The red bean buns are highly addictive. Seriously! I've ordered many different dishes from this restaurant and the only thing that consistently sticks each time I order are those red bean buns. So delicious!!! And they reheat really well. Service is quick and efficient. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Restaurant is always busy when I go in so I always call in my order and pick up/eat at home.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Clean restaurant every time I visit![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [this review was made in connection with a Toast promotion, Zen Noodle Bar did not ask me to write this review] read more

Second time visited here, first time i really enjoyed this place. Unfortunately I don't think I will be visiting again anytime soon. Service was good as before , the boss lady and waitress were both very nice . [[HIGHLIGHT]]But the place seriously needs a little more update. Hall way to bathroom was extremely dark, wished they can turn on some light so I could see my way.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] One of the dish were served on a cracked plate , so we asked for a new plate. The metal steamer for xlb was very dirty with lots of grease all around, wished they could have cleaned it better or maybe it's time to replace new ones. We ordered several dishes, I liked meat mooncake the most , mostly I think the crust skin was quite good , but the xlb meat was so greasy, after one I couldn't really eat a second. Pan friend bun was pan fried really a bao, skin too thick all around. We also had Shanghainese eel dish, which I don't feel they were cook authentic Shanghainese way, more of Beijing style with lot of sauce, too much actually. Maybe it was not a good day, but I really wanted to like this place. read more

This has been a family favorite for when my son is in town but this time sadly, it didn't hit the marks. Maybe an off day so we'll try again. We loved the pan fried dumplings cuz they used to be so juicy when you bit into them the juice would just squirt out and splash the person sitting across from you but this time the meat was tiny and not juicy at all! The bun was crispy but compare to before...2/5. If you've never had it when it was awesome, maybe a 3/5. Chicken cutlet on noodle 3/5: The noodle was a bit dry but the cutlet was good. Again, used to be better. Beef wrap 4/5: Actually I didn't eat this but hubs and DIL did and they both liked it. looked like a lot of beef but the end piece was a little skimpy. The service was great, the lady refilled our water and she was nice. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's still a tiny hole in the wall type place but down to earth.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] we'll prolly try one more time and see how it goes. read more

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This was our second time coming to Zen Noodle Bar. We ordered the pan fried buns, beef noodle soup, spicy wontons and katsu chicken with noodles. I highly recommend the fried buns because they were so good! Would definitely be back just for those. The katsu chicken was also surprisingly good because it was light and crispy. read more

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This restaurant confuses me. It seems to be rather popular, and had a regular flow of customers while I was there. However, the food just wasn't to my liking. At all. The pork in the spicy wontons seemed mushy, flavorless, and undercooked. The sauce was thin and lacked any heat. The beef in the beef noodle soup was dry and the noodles were too doughy-tasting. The pan-fried pork buns looked great but the bun kind of fell apart in my mouth and lacked structure or flavor. The salty soybean milk was thin and disappointing. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance was dark and dingy.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The only highlight was the service. The woman working the front of the house was very kind and responsive. I just wish the food had been better. Much better! read more

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Still so good! Love this place. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Staff are super nice and it's a small place.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We tried the bean curd glass noodle. We also enjoyed the Turnip cake a lot. The pork chop with rice cakes was soooo tender and amazing. Also make sure to try their pan fried dumplings. They are amazing! Lastly we also tried the cabbage with bean curd. This pairs well with rice and it has an array of veggies. It is slightly sweet. They have a lot of traditional Shanghainese dishes. I'm happy I got to eat here! Loved the quality of the food. read more

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Came here for some dumplings! The dumplings Never fail to be tasty! The chili wonton had nice flavor and the noodles were meh. Thanks! read more

