Shanghai River 滬江海派料理: Great XLB, "fried rice tastes very normal"

Belated birthday dinner for Adorables! Wanted Shanghainese and this was the closest one! Also came here many years ago, reminiscing about their xiao loong bao =D

Restaurant: Shanghai River 滬江海派料理

Location: 7831 Westminster Highway, Richmond
Cuisine: Shanghai, Dim Sum, Seafood
Price range: $25+ per person





Date of visit: November 16, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 3.5/5
Buck worthy? 3/5

There were only two of us, so instead of only ordering two dishes and be bored with the lack of variety, I opted for a two person set dinner. Ordered the first one (which had XLB hehehehehehe) which was $52. Took a while for the food to arrive, but the Braised Vegetable Ham soup eventually made its way to our table. It was cabbage with a piece of chicken and Chinese cured ham. It was very hot, and the first few sips were quite delicious. Eventually it just became really salty (it was salty to begin with but I finally felt it hit me).

Next was the Steamed Shanghai Pork Buns with crab meat (Xiao Loong Bao). These were delicious! A bit cooler than I expected, but at least I didn't burn myself =P The crab meat was just a bit on top which was nice. It was very juicy and the wrapping was chewy and thin. On a side note, it said we were only supposed to get 4 on the menu, but we ended up with 5! *happy* hehe

Dishes started arriving very quickly now, the fried rice (very curious order of arrival btw) arrived next. Now Adorables' first impression of this fried rice was that it was very "normal". I didn't understand-- until I tasted it. It tasted like rice. Just rice. Nothing else. Not your typical fried rice for sure... since there were no flavors and the ingredients were super sparse. Super disappointing. On the bright side, it wasn't oily at all?

Second favorite dish of the night were the Snow Pea Tips with Crab. The snow pea tips were cooked just right and the crab on top was surprisingly generous. Flavors were balanced and a decent portion. A close second to the XLB =)

Finally, there was a Malt Vinegar Pork Spareribs. My first impression was that they were way overfried. It was dry and hard. I had a second piece which was a bit better, so I guess I just got unlucky on my first piece =P Overall the flavors were good, I liked the sauce, but the actual pork was honestly too dry and overfried. *sadface*

Moving along, this was dessert, Glutinous Rice Balls with Sesame Filling This was really good! Very fresh, the glutinous rice was chewy and the sesame filling wasn't too sweet, plus it was "smooth". Not your generic sweet soup base either, this was a clear eggy base (no ginger at all). Complimented the rice balls nicely. Well done. Good finish.

My fond memories of this restaurant as a child were semi-crushed. Not to mention I felt somewhat disappointed this wasn't an amazing meal for Adorables' belated birthday dinner. *double fail* The XLB I'll be back for, but not much else will lure me here again. Especially the price I paid =/ Sometimes I wonder if I'm abnormal or a food snob haha! *contemplating*

La Notte: Gelati is plural for Gelato?!

Finally have a chance to come here on another fine Tuesday for $8.99 pasta! =D Really close to UBC (aka far away for me) but cheap pasta, why not give it a try?

Restaurant: La Notte (visit their website here)

Location: 3307 Dunbar Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Italian
Price range: $10-$20





Date of visit: November 5, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 3.5/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

Started off with some focaccia bread, it was a bit cold by the time we got down to nom nom on it, since KW and LZ arrived earlier (I was a WEE late). Still quite good, a bit hard by the time I got to it =(

Moving on, KW ordered a Proscuitto E Melone ($9.00), which was interesting because I've usually had it paired with melon and not cantaloupe. The cantaloupe wasn't very fresh, had a wine-y taste to it but the proscuitto was decent. Together it wasn't a memorable dish. But YES. Those grape-looking things at the end were full olives! Very strong taste, but interesting.

The main attraction, pasta! Bonnishii and LZ both ordered Fettuccine Alla Veneziana ($8.99- Regularly $15.00). It was deliciously rich and creamy (I sneaked a bite), with a few decently sized prawns. Bonnishii said it was a bit much near the end because it was so rich, but otherwise delish!

KW wanted to try their basics and ordered a Spaghetti Bolognese ($8.99- Regular $14.00). Very tomatoey, and had nice chunks of ground beef. Pasta was al dente and overall I liked how the flavors worked out. But then again, it WAS just your typical spaghetti bolognese. They just didn't' mess it up xD

I've been on this clam-addiction lately, and just can't get enough! Ordered a Linguine Alle Vongole ($8.99- Regularly $15.00). There were indeed whole and baby clams, which weren't very flavorful at all. They were rather chewy and bland =/ Definitely a disappointment for me. Not much wine taste in the sauce either, although it was far less rich than Bonnishii and LZ's pasta. I managed to stuff it all in me, which says something about the portion size. Either way, pasta was great, clams not so much, and it wasn't overly oily (not too light either!).

To finish off the night, there's desserts of course! We were confused about the "Gelati" ($6.00 I believe... forgot the price), turns out it was PLURAL for Gelato!! (Learn something new every day!) Anyways, there were a few options, and we decided on the one with three flavors. Pistachio (tasted like medicine), Vanilla (Had dried fruits and nuts in it which diminished the experience), and Hazelnut (which was surprisingly not like Nutella, and was the best part of the Gelati). Oh! Our servers were very friendly and helpful, brownie points for them! ^-^

LZ went with tradition and ordered a piece of Tiramisu ($7.00). She felt the cake layer was overly soaked in coffee and negatively impacted her overall experience. Otherwise your typical Tiramisu.

Bonnishii's impression of me while I was nibbling on that focaccia bread xD

For this price I was ok with coming here, although for a bit more at La Trattoria, I feel I would pay the extra bit for better quality food. La Notte give a very homey feel and is more casual though. So depending on what environment you're looking for, its a decent pasta place. Me? I don't see myself returning. #notafoodsnob #Ijusthavehigherexpectations Toodles~ <3