Overview
Shanghai Street has been around since 2010, and is Melbourne's foremost specialist in Shanghai cuisine, especially Shanghai xiaolongbao and juicy dumplings. The restaurant itself is elegant and charming, with attentive and friendly waitstaff which a few similar venues could learn from. The focus here is on food however, and with a regular queue out the front, it's hard to miss.
The menu kicks off with a focus on homemade traditional xiaolongbao and fried mini buns, with the highlight being the steamed crab and pork option — vegetarians can tuck into the steamed vegetable version. These are as traditional as you'll find in Melbourne, and they are perfectly soft and succulent. There is a strong focus on dumplings, too, with the option to have them boiled or pan-fried. We'd recommend the chicken and prawn boiled, while the pan-fried beef dumplings are also a big hit. If you like them in a broth then the pork, mushroom and prawn wanton soup is for you.
For some heartier meals try the Sichuan spicy chicken with peanut serve and a side of boiled rice, or the marinated duck with light sea salt for something more delicate. One of the house specialties here is the signature crispy chicken, that's deep fried and marinated with salt and pepper. Alternatively, the sweet and sour chicken with pineapple is a fun, flavoursome dish that you won't soon forget. There is also a strong seafood focus here, with the salt and pepper soft shell crab tossed in greens a must, while no order is complete without the stir-fried clams in XO sauce.
