Lilong by Taste of Shanghai (Darling Square) — Restaurant in Sydney

Visited as a group of 2 the first time (6:30pm, 18 June, 2023) and then a group of 7 (8:00pm, 28 September, 2023).

Food: Xiao Long Bao (Steamed Pork Soup Dumplings) - first time ordering this was better than the second where it was served just warm. Average soup dumplings that could use a temperature boost. Pan Fried Pork Buns - same as above, these were ok, crispy bottom and soup inside the bun but could have been a bit more flavourful Vegetarian Spring Rolls - These were ok, nothing out of this world, a little bit bland. Yangzhou Fried Rice (Contain Ham & Prawns) - This was below average and the lack of flavour was disappointing.

Chinese Broccoli with Ginger Sauce - Good, home-cooked vibe. Generous serving Edamame - It was edamame. Nothing much more to say. Large serving and texture was just right. Stir Fried Bok Choi With Mushroom - Again it's just bok choi and mushroom. Delivers what they say it is Salt & Pepper Crispy Tofu - Tofu was cripsy and it was seasoned well

Fried Lamb Ribs With Sweet Cumin Sauce - Quite average, but the flavour was alright. Sweet & Sour Pineapple Pork - This was good, better than a lot found around the area in Chinatown and Haymarket. Meat was tender and flavour was good Poached Free Range Chicken With Scallion Oil - Chicken was tender and cooked perfectly, combined with the scallion oil it made for a satisfying dish Diced Wagyu Beef With Black Pepper & Teriyaki Sauce - Beef was also very tender and cooked perfectly with nice flavour.

Star of the show: Crispy Fried Milk Buns With Condensed Milk (Fried Mantou) - Here is where opinion becomes objective fact. Both times this was ordered this was PERFECT. The combination of the crispiness of the fried outer bun and the pillowy softness of the inside + the sweetness of the condensed milk was delicious.

Service for both occasions: Good and friendly service with staff members able to facilitate a range of languages. Waiting times are relatively ok, we booked the first time round and the second time was a walk-in - given our large group, the waiting time of ~20-30 minutes was reasonable. Others on the waiting list in groups of 2-3 had ~10 minutes waiting time

Special Note RE: 'Taste of Shanghai' - If you're looking for a taste of Shanghai I'm afraid there must have been a typo in the restaurant chain title. Not very authentic Shanghainese food and the flagship of Shanghainese food: soup dumplings, are benchwarmers here

Overall: Nice location in Darling Square, reasonably priced good food, and a nice...

Tldr; food is below average and do not expect authentic Shanghainwse food. I had such high expectations for this restaurant that in turn it's such a letdown. I passed this restaurant recently so I took a mental note to try it after seeing that it was managed by a restaurant group from Shanghai. Please note that I now set my bar higher than I normally would in the US because I've realized that the majority of Chinese restaurants here in Sydney are better than those in San Francisco. And also note that being a Shanghainese myself I'm more picky about Shanghainese food. First, even though I normally would order shengjianbao 生煎包 (the fried steamed buns) I didn't because the way it's wrapped is the wrong way. In Shanghai there are two ways to wrap the buns but for shengjian I prefer the reverse wrapped one where the folds are at the bottom (the fried portion). That for me was a letdown already. I ordered the smoked fish (fried) 熏鱼 appetizer which is as Shanghainese as it comes but the fish are cut too thin. The fish they use is correct and fried properly but the sauce is wrong. The sauce needs less soy sauce but sweeter. It's too salty. The sweet and sour live fish in tomato sauce 松鼠活鱼 is very small but not bad compared to other items I ordered. I also think they should add about 30% more sauce to cover the fish. The cumin lamb ribs are so so as well but too sweet for a cumin based fish. The Peking duck (I know it's not Shanghainese) also doesn't impress me in any way. The sauce is now too thick to make it extremely difficult to put sauce in the wraps. The wraps are too thick (more like tortillas). The duck isn't cut properly but at least it's not too fatty. The skins are not properly Peking duck crispy. The lettuce wrap is also very bad because they put tons of onions in the minced duck meat. I meant tons. The service is alright but you have to be proactive in asking them to take your order or get refill on water. I made a reservation but I don't think they reserve a table specifically for you just that you get to skip the line. Talking about the line you'll notice mostly non Asian people waiting so maybe I should've taken a note. The location is at the Darling square so at least that's good for tourists. The interior is so so with some Shanghainese posters. Overall I Do Not recommend anyone looking for authentic Shanghainese food...

We were looking for a nice, tasteful, and authentic Chinese dinner and this restaurant which seemed really nice popped up on our Google's recommendation so we went there. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted by a Chinese man with glasses who seemed polite at first when seating us down, but when we were asking for the description of the dish, he became somewhat rude and didn't seem to care to answer our questions. All he said to us was to look for it in the menu which wasn't comprehensive at all, apart from the over filtered image and the name of the dish.

As for the food, we were looking forward to tasteful dimsums, juicy drunken chicken, flavorful stir fried green bean, and traditional dumplings. None of those lived to their expectations. Most of the dishes we ordered were served 'cold' when there were supposed to be eaten 'hot'. When I asked the chef who served us the dish, he said that this is how some Chinese food is taken, but I wasn't convinced at all, given that I'm Thai-Chinese and have been eating cultural Chinese food since I was born. The chef then asked us if we wanted our food to be heated, but what he did was microwaved them for a good 30 seconds which barely heated them, given how cold Sydney was around this time.

Xiao long bao was probably the most disappointing dish. By the time it was served, the texture was already chewy. The soup in it was very salty and was colder that it was supposed to be. The meat was moderate, unlike its price.

Stir fried green bean with minced pork was mid, if not disgraceful. There was no other flavors apart from the oil, soy sauce, and fried garlic (which were also underflavored). The minced pork could barely be found in the dish. There was several moment I forgot if minced pork was said in the menu because I never found it in the dish.

I could just go on and on about my disappointment, but it would be wasting my time. Overall, the only good thing about this allegedly authentic Chinese restaurant was Sydney's local beer. THAT'S IT. While the atmosphere is perfect for chilling with your friend since it is located in the relaxed neighborhood despite its centrality in Sydney's CBD, it served NOTHING. I wouldn't come back here ever again. There're probably more than 50 Chinese restaurants around this area that serve a better quality food for a more affordable...