New Shanghai

Love a menu that lists takeaway boxes at 20 cents a pop. It's such a massive vote of confidence that diners will want to take home the leftovers. But that is so not going to happen at the new New Shanghai, because no matter how much I tell myself not to eat all the pan-fried pork and crab buns, I do. 

The shen jian bao ($15.50) are just so good; so warm and homely and roly-poly; so crusty-bottomed and fluffy-bun topped, and so stuffed with soft, sweet meat, that I soon account for six of the eight. Oops. It's such a difficult balancing act for the kitchen to deep-fry the bottoms while at the same time steam the tops, that I figure the least I can do is show my appreciation.

This is the newest, biggest, and glossiest branch of the New Shanghai group, which started life as a single outlet in Sydney's Chinatown, and has grown into a network of nine restaurants across Australia as well as, rather impressively, a coals-to-Newcastle branch in Shanghai.

Owner John Chen and his team haven't tried to reinvent the wheel, commissioning Giant Design to give their 132-eater flagship in Westfield Sydney a now-typical New Shanghai fit-out; using vintage posters, bright red hanging lanterns, bamboo chairs, shuttered windows and "cobblestone" floors that evoke the feeling of 1930s Shanghai longtangs, or laneways.

The place-mat menu is built on traditional and much-loved Shanghainese specialties; many of which – lion's head meat balls, ($7.50), hot and sour soup ($5.50) – feel wintry and warming. But there is plenty for summer sharing as well, from a pleasant opening dish of cold, silky, wine-marinated drunken chicken ($10.80) to an unusual dish of wok-fried prawns coated with gritty salted egg yolk ($27.50).

And of course, there are dumplings – lots and lots of dumplings. Their freshness is verified by the women chefs standing stoically behind glass in the on-show dumpling kitchen before floured benches. Dainty xiao long bao soup dumplings ($8.60 for 8) are sweet with pork and spurty with juices, although I find the topknots a little thick.

A Shanghainese wonton soup ($7.70) is chockers with 10 satiny, slippery, prawn and pork dumplings, so deliciously small I hardly register them going down. Pork and chive dumplings ($10.80 for 10) turn out to be comfort-food heavy and a little bland, leaving my Personal Bun & Dumpling Count languishing at 24.

The main kitchen has its own skill sets, sending out slow-braised pork belly with sweetened soy sauce ($19.50) in a striking earthenware lidded pot. It's good, but not as fatty, soft, wobbly and erotic as dong po rou I've had in Hangzhou. Sauteed snow pea shoots ($14.90) are a knockout, the small, sweet, early season shoots bright pea green in colour as well as taste, lightly touched with sugar, salt and rice wine.

Staff are efficient, if a little disengaged, and the crowd is families and office buddies, the odd table doing BYO in lieu of the pending wine list.

Desserts include a glacial mountain peak of shaved ice surrounded by mango and strawberries topped with vanilla ice cream ($12 to share). But seriously, I could sit here all night and just keep eating more pan-fried crab and pork buns until I implode. If and when that happens, please feel free to fork out for a few plastic containers and take home the leftovers.

THE LOWDOWN
Best bit: The dumplings
Worst bit: Thin paper napkins don't stand a chance.
Go-to dish: Pan-fried crab meat and pork buns, $15.50 for 8

Terry Durack is chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and senior reviewer for the Good Food Guide. This rating is based on the Good Food Guide scoring system.