Restaurant Review: Shanghai 456

SHANGHAI 456

14456 118th Avenue

Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew

Edmonton isn't necessarily known as a hot spot for the best Chinese food in the country (it's no Richmond, BC or Scarborough, ON) but this cuisine is certainly on its way up. With renewed appreciation for the city's Chinatown and innovators like Fu's on the scene, people are taking notice in a delicious way. My stomach is very pleased to be a part of this renaissance and reframing of Asian fare in Edmonton. I bet you didn't know that we have soup dumplings in town - and I mean really good ones. Named Favourite Dish on the Edmonton Food Faves We Crave 2022 and 2024 lists, this was a dish that I absolutely needed to try. Visiting on a dark and cold Saturday evening, we made the trek out to Dominion Industrial, unsurprisingly not a part of the city that I often frequent. By now you know that I am always happy to venture around for food! The outside of the restaurant is very unassuming and you might even miss it if you don't know what you're looking for. Keep an eye out for the red awning and you'll know that you've found the right place. There's parking around the side and back of the building. Entering through the door and walking into the space, I was immediately struck by a wave of tantalizing hot and sour aromas. A friendly staff member guided us to a table in the decently-sized dining room and I began to take everything in. The room is somewhat modest but maybe a little futuristic with chrome-topped tables and matching chairs. Huge round tables are outfitted with big rotating trays in the center, waiting to accommodate large groups. I liked that each place setting was ready with a bowl, soup spoon, teacup, and chop sticks. A picture of the Shanghai city skyline decorates the wall. Circling back to the staff, we were served by two different women during our visit and both were absolutely lovely. Incredibly warm, friendly, attentive, and helpful. The menu is quite extensive and they were happy to answer all of our questions and made useful recommendations. They really elevated our visit! Upon sitting down we were delivered the customary pot of jasmine green tea - very welcome due to the frigid temperature outside.

The warm sips were an ideal way to defrost while creating a plan for our feast. Shanghai 456 is known for their soup dumplings but they serve a whole lot more. The menu is really big and it took a little while for us to decide all of the different dishes that we wanted to try. We got there eventually but not without some effort! Once the order was placed the various plates began to arrive in no particular order. The feast had begun! We thought that a noodle dish would be a good "base" for the meal. I liked the sound of the Shanghai style smoked fish noodle but was informed that it was served as a soup. Soup is harder to share among a group so instead we went with the Shanghai Noodle Sautéed with Pork and Vegetables ($16.95).

The ample portion of wok-fried noodles was served hot and delicious. Each tender and thick noodle was bathed in a tasty and savoury sauce. The cabbage within the dish added a nice fresh crunch and the thin strips of pork helped to round out the plate. These noodles were easy to eat and very satisfying. After that, we leaned into the Shanghai Dim Sum part of the menu hard - all remaining dishes came from this part of the menu, arguably what the restaurant is most known for. So much to choose from and so many plates that caught my eye! Next to arrive was the Sticky Rice Roll with Chinese Long Donut and Dried Pork Floss ($7.95). I was too intrigued by the idea of this dish to not try it.

It arrived looking kind of like a sushi roll but that was the beginning and the end of the similarity. I'm a huge fan of Chinese long donuts (you can get the best ones in Edmonton at Shan Shan Bakery in Chinatown) so I was really curious to find out how this would work within a rice roll. Turns out, it works really well! A wonderful combination of sweet and savoury combined with some really interesting textural elements from the sticky rice to the crispy donut to the dry shards of pork. I've never tried anything like this before and it was fun to eat! Then it was time for the traditional Chinese broth-filled dumplings! Otherwise known as xiao long bao (or XLB if you're extra cool). "Xiao long" refers to the bamboo steaming basket which they are prepared in, while "bao" means bun and refers to the dumpling itself. They can be made with all sorts of different fillings on the inside. There is also a specific way for them to be eaten - you don't just start tossing them into your mouth (although I'm sure that no one would be mad if you did). The little ritual involved in eating the bao adds to the special experience. You are meant to lift the dumpling from its top with chopsticks and place it into your spoon. Then you poke a hole into the bottom of the bao to release the hot broth. There is soup inside of each dumpling! First you drink the hot broth out of the spoon and then you enjoy the rest of the bao. What a delight to learn these intricacies! Shanghai 456 offers two types of xiao long bao and we decided to try both! The steaming basket was placed on the table and our server removed the bamboo lid with a flourish of steam. The top level contained the Steamed Minced Pork Soup Bun with Crab Meat ($11.95). These ones are served in limited quantities each day.

Six perfect plump little pouches. One thing that stood out to me is that each and every single one was full of juicy soup broth. I have been to other restaurants where the bao have been deflated and dried out, containing no liquid at all (the most sad). This is absolutely not the case at Shanghai 456 - these xiao long bao are skillfully handcrafted and served super fresh. The crab bao provided a unique flavour that was seafood-packed. Each one was made with a delicate and tender dough and very juicy on the inside. The second level of the steaming basket contained the Steamed Mini Pork Soup Buns ($8.95). This is the dish that Shanghai 456 is famous for.

I'm just going to go ahead and say it: These are the best xiao long bao that I've ever had. (And yes, I have been to Dinesty in Richmond.) It feels like Shanghai 456 just has the time and capacity to make them really well and therefore serves an excellent, high-quality product. Again, each one contained a gorgeous amount of tasty broth and the meat was delicious. Our server gave us a little crash course and recommended that we eat the bao with some of the Chinkiang Vinegar that was on the table. WOW. The vinegar really pushed the entire flavour experience over the edge! The sharp, acidic vinegar cut through the unctuous fattiness from the meat creating the perfect balance. I don't know what these incredible xiao long bao are doing in Edmonton but they're here and the sooner that you try them for yourself, the better. OK. There was still other food to be eaten. We also tried the Shredded Turnip & Ham Puff Pastry ($7.95).

Perfectly round orbs of puff pastry hiding treasures within. Anything with the words "puff pastry" is an automatic draw and biting into one of these was so crispy and satisfying! The pastry was ultra light and buttery - exactly as you would hope for it to be. The inside reminded me a bit of an egg roll, but with turnip strings instead of sprouts. This dish felt healthy, almost like eating a vegetable but in a more delicious way. I can't say that I picked up on much ham, however. Next was the Golden Small Buns served with Condensed Milk ($6.95).

These little dough balls are deep fried to a golden perfection, crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. The menu does not contain any desserts but these could certainly fill that void with very little effort. The buns themselves are not sweet, however once dipped into the condensed milk the sweetness comes into play. Almost like a mini donut but much milder in flavour and just as playful to eat! Lastly, we had to order the Shanghai Homemade Pan Fried Buns ($8.95). These are only available on the weekend and since it was a Saturday it seemed that the opportunity should be taken to try them. The server let us know that the meat inside would be pork (which I think changes).

These were awesome. I would describe them as what would happen if a soup dumpling and a steamed bao bun had a baby. Larger in size, these buns were fluffier, albeit pan fried, and like biting into a warm hug. The inside was very similar to the contents of a soup dumpling, with a familiar tasting pork mixture. Incredibly enjoyable, if you already love the soup dumplings (which yes, you do) this is a way to supersize that experience. I can't think of a single negative thing to say about Shanghai 456 because everything about my visit there was truly wonderful. From the welcoming staff to the incredible food, this place really nails it. Every single dish was flavourful and interesting, making me feel like I was trying a lot of new flavours for the first time. Their xiao long bao have moved into my dreams and I'm already planning my next visit. 谢谢你！