New Shanghai Ashfield

"Amazing food! Definitely get here early to avoid the queue haha. Service is good, good atmosphere and good price point. Will definitely be back again soon! Highly recommend the dishes in photos. I had some dumplings as well but they went so quick, forgot to snap a picture of them. All the food tastes amazing and you can definitely taste how fresh it was!"

"Great Shanghainese food - my family has been coming for a couple decades. We didn't realise how busy it gets nowadays - arrived just before 12 on a Saturday and there was already a wait. We wrote our name down and luckily were seated within about 10 minutes. It is very, very noisy inside, noisier than yumcha. The salted egg yolk tofu was crazy generous with salted egg (which I love) although years ago it used to adhere better and more evenly to the tofu, whereas this time it was more like a mountain of salted egg on the plate alongside the tofu. Still yummy. The Shepherd's purse pork wontons are tasty and great value - 10 big wontons in a light and clear broth spiked with sesame oil - only $14. The shengjianbao are a classic and a must-order every time. Pan-fried soup-filled pork buns - the outside is like fluffy bread with a crispy bottom. No spring onion garnish any more. We also tried the fried fish dumplings this time - they were OK. Quite oily and the fish paste inside is similar to fish tofu, a little peppery. Would recommend getting the pork potstickers instead."

"Overrated. Last order was 8:30pm. The best cruise is pan fried pork buns. Other food were soso, not as good as I thought(I’m Asian). Not worth for long queue. Staff were not friendly. Disappointed."

"Attentive customer service. No need to call to make bookings between Thursdays to Sundays as they’ll only accept walk-ins. The lines progressed really fast. Dumplings were nice. Highly recommend the Xiao Long Bao (Steamed Pork Dumplings). What we ordered for 2 people was considered too much by the staff, so perhaps ordering 2 dishes would be enough. It would’ve been nice if the staff recommended to us the portion size for 2 people prior. P.S. You can request chilli oil for extra flavouring as they only have soy sauce and vinegar at the table."

"(3.5 stars) When your favourite bottle shop calls to suggest a whisky dinner you’d do well to answer. Just Liquor Cellars in Ashfield has been supplying our sake and Japanese whisky for years, so we heeded the call when owner Wen invited us to a tasting event ($100/head) with the folks from Westward Whiskey. We joined a set of serious drinkers each swilling a Westward old fashioned on the footpath outside of New Shanghai. Once safely ensconced within the red walls of their private dining room, we were taken through a range of four single malt offerings that really challenged my notions of American whiskey. They’re made in the American Northwest—Portland, Oregon to be precise—an area with a cool, wet climate like Scotland. Seventy per cent of America’s grain is produced in this area, along with more than a hundred different craft beers. Their standard Westward American Single Malt (RRP $125/700ml) is made on two-row malted barley, has a lick of salinity. It’s brewed like an American pale ale with slow fermentation and aged in new American white oak barrels that are heavily toasted but lightly charred. It drinks beautifully as an old fashioned made with honey (rather than sugar syrup) and salt because the vanilla and brown sugar notes that make this a soothing way to consume whiskey are already there. The Westward American Single Malt Pinot Noir Cask ($160/700ml) takes it somewhere fruity with red currants, plums and a little fruit cake: not quite my bag. However I would happily get lit on the Westward American Single Malt Stout Cask ($155/700ml) where pecan pie and more intrigue on the nose with petrochemical peat bog and roasted grain. Have some distilled water on hand if you opt for the Westward American Single Malt Cask Strength ($180/700ml): it was a bridge too far for me with peppery, tobacco leaf and sesame notes. We were kept upright through our early whiskeys with san choi bay ($12/4), great prawn spring rolls ($9.80/4) and spring onion pancakes ($8.20/4). By the time we got to platters of steamed and fried dumplings my tastebuds were pretty blown. Shanghai-style stir-fried Chinese rice cakes ($13.80) were the standout on the final stonker-you plate of salt and pepper prawns ($29.90), crispy tofu with salted egg ($23.90) and Yangzhou combination fried rice ($15.80). Not quite the meal I would have chosen—too much fried food and too light on vegetables for me—but probably the meal anyone drinking this much whiskey in one sitting needs. I walked away with two bottles of Westward whiskey both sold at a special discount price. Can’t wait for the next tasting event!"