Shanghai - FLAVOURS OF CHINA TOWN (Serampore) — Restaurant in West Bengal

We recently went there on a lunch date and guess what, we had an exhilarating experience. This outpost of Shanghai is the newest addition to the ever-expanding list of upscale restaurants in Serampore. It was a Sunday afternoon and peak hours. Yet we found the dining room quite empty. In fact we chose the table by ourselves. The steward was very polite and helpful. He helped us to decide on the orders. Here is the rundown of what we ordered that day:

Prawn Zucchini Hargaon Dimsum (₹225) Green Sea (₹140) Shanghai Chicken Fried Rice (₹195) Bakmi Goreng Mixed (₹260) Japanese Mild Spicy Chicken (₹310) Exclusive of taxes Let's have a small review of the platters.

Prawn Zucchini Hargaon:

Traditionally, ha gow's wrapper should have at least seven, preferably ten or more pleats. The skin must be thin and translucent while also being strong enough not to break when picked up with chopsticks. It must not adhere to the paper, container, or other items in the basket. The shrimp should be cooked thoroughly but not overcooked. The amount of meat should be generous, but not so much that it cannot be consumed in a single bite. One plate contained six dilicious pieces of dim sum. A must-try.

Bakmi Goreng:

Mie goreng (Indonesian: mie goreng or mi goreng; meaning "fried noodles"), also known as bakmi goreng, is a stir-fried noodle dish popular in Indonesia. Thin yellow noodles are stir-fried in cooking oil with garlic, onion, or shallots, fried prawns, chicken, or sliced bakso (meatballs), chilli, Chinese cabbage, cabbages, tomatoes, egg, and other vegetables. The egg was a tad runny. A truly delectable dish. You couldn't go wrong, especially if you like noodles.

Japanese Mild Spicy Chicken:

As its name implies this is a moderately spicy dish. A single plate comes with six dilicious pieces of boneless chicken. I liked its thick gravy that went well with Bakmi Goreng. This Japanese version of curry is a must-have for your family meal, with tender chunks of chicken, carrots, and potatoes cooked in a creamy savoury curry sauce.

Shanghai Chicken Fried Rice:

The most delicious fried rice you've ever had. It's a juicy, flavorful rice that everyone will devour. It was replete with shredded chicken, shrimp, egg and a host of vegetables. And the union of it with Japanese chicken was heavenly. It is touted as the signature dish of this eatery.

Green Sea:

The ideal palate cleanser! Green apple syrup, kiwi crush, and blue Curacao were used to make it. One of the most refreshing beverages we've had in a long time.

Recommendation and ratings:

You can consider visiting this restaurant if you enjoy oriental food. The ambience is pretty decent. Both quality and quantity of the food were satisfactory. Only they took a long time to serve the dishes, which dragged the ratings back to four. Bon Appetit!

Pocket Pinch: ₹1500 (for a couple) Must-try: Bakmi Goreng, Prawn Zucchini Hargaon Cuisines:...

Horrible overhyped place Went there for lunch and was told to wait as the place was full. Only saw 6-7 people get out when we were asked to actually get in. Meanwhile, someone coming there later got a place, even though there is no prior booking system and the seating policy is first come first serve. After getting in, saw many tables empty and the place at nearly 50-60% capacity only. Yet they said they were full at 1.30 pm. Dunno why.

Anyway coming to the actual dine in, the place has nice ambiance and seating space is ample with semi private dining options (glass pane enclosure) for group of 8-10 people. The food, however, was very disappointing. Ordered drums of heaven, hakka noodles and lamb in pepper. Drums had some uncooked batter in meat crevices, with the pieces not being much chunky, the noodles had little to none wok flavour, and the lamb was abysmal. Asked for semi gravy and yet what we received cannot exactly be called semi gravy if it is that watery. For the prices, expected much more. We gave the feedback and while they expressed regret, they said it is sue to rush hours maybe. lame excuse for a place with those price marks.Cannot recommend anyone as an alternative to its peers in same cuisine. The two star are due to dining space, ambiance and because the...

The service level was good. Waiters had good knowledge of the product and was courteous. Regarding the atmosphere it was beautifully decorated, nice and clean but because it was hot outside, everytime the door opened, a gust of hot air kept coming in and we felt it as we were seated near the door. Bathroom was clean and tidy, but one suggestion though, use a better quality soap instead of pink liquid dhaba type soap to match the experience you are providing. Coming to the food..some food were excellent, for example mei gorang rice, chocolate cigar roll, pork dimsum was awesome but few of the dishes were good to medium. About the mocktails, spicy ocean was good but I would suggest to adjust the mocktail recipes as some outright tasted mediocre. I requested for Darsan which was drenched in excess honey and sugar syrup, but they readily accepted their mistake and requested to be compensated with new plate, but we were extremely full and they offered us with a small glass cola to help relieve the fullness. Overall the visit was worth it and would definitely come back to have the excellent dishes as well as try...