Dining with a Stud

New Shanghai – ChatswoodMarch 30, 2012By Dining with a Stud

With the weather getting a little colder, there’s nothing I love more than a good comfortingmeal. A beautiful warming soup, a little pork belly, some kick-butt dumplings – ok, mywaistline isn’t too much of a fan of the colder months, but I’m running this show,mwahahaha!

So when Stud and I were invited to try New Shanghai’s new wine and dumpling dinner, Iwas well up for it. Soup dumplings AND matched wine? Ummmm YES….please!

I had wanted to try New Shanghai for quite some time now. I feel like ever since Stud andI migrated from the North Side, it’s just got bigger and better. I’m not bitter, I’m, justsaying.

We arrived just after 6pm and as I walked down Victoria Street towards the Chase(Chatswood Chase that is), I was pretty damn excited. I entered via the Victoria streetentrance which took me right in to the food court which was good. No tempting buys onthe way to my dinner and we were seated straight away.

The staff were really welcoming and already had our tasting notes on the table, ready to go.We had a quick scan of the menu and our anticipation/excitement builded further as welooked around the restaurant at the décor. You don’t at all feel like you are in a food court.It’s very much a funky little restaurant vibe with oriental beach umbrellas, red bunting,walls covered in murals and a windowed kitchen so you can watch the staff making theinfamous soup dumplings.

Service was insanely fast and within minutes, we are given our first course:

Mix cold dish starter

Shredded kelp mixed with spice and vinegar dressingChopped cucumber tossed with fresh garlicDrunken chicken – Chicken soaked in Chinese wine with herb and spice

Wine: Leo Burling, Clare Valley Riesling, 2011

This was my first kelp experience and I have to say, I’m a fan! The texture is unusual tosomeone who hasn’t eaten it before but the flavour that they have doused it in screamed ofsesame oil and a wonderful mix of spices.

The drunken chicken was pretty deceiving, rather bland looking on the plate but one ittouches the tongue, was packed with flavour. I’m not normally fond of cold chicken assometimes it takes on a flavour that I can immediately pick, this chicken had no such thing.Very flavourful and both Stud and I loved it.

The chopped cucumber was just that, cucumber chopped in half with a garnish of cherrytomato. There wasn’t much garlic to be seen. Stud didn’t get any and I had a tiny bit ofwhat I thought was crushed garlic but once you take a bite, the vinegar and garlic weredefinitely there.

Stud and I aren’t normally fans of Riesling however this one was matched to perfection andthe dishes really brought out a fresh sweetness in the sine.

We no sooner had our plates taken away before we are given our dumplings:

Mix steamed dumplings

New Shanghai Xiao Long Bao – steamed mini pork bunSteamed mini crab meat and porkSteamed vegetarian dumpling

Wine: Angel Cove Marlborough, Sauvignon Blanc 2010

This was what I was looking forward to. It had been a while since I’d had me some XLBand these babies didn’t disappoint. The did look a little dry upon delivery to the table butonce we pierced the skin and let the soup ooze out on to our spoon, that was fixed right up.Thankfully they were all of reasonable temperature as I have been scolded in the past.

The pork meat was perfectly cooked, still slight pink and not rock hard at all, mega juicy!

The mini crab meat bun was also perfectly cooked. The flavour of the pork kind ofdominated the crab but with such a delicate flavour, it’s understandable. I did like the touchof roe on the top for extra fishiness!

I saved the vegetarian dumpling until last and after first bite, I said it Stud “its basically likean Asian spinach and cheese pastitzzi”. Very strong spinach flavour although the cheesewas replaced with tofu – pretty enjoyable overall.

The Sauvignon Blanc was a wonderfully dry addition to the sweet and salty dumplings.

Having NO IDEA what Shepherd’s purse is, I was really interested to try our next course:

Shepherd’s purse and pork wonton tossed with sesame butter, red chilli oil and spice

Wine: Cape Schanck Mornington, Peninsula Pinot Grigio 2010

Three little dumplings served in a bowl (kinda sounds like the beginning of some kind ofnursery rhyme haha), topped with sesame butter. When they arrive, I thought it was oneMEGA dumpling and was trying to work out how to attack it. This is where Stud comes inhandy, he just gets in there, no fear lol. So when I looked up at him in dismay, I saw that hewas eating a regular sized dumpling. Ohhhhhh, there’s threeeeee. Ok cool! The sesamebutter is the first thing you taste, and its amazeballs! So smooth and silky with a beautifullycreamy sesameness (yup, it’s a word). The dumpling wrapper is amazingly silky and thepork is beautifully cooked. These guys definitely know how to cook their meat. I trysearching inside the dumpling for something that I think might be Shepherd’s purse. I’mstill none the wiser.

