Shanghai 456 - Solid Xiao Long Bao (Edmonton 30 in 30)

Shanghai 456 has been a staple in Edmonton Chinese food community for years. Originally at the municipal airport, the owners created a humble restaurant serving classic Shanghainese cuisine out of a cafeteria setting. They became so well known that people started flocking into the area just for a taste of Xiao Long Bao or a Shanghainese soup or stew. Well when the municipal airport closed down, many feared for the future of the restaurant and for approximately half a year Edmontonians were deprived of good Shanghainese cuisine. Just prior to leaving for residency, Shanghai 456 popped up again in a new location with the same owners, same name, same menu, and most importantly the same quality food.

Many would remember the decor of the previous restaurant not the most pleasing; well the current iteration is similarly drab and minimalistic. Its location is on 118 Avenue and 144 Street and somehow the owners were able to retain the namesake and get building number 14456, clever! Nevertheless, the office warehouse-esque building and small signs make it tough to spot, but for those who prevail in finding it will be treated to tasty Shanghainese cuisine.

The menu is a celebration of Chinese and specifically Shanghai based cuisine. The most popular are of course their dim sum esque menu featuring their Xiao Long Bao. But on top of that they have a number of soups, stews, noodles and stir fried dishes to round out one's meal. I was always impressed by the litany of options available at Shanghai 456 and the continued consistency of food.

Being a somewhat cool day in Edmonton I ordered the Dan Dan Noodles with XO Sauce to start. A large heaping bowl of yellow egg noodles are found in a spicy peanuty soup and topped with a few morsels of XO sauce. I always loved the contrast between the spicy, salty and savoury soup with the thick tender noodles; furthermore the chefs here elevate the entire dish by adding in the XO sauce, a luxurious blend of oil, bean paste and shrimp. Tasty!

Wor Tip is the Shanghainese equivalent of pot stickers or stir fried dumplings. These large morsels of goodness are consist of a beef and onion in a thick wrapper that is pan fried to achieve a crispy bottom. The key, though, is the warm soup that squirts out of the dumplings; a combination of sweet, salty and fatty flavour that lifts each bite of dumpling into deliciousness. Umami indeed.

And the king of them all, Xiao Long Bao. Translated as Little Dragon's Buns, these tasty purses of thin skinned dumplings are filled with pork (a crab variant is available as well) and are served with a vinegar and ginger sauce. The secret ingredient though is the gelatinous soup that is found in each, a warm collection of all the delicate flavours from the meat filling. The vinegar adds in the finishing touches, a hint of sweetness and a touch of tartness.

The Xiao Long Bao at Shanghai 456 are consistently great with a wrapper just thick enough to encompass the soup and filling. The filling is equally tasty with fatty ground pork mixed with a taste of cabbage. But ultimately it is the soup that envelops the entire dish together.

Shanghai 456 is the epitome of no nonsense quality Chinese cuisine. The owners make no qualms about the decor or the service, but rather let the food do the talking. And boy does it not disappoint: slivery tender noodles in a thick soup, meaty pan fried dumplings, and the always delicious Xiao Long Bao all wrap together to form one of the tastier restaurants in town and is an automatic recommendation for anyone looking for Shanghainese food in Edmonton.