Shanghai Modern

Shanghainese in China Town

Sheng jian bao

China Town in London has been going through a massive change. The Central Cross Development project has seen some major shakeups, with a refurbishment of old buildings and new openings popping up hard and fast. Shanghai Modern is one of the very first new restaurant openings in The Central Cross area, a casual dining Chinese restaurant that label itself specializing in Shanghainese cuisine. China Town's restaurants are dominated by Cantonese cuisine so I am always happy to see more regional Chinese cuisine concepts entering the UK market. 

Shanghai Modern

Xiao Long Bao

Pan fried chicken dumplings

However, from opening the menu, I have noticed it still has plenty of Cantonese dishes, such as sweet and sour. I opted for the Shanghainese dishes, the classic xiao long bao was solid but nothing to write home about. The pastry skin was dense and the pork filling lacked seasoning. The sheng jian bao, aka pan-fried pork bun was easily the best dish of the meal, it was cooked to the perfect level with a lovely golden crispy surface, the filling itself was moist and full of umami flavours. The classic Shanghainese stir fry noodles were flooded with oil, very greasy to a level that was rather unpleasant.

Wonton soup noodles

Shanghainese stir fry thick noodles

Slow cooked red braised pork belly

To sum it up, my dinner at Shanghai Modern was rather underwhelming, the cooking was fairly standard, not a great deal of difference in quality vs many other restaurants in China Town. Maybe I was expecting too much as I was buying into the new opening hype, as well as the Shanghainese concept as the UK seriously lack any authentic ones. My bill came to about £25 per person without wine and that is high for a casual Chinese restaurant in China Town. On the other hand, the service was fairly good, and the decor with high ceiling was lovely, and I guess that is why they are charging more to balance off the more premium setting.


Food 2/5


Average cost without drinks and services:
£20

12 Newport Pl, London WC2H 7PR