Pinot Grigio (my usual wine of choice) is a wonderful addition to the sweet and spicysesame butter and went down a little too easy lol

Up next was:

Pan-fried dumplings

New Shanghai pan-fried pork bunPan-fried pork dumpling

Wine: Fifth Leg, Crisp Chardonnay 2010

Stud asked me to send a warning out to you fine people stating that “Biting in to this budand trying to let it drain isn’t enough. You must open in properly and wait for the liquid tocome out. Trust me, its in there, and if you don’t let it drain, you’ll burn your face off”.There, now, after Stud’s wise words, I drained mine and a decent amount of soup cameout. Delicious meaty soup! The bun was reasonably thick for this one and it somewhatconfused Stud. Being used to the silky smooth XLB wrapper, he thought this was a littletoo thick.

I’m used to such a bun having a small obsession with BBQ pork buns and I loved the extratouch of pan frying it.

Both buns were similar in taste and texture although there was a star pastry in the middle ofthe plate that was pretty dry and I don’t think matched the plate to be honest. It was somekind of veg in filo pastry and I think deep fried. I just didn’t feel it went well. Overallthough, fab dish!

Chardonnay is definitely my least favourite wine. It went well with the dumplings and theymade it taste a little better, but I’m still not a Chardy lover.

Shepherd’s purse, prawn and tofu soup

Wine: Squealing Pig Otago, Pinot Noir 2010

Again, Shepherd’s purse. Maybe this time I’ll figure it out lol. Stud had the first try of thisand immediately pushed it away. Too peppery for him. I could see what he meant, it wasvery peppery and after a few mouthfuls, it does very much take over the dish. I think Iwould have liked this one more if it has have been earlier on in the menu. I thought it was alittle random after all the dumplings and before the main. It was nice, I’d eat it again,although I wouldn’t go out of my way to order it.

Pinot is a great addition to the pepperyness of this soup. It was a pretty sweet pinot actuallyso ended the soup nicely.

Next was the Pièce de résistance:

Main

Pork belly braised overnight in sweet soy sauceDeep-fried chicken with special garlic and chilli sauce. Served with rice

Wine: Penfolds Koonunga Hill 76, Shiraz Cabernet 2010

The pork belly! Oh, the pork belly! It was stick sweet and just so tender, it literally meltedin my mouth. Stud couldn’t stop eating his, although I did just eat the meat as I tend not towaste calories on pork fat that doesn’t have an earth shattering crackle lol.

The deep friend chicken wasn’t at all oily as I’d expected. The meat was juicy and tenderwith just a really crispy skin. Boy was it crispy! Wonderfully flavourful as well.

Shiraz Cab isn’t something I would normally order but the sticky sweetness of the porkwent really well. A pretty dry red (filled with tannons I think they call it lol), the sweetnessof the pork was great. I think that the chicken probably would have lended itself better to awhite in my opinion but seeing as it was an all in one dish, the red was still ok with it.

By this time, we were well and truly going to roll out of the restaurant but I was reallyinterested about dessert.

Dessert

Slow cooked white fungus with papaya soup

Fungus? In a dessert soup? Let me at it! A strange texture, kind of like a jelly that hadn’tcompletely set, but was thick like soup with chunks of cloudy jelly and bits of papaya.OMG it was delicious! It’s so hard to describe the flavour of this having never triedanything like it before but I would honestly recommend it. It was a perfectly light end to abig meal.

On the way home, I googled Shepherd’s purse and also white fungus and both are now onmy ever-growing to-do-list to make at home.

We will definitely be back to New Shanghai. It’s definitely lived up to the hype and wewant to bring friends back. With speedy service, friendly staff and a wine list to match theirdumplings, it’s definitely our kind of joint!

