Shanghai Night Chinese Restaurant

We’ve tried all the Ashfield Chinese restaurants and this one remains our favourite as it has a down-​home quality the others cannot match. Sometimes you can catch the staff flat-​footed during a rush and get a service hiccup, but we are pretty easy-​going with such things, and to be honest usually get delivery as we live nearby and the food doesn’t oversteam as the delivery run is pretty short.
Noodles are excellent here: dumplings are all good and although less refined than neighboring shops tend to satisfy more. The handmade noodles and beef & black bean dishes are frequently on our list. Every dish has a unique character unlike some Chinese places that has a certain sameness to the sauces or ingredients.

Nice for a cheap dumpling feast. We went here because New Shanghai next door had a line down the street. With my hunger raging we opted for dumplings here. The food was hot and fresh, it came out fast. The hot sour soup was definitely not the best I’ve had. It lacked something I couldn’t put my finger on.
The xiao long bao dumplings came out piping hot and they satisfied my dumpling craving. The spicy chicken was nice nothing to rave about.
Was a good cheap meal and I would return.

Everyone’s got a favourite Shanghainese joint in Ashfield that they swear by, Shanghai night is mine. I like it for few reasons, one — I’ve been going there since I was 5 and most of my favourite dumpling dishes growing up are still there, two — it’s rustic and by that I don’t just mean the food, I mean the service as well, no the ladies doesn’t speak much English and they most certainly cannot give you more description than if it’s pork/​fish/​chicken. But it’s the funny, lost in translation interactions with these ladies that make this place fun.
However if you’re looking for a place to impress your date, maybe go next door. This place is not refined in anyway, it’s nostalgic, simple, comfort food. Their dumplings and xiao long bao are not fancy and delicate like DTF/​other chains but I find them much more satisfying and reminds me of the ones from Shanghai. If you’re after something different, try their (Nan-​Jing style) sweet-​soy duck and green bean starch sheet salad.

Great for your weeknight dumplings fix. A bit more greasy, a bit more dirty, and a bit less finesse than it’s neighbouring dumpling eateries.
Probably wouldn’t recommend it.

Came in for a very late lunch and shared soup dumplings and pan fried pork buns.
Surprised to see some renovations have taken place since we last visited 3 years ago.
Food is the same as I remember. Love their pan fried pork buns, highly addictive and nice crispy base. Still like them even though most of the time they are quite overdone.
Will need to try out the other Shanghai restaurants on that street for comparison. For some reason we always end up at Shanghai Night.

Fantastic!

The xiao long bao here is excellent and cheap, but the décor is appalling and the service is borderline incompetent. I shouldn’t have to ask for saucers (and be met with complete bewilderment) in a restaurant that specialises in dumplings. Also, the vinegar and soy sauce bottles are filthy and probably shouldn’t be touched without some sort of protective hand covering. I use serviettes to pick them up.
Apart from the XLB I have tried the lamb skewers and the sticky rice dumplings. The sticky rice dumplings are OK albeit a little too filling. The lamb skewers are ridiculously salty and should be avoided at all costs.

In a moment of nostalgia (after not visited after 2 – 3 years) I decided to try the less busy restaurant in an effort to get take away dumplings a little faster than the busy (and well frequented) next door Taste of Shanghai.
Somethings when you see an underwhelming fit out it is not reflective of the food you may receive. The décor is less than appealing however they used to have decent service and great tasting food. It would seem that since the renovations next door they have lost their will. Their will to give friendly decent service, to cook the food properly or to give good value in effort to compete with their rivals next door.
To my disappointment, when I got the dumplings home more than half of them were burnt. They were not very juicy either which is the case with those from next door.
To be fair I was a little too hungry to care enough to actually call them. It may be that or the knowledge that they probably wouldn’t care if they could understand me. The effort seemed too great to bother.
It’s easier to avoid going back here in favour of waiting another 5 minutes at any of the other restaurants in the area.
Shame though they used to have great food despite the décor.

Overall excellent dumplings (especially the xiao long bao) but sadly the quality can vary quite a bit — sometimes amazing, sometimes just decent. But always tasty and cheap!

I’ve got three words for you: Best. Dumplings. Ever.
Making headlines with their famous selection of dumplings, the Shanghai Night is, by far, my favourite Chinese restaurant in Ashfield. And considering how many Chinese restaurants there are in Ashfield, that is really saying a lot. Yes, the dumplings are like little, bite-​size phenomenons – definitely their specialty. But have no fear! As far as the rest of the menu goes, you won’t be disappointed.
Situated smack in the middle of Ashfield’s High Street (hence the name Shang HIGH Night???), this unassuming restaurant is not exactly what you’d call a sight for sore eyes. It’s not that spacious, and it’s filled to maximum capacity with plain tables and chairs to accommodate the many diners dropping in throughout the day. The walls are covered with fluorescent posters with the menu items written on them, both in English and Chinese. True, it’s not too fancy a joint… but what it lacks in décor is totally made up by the flavour and authenticity of the food.
My partner and I usually get the steamed pork and coriander dumplings to start, along with the gooey honey chicken and/​or spicy Szechuan chicken as our main. The dumplings boast the perfect balance between savoury and fresh, and the Szechuan chicken is just to die for. It’s loaded with crispy bits of chicken, stir-​fried together with peanuts, onions, peppers, Szechuan peppercorns and as many whole chillies as your heart can handle. On top of these delicacies, we usually mix and match a few more bits and pieces to last us through for the next few days. A new dish we tried the last time we went was the stir-​fried homemade noodles with pork and vegetables. Just as I expected, it was oh-​so-​tasty…
You could say that the staff at the Shanghai Night are usually rushed, but they’re always friendly – unlike their inferior counterparts next door at the New Shanghai. The food is pretty cheap, especially considering how yummy it is and how much you get. I’ve been to a fair few restaurants in Chinatown and the CBD, which have generally been good… but NOTHING compares to this little gem in Ashfield. Get there early to avoid the crowds and don’t forget to wear something that will stretch.