Albany | The Shanghai Restaurant You Must Visit for Peking Duck

This Time, I Tried a Shanghai Restaurant in Albany – Ala Shanghai Chinese Cuisine (468 Troy-Schenectady Rd, Latham, NY 12110)☀️ This meal was a total emotional rollercoaster. - Marinated Jellyfish Salad: The only flavor I could taste was soy sauce – no other notes came through. 🎉- West Lake Beef Soup:(Terrible). It had absolutely nothing in common with the West Lake Beef Soup I know. The taste was bland and lacked freshness, and the beef was in thin strips. 🌈 We were shocked for a while after tasting it, and by the time these two appetizers were served, we were already worried about the main courses. - Peking Duck: At first, when I saw the gua bao (steamed buns) served with it, I thought, “Oh no, this is a disaster – they didn’t even serve the traditional duck pancakes…”✨✨ Then the staff carved the duck for us on the spot and wrapped the meat with dipping sauce and toppings. Don’t be fooled by its dry-looking appearance in the photo – one bite, and the crispy skin paired with the sweet bean sauce was amazing. 💓 The duck meat was tender, juicy, and incredibly flavorful. It was so delicious! The leftover duck bones were served on a separate plate for us to gnaw on later. Finally, we got a good dish – highly recommended! It’s really hard to find Peking Duck of this quality in this area, and the price is very reasonable: $30 for half a duck and $56 for a whole one. It’s such a good deal – next time I come, it’ll definitely be for this duck!🦆 - Dongpo Pork: The fatty part was well-marinated, rich, and melted in the mouth – one bite was so satisfying.👍👍 The rich pork aroma blended with the sweet, glutinous braising sauce, making it quite delicious. The lean part was a bit tough, but it still worked well when eaten with the fatty part.👣 💕💕- Singaporean Rice Vermicelli: It had a rich, slightly spicy curry aroma and a strong “wok hei” (smoky stir-fry flavor). The vermicelli had a perfect texture – not dry or mushy – and eating it was really satisfying. The only minor flaw was the small amount of toppings, but the flavor was very authentic.🍉 In short, my take on this restaurant is… Don’t randomly order appetizers – stick to the highly recommended dishes. 🍢🍢 The signature main courses are great, but the other American Chinese food items on the menu aren’t suitable for Chinese palates. And the Peking Duck? It’s absolutely fantastic!🍞 #ShanghaiCuisine #NewYork #Albany #AlbanyRestaurants #PekingDuck #DimSum #ChineseFood #FoodExploration #NewYorkSurroundings #NewYorkState #UniversityAtAlbanySUNY #AlbanyNewYork #SUNY #100RestaurantsExplorationPlan