Dining with a Stud ate as guests of New Shanghai on behalf od Wasamedia

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Dining With aStud

About MeI'm Nic. I adore cooking.My husband is Kev(Stud). I love to cook -he loves to eat. It worksout nicely. Kev calls meStudd as its part of mymaiden name. Kev is mystud. And so, Diningwith a Stud was born.

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DisclaimerThese views are mineand mine only. I don'tclaim to be any kind ofprofessional food critic, Ijust know what I do anddon't like and expressaccordingly. Pleasecontact me first if youwish to use any of myimages for anotherpurpose.

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13/04/12 12:26 PMNSW Events - Dumpling Happy Hour at New Shanghai Bondi Junction is back!

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Dumpling Happy Hour at New ShanghaiBondi Junction is back!Available for a limited time every Monday – Friday from 6.00 – 7.00pm, diners are offered an unbelievable half price on alldumplings!

Categories: dumpling happy hour at new shanghai bondi junction is back!

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13/04/12 12:26 PMNSW Events - Dumpling Happy Hour at New Shanghai Bondi Junction is back!

Page 2 of 2http://www.nswevents.com/Event/09-04-2012/dumpling-happy-hour-at-new-shanghai-bondi-junction-is-back/?page=1&sortBy=Date

New Shanghai Bondi JunctionLevel 5, Store FC04, WestfieldMall,, 500 Oxford St, BondiJunction, NSW, 2022

T: 02 9386 4623View Map | Website

Daily from 9 Apr 2012 until 28 Apr 2012, 6PM- 7PM

Add to calendar

Contact venue for details.

Event enquiries: 02 9386 4623

Buy Tickets: newshanghai.com.au

Event Information

New Shanghai is excited to announce its half price Dumpling Happy Hour special is back!

Available for a limited time every Monday – Friday from 6.00 – 7.00pm at New Shanghai Bondi Junction, diners are offeredan unbelievable half price on all of New Shanghai’s dumplings - which means you can eat twice as many! Steamed or panfried, with a decadent array of tempting fillings - from the popular sweet, juicy pork dumplings, to subtle, savouryvegetarian, to the home-style beef & coriander - there is something to please every palate. Watch as the pleated morsels aremade freshly in front of your eyes in New Shanghai’s signature live dumpling theatre, and find out for yourself why NewShanghai has a reputation for the best dumplings in Sydney – at half price!

The Bondi Junction restaurant is the fifth edition to the expanding New Shanghai brand, which has existing locations inChatswood Chase, Chatswood, Lemon Grove, Ashfield and Charlestown in Newcastle.

Event Website

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17/04/12 12:48 PMDumpling Happy Hour at New Shanghai Bondi Junction is back! - Festivals - Events - NewsLocal

Page 1 of 2http://newslocal.whereilive.com.au/events/story/dumpling-happy-hour-at-new-shanghai-bondi-junction-is-back/

FESTIVALS

Dumpling Happy Hour at New Shanghai Bondi Junction is back!

TweetTweet 0

When:

9 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am10 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am11 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am12 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am13 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am16 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am17 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am18 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am19 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am20 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am23 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am24 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am25 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am26 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am27 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am

View All Dates

Venue: New Shanghai, Bondi Junction

Where: Level 5, Store FC04, Westfield Mall, 500 Oxford St, Bondi Junction, NSW, 2022

Contact:

Reservationsreservations@newshanghai.com.au02 9386 4623

17/04/12 12:48 PMDumpling Happy Hour at New Shanghai Bondi Junction is back! - Festivals - Events - NewsLocal

Page 2 of 2http://newslocal.whereilive.com.au/events/story/dumpling-happy-hour-at-new-shanghai-bondi-junction-is-back/

http://www.whereilive.com.au

Web: www.newshanghai.com.au/

New Shanghai is excited to announce its half price Dumpling Happy Hour special is back!

Available for a limited time every Monday – Friday from 6.00 – 7.00pm at New Shanghai Bondi Junction, dinersare offered an unbelievable half price on all of New Shanghai’s dumplings - which means you can eat twice asmany! Steamed or pan fried, with a decadent array of tempting fillings - from the popular sweet, juicy porkdumplings, to subtle, savoury vegetarian, to the home-style beef & coriander - there is something to please everypalate. Watch as the pleated morsels are made freshly in front of your eyes in New Shanghai’s signature livedumpling theatre, and find out for yourself why New Shanghai has a reputation for the best dumplings in Sydney– at half price!

