Wang’s Shanghai Cuisine: Cheap and authentic Chinese food in Vancouver
Wang’s Shanghai Cuisine is one of my favourite local hidden gems. They offer no-frills Chinese food from the Shanghai area (things like xiao long bao, noodles, etc.). Over time, I have tried almost their entire menu and every item is priced at less than $15!
Here is a compilation of everything we’ve tried and my favourites.
The vibe
Humbly located beside a London Drugs and parking lot, Wang’s has a very unassuming exterior. The interior is just the same. The space itself is not very large, but they are able to squeeze in quite a number of tables and often times, the place is fully seated even on weekday nights.
In the back, you can see one of the ladies actually making the dumplings and stuffing the filling.
For the washroom, they will give you a key and you need to go somewhere else for the bathroom.
Please note that they are cash only.
Food and drinks review
Here are all the dishes we’ve tried at Wang’s. All prices are rounded to the nearest CAD.
Steamed pork buns ($8)
Also called xiao long bao (XLB), we must start this review with the steamed pork buns. They come out very fast (within minutes) and for one order, you get 6 dumplings served in a steamer basket.
The XLB have a lot of soup inside them and a nice thin dumpling wrapper. Definitely fills my stomach and heart with comfort!
Pan fried pork buns ($9)
Their second most popular item is probably the pan-fried pork buns. Unlike the steamed pork buns, they are much bigger and have a thicker bun wrapping around it. The bottoms are pan fried so they are crispy but on the inside they still have lots of soup! One order comes with 5 buns.
Dan dan noodle ($12)
Dan dan noodles are in this spicy peanut broth. The one here from Wang’s is actually not spicy at all, even though on the menu it says it is spicy.
I am used to my dan dan noodles having a thicker broth/sauce, whereas this one is a bit more watery or soupy. Perhaps maybe that is why I thought this dish was just ok (but very filling because big portions!).
Shanghai style pan fried thick noodles ($15)
I saw some good reviews about this pan-fried thick noodle dish, so we ordered it once but we were not big fans of it. It was a large dish with tons of noodles, cabbage and some shredded meat. We found it to be just a little bland.
Beef roll ($8)
This appetizer is like a crepe burrito with thinly sliced beef, cucumber and scallion. The best part is the sweet hoison sauce that brings it all together. Yummy!
Spring roll ($7)
I was kind of surprised with the spring rolls. The outside is fried really well actually, very crispy and flaky. The inside filling wasn’t what I expected because usually spring rolls filling have cabbage, noodles, shredded pork, etc. The spring rolls at Wang’s has this kind of radish filling? I’m not sure what it is but everything inside was white.
Still yummy but not the spring rolls I am used to seeing.
Spicy beef stew noodles in soup ($13)
We’ve ordered both their beef noodle soup and pork chop noodle soup in different variations. I found the pork chop to be a bit too fatty and putting it in the noodle soup makes it soggy, but the beef version is nice and tender.
Braised pork with rice ($15)
Last on our list of things we’ve tried is the braised rice. A simple dish, it comes with rice, SUPER tender and soft braised pork, some bok choy and pickled vegetables. The pork is kinda fatty but so soft and so much umami flavour.
This dish also comes with a small vermicelli soup with some tofu puffs. A very filling combo and very hearty.
Final thoughts
Loewe’s rating: โญโญโญโญ
We love Wang’s because the food here is so simple and good – the basics of a good restaurant. Out of everything listed in this review, I would say the xiao long baos, pan fried pork buns, beef roll, and the braised pork rice are must-trys.
Prices are low and cheap and service is fast. Wang’s is perfect for the rainy Vancouver weather to come because many of their dishes have soupy elements and it’s just got a nice simple “your mom’s kitchen” kinda feel to it.
I definitely recommend Wang’s to anyone who loves Chinese food and XLB or buns! Make sure you bring cash.
Sincerely, Loewe