Shanghai Dimsum House

The #14 Shanghai Style Pan Fried Pork Buns ($10) were 5 pieces of culinary art. They’re basically the cousin of the more popular xiao long bao (soup dumplings) but with thicker skin (hence, bun) and shallow fried.The buns weren’t just a vessel for the soup and meat, but were a delight in and of themselves. It was a marvel - our first bites were crisp with a touch of doughiness, and even when we let them sit for ‘too long’ in the excess soup, the buns held up, and were still crisp when we bit into them later. Magic.They did not play with the amount of meat in these buns - see images, they’re stuffed!! Since they’re soup buns, the meat basically has this reciprocal and simbiotic relationship with the broth. The broth soaked up the meatiness and fattiness of the pork, and this relationship also meant that the meat was juicy, salty, and tender, but there was still a good amount of bounce in every bite.The broth was golden. It was savoury and fatty and salty and clear and piping hot. I did burn my eye a little lol but it was worth it (be careful when biting into it because ur eye is literally right there and the soup just squirts out!!!) the broth was so comforting; I’m being dramatic but I feel like it would heal me if I were sick lmao.Okay this is long enough. I’m so happy I had these.

The stall and the food court get crazy busy during rush hour.Both steamed and pan fried pork buns were large in size, had thick skin, and were filled with a surprising amount of broth. The pork filling itself was ok, but some of the pan fried buns were borderline burnt.

The pan-fried bao was amazing! Everything was made in-house so we had to wait for a while to get our food - but overall it’s amazing and worth the price!

Was craving some soup dumplings and hot noodles and saw this place ranked highly, decided to try….First off, this place ONLY takes cash so be aware, no cards accepted..Second of all, the address shows 4500 Kingsway but NO ONE TELLS YOU that this is in the Mall Food Court… it took me 15 minutes to find the place….I wanted the Shanghai soup dumplings but was told they had run out in a brisk tone so… ok….Asked them what other kind of dumplings were available and they said ‘Northern Style Dumplings’ - had no idea what those were and ordered them anyway.Also ordered Shanghai Style Thick Noodle soup..They give You a pager and when it beeps they have Your tray ready for You…The dumplings are served with a *very* small portion of vinegar… they taste decent I realize I miss the taste of Shanghai Soup Dumplings..The Noodles were exactly that, thick… the broth was very mild and plain and I added some soy sauce to it (had to ask for it separately and again and was given *a very small portion)….Would like to come back here again just once more to try their signature dish …Being more of a food service counter, the service is as can be expected…. Not great…

Highly rated but not for me… We got the soup dumplings and the pan fried dumplings. The stall was very busy and we waited about 30 minutes for our order. Both were very juicy and the pan fried dumplings were well cooked however, those were the only good things about these dishes. The meat and soup were weirdly sweet and tasted like it was drenched in maple syrup. I don’t know if this is their specialty flavour but I don’t think it worked well with the dumplings as it was just too sweet. The skin for the soup dumplings were also on the thicker side, which I personally did not enjoy.

All 3 dishes we ordered were outstanding! The cook was very helpful in helping us ordering food just by showing her the pictures. Cash only place.It was on the second floor of the mall at the corner so a bit tricky to find.

The pan fried pork buns and steamed soup dumplings are all made by hand, the traditional way. It's perfect in every way. Service could be nicer and more patient.

Highly recommend the soup dumplings, which are freshly made right in front of you. As for the fried beef rolls, they were moreso soggy than crispy, which it made it harder to chew through. Will not be ordering those next time.I went during the lunch rush, and it was very busy. It seemed like it was the only stand in the entire food court that had a line, and it took 30 minutes for my order to finally be ready.Also, parking was hard enough already, as I had to sit in my car for 10+ minutes just to enter the underground parking lot. I recommend that you go during non-peak hours, but it was still definitely worth the wait.Cash only!

This is the place to try xiao long baos!! I’ve probably been here at least 10 times over the past several years and it’s still the most popping place at crystal mall. Quality has always been good and I’ve never been disappointed!Be prepared to wait a while as it can get pretty busy, especially dinner time.