The Bondi Junction restaurant is the fifth edition to the expanding New Shanghai brand, which has existinglocations in Chatswood Chase, Chatswood, Lemon Grove, Ashfield and Charlestown in Newcastle.

Location Map

All times AEST

Map data ©2012 Google, Whereis(R), Sensis Pty Ltd -

13/04/12 12:35 PMDumpling Happy Hour at New Shanghai Bondi Junction is back! - Festivals - Events - Nine to Five

Page 1 of 2http://nine-to-five.whereilive.com.au/events/story/dumpling-happy-hour-at-new-shanghai-bondi-junction-is-back/

FESTIVALS

Dumpling Happy Hour at New Shanghai Bondi Junction is back!

TweetTweet 0

When:

9 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am10 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am11 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am12 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am13 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am16 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am17 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am18 Apr 12 @ 10:57 am19 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am20 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am23 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am24 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am25 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am26 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am27 Apr 12 @ 10:58 am

View All Dates

Venue: New Shanghai, Bondi Junction

Where: Level 5, Store FC04, Westfield Mall, 500 Oxford St, Bondi Junction, NSW, 2022

Contact:

Reservationsreservations@newshanghai.com.au02 9386 4623

13/04/12 12:35 PMDumpling Happy Hour at New Shanghai Bondi Junction is back! - Festivals - Events - Nine to Five

Page 2 of 2http://nine-to-five.whereilive.com.au/events/story/dumpling-happy-hour-at-new-shanghai-bondi-junction-is-back/

http://www.whereilive.com.au

Web: www.newshanghai.com.au/

New Shanghai is excited to announce its half price Dumpling Happy Hour special is back!

Available for a limited time every Monday – Friday from 6.00 – 7.00pm at New Shanghai Bondi Junction, dinersare offered an unbelievable half price on all of New Shanghai’s dumplings - which means you can eat twice asmany! Steamed or pan fried, with a decadent array of tempting fillings - from the popular sweet, juicy porkdumplings, to subtle, savoury vegetarian, to the home-style beef & coriander - there is something to please everypalate. Watch as the pleated morsels are made freshly in front of your eyes in New Shanghai’s signature livedumpling theatre, and find out for yourself why New Shanghai has a reputation for the best dumplings in Sydney– at half price!

The Bondi Junction restaurant is the fifth edition to the expanding New Shanghai brand, which has existinglocations in Chatswood Chase, Chatswood, Lemon Grove, Ashfield and Charlestown in Newcastle.

Location Map

All times AEST

Map data ©2012 Google, Whereis(R), Sensis Pty Ltd -

13/04/12 12:33 PMDumpling Happy Hour at New Shanghai Bondi Junction is back! - What's on in Sydney Australia : Sydney Showcase

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Home :: Sydney Events :: Dumpling Happy Hour at New Shanghai Bondi Junction is back!

Dumpling Happy Hour at New Shanghai Bondi Junction is back!

Where: The restaurant is located at:

Level 5, Store FC04, Westfield Mall,500 Oxford St,Bondi Junction NSW 2022

When: From Monday, 9 April 2012 to Friday, 27 April 2012

What: New Shanghai is excited to announce its half price Dumpling Happy Hour special is back!

Available for a limited time every Monday – Friday from 6.00 – 7.00pm at New Shanghai Bondi Junction,diners are offered an unbelievable half price on all of New Shanghaiʼs dumplings - which means you caneat twice as many! Steamed or pan fried, with a decadent array of tempting fillings - from the popularsweet, juicy pork dumplings, to subtle, savoury vegetarian, to the home-style beef & coriander - there issomething to please every palate. Watch as the pleated morsels are made freshly in front of your eyes inNew Shanghaiʼs signature live dumpling theatre, and find out for yourself why New Shanghai has areputation for the best dumplings in Sydney – at half price!

The Bondi Junction restaurant is the fifth edition to the expanding New Shanghai brand, which hasexisting locations in Chatswood Chase, Chatswood, Lemon Grove, Ashfield and Charlestown inNewcastle.

Contact: Reservations on 02 9386 4623

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