have extremely polite staff than rude ones any day.

Husband also had the Thousand-Day Flower tea – supreme flower tea, comes in sphere shape and opens up like a flower with hot water (£2.80 per pot per person). I didn’t want to pay for two pots of tea at that price, even though I must admit the tea was fragrant and looked impressive. They also topped the teapot up with hot water without asking. I took the plunge and asked for tap water, which came with ice and lemon.

The verdict?

When the bill arrived, I noticed that we had been charged for two teas, pointed out the mistake and promptly received an amended bill, for £38.80 including service. Husband’s verdict was that he would definitely return, to try some other things (interesting vegetarian items spotted in the rice and noodles section, as well as the vegetables section). If he’s happy, I’m happy.

Posts you might find useful -

• Where To Eat Dim Sum In London

• What Dim Sum To Order

• How To Eat Dim Sum

• Chopstick Etiquette And Other Tips

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  8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

  All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact Details:
Shanghai Blues
193-197 High Holborn
London WC1V 7BD
Tel: 020 7404 1668/9
www.shanghaiblues.co.uk

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

Tags: Chinese, dim sum, dining out, food, London, restaurant review, restaurants, Shanghai Blues, traveleating, vegetarian