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May is the month for highlighting Asian American and Pacific Islander owned businesses, and I would be remiss if I didn't talk about some of the delicious foods I had while out in the bay area. To say that your can turn any corner in the area and probably find some excellent Asian inspired restaurants or foods would not be an exaggeration, and this little place "Zen Noodle Bar" is a wonderful example of that. This was my last meal before headed to the airport to come home, and I just had to have some more buns before going back east to an area where this kind of cooking is just not as common. I found this place convenient to where I dropped off my rental care, and just walked over, wheeling my suitcase behind me. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's in a small shopping center with it's own parking, and a convenient drive thru in the front for those picking up to go from any spot.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] After looking at some Yelp photos, I decided to go with the A1 Pan Fried Pork buns, as well as the E9 Spicy mince meat over rice with pork cutlet. This was entirely too much food for one person, but with a red-eye flight ahead to the east coast, it was time to stock up for a long journey anyway. The spicy minced meat came out first, and wow, lots of flavor! I could have gone even spicier with it, but loved the plate I was given. The pork cutlet it came with was lightly panko fried, very tender, delicious. The Pan Fried Pork buns were big, delicious, and wow... I would eat these all the time if I lived here. They were wonderful. VERY hot on the inside, as each bun wraps up a portion of pork and soup broth. If you like, you can bite out a small hole and sit them on their side to let them vent and cool a bit. I could not finish all this food, but made more than a healthy dent. I wish I could have brought it home for leftovers, sadly not possible in my situation. The value was definitely there, especially given what I had gotten used to paying for things in the bay area. I recommend this for locals and travelers alike! read more

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food was rly good [[HIGHLIGHT]]only thing was it was rly cold in the restaurant[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] and the food was a little greasy but that comes with chinese food read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Pretty good! Home-cooked vibe, Shanghainese dialect speaking.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] If everything else in downtown San Mateo is packed, you can find space here usually without a wait. Affordable!!! read more

Wow!!! What a hidden gem!!! The best Pan fried buns I've ever had. Like straight out of Shanghai. The braised beef noodles were so flavorful and delicious!!! You must come here. Excellent fast service at great prices!!! read more

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Divvy Shanghainese place tucked away a couple streets from downtown San Mateo. Stopped by for Sunday night dinner, and place was pretty quiet. They kept the door open as well, so it was it slightly chilly. Overall food was flavorful, good portion size, with some surprises.. Im a big fan of wonton soup, and both the wonton soup and mini wonton soup were pretty solid. Both use the same soup broth, with difference being the size of wonton, filling inside, and then how much skin is left. The fried string beans were surprisingly good. They were on the thinner side, perfectly cooked, with a slight dry crispiness on the outside -- probably best had dine in and not take out. The pork chop and ribs were very saucy and meat was pretty tender. One notable disappointment was the shen jian bao, which had a much thicker and fluffier skin than I expected. It tasted more like a fried baozi (steamed bun) than a fried dumpling. I was hoping for something with thinner skin and more soup. The filling inside was solid though, and overall it had good flavor. Def divvy place, not a date night. Staff is friendly and nice, and can speak Shanghainese. Parking available in the center so pretty easy to get in and out. Overall I enjoyed the food here, but think of it more of a quick lunch or to go place. read more

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Came here on a Wednesday during lunch, there was plenty of parking outside, and there was no wait to be seated. The workers here were so kind and welcoming, and the food comes out fast. Food is delicious and I will definitely be back to eat here again! read more

Tried this place for the first time through work and have ordered it a few times since then. I've really come to enjoy it, especially the vegetarian spicy sesame noodles, they're flavorful, have a nice kick, and make for a satisfying meal on their own. I've also had the fried chicken cutlet over rice, which is tasty, but I usually stick with the noodles since the chicken hasn't always been crispy. read more

My good friend Linda was in dire need of pumping out her tummy after having ingested a rancid signature bao from zen noodle bar I feel really bad that Linda was misguided by my inappropriately 4 star rating meant for another Japanese curry cuisine I have to admit that we've never had worst overpriced experience based on peggy suggested for a $75 meal of slivers of tofu & rancid bao And for her to mince words saying I enjoyed... hell no My compassion to Linda's suffering read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]This plaza is very small but the amount of regular customers coming in was a good sign that it's a welcoming, community based restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I enjoyed eating the pan fried dumplings here! The dan dan noodles weren't quite like the ones I'm used to (it wasn't spicy at all), but the noodles were fun to eat! I would like more spicy sauce options in the future to eat with the dumplings if possible! read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Little Shanghainese food tucked away in a plaza so it's quieter and with a parking lot.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Plenty of seatings inside the restaurant with variety of food options.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We tried the pan fried dumplings, still not a big fan of them lol but these dumplings still contain soup. Beef noodle soup has a different spice and beef is tender. The noodles are too thin to my liking and does not taste like hand pulled noodles, more store bought. Tan tan noodles weren't very good. The service is fast here! read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]A roach was climbing on the wall in back of our table and my daughter had to get out of her seat to avoid it.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I pointed this out to the waitress who did not seem to care and treated it as low priority. She came back a couple of minutes later after it had already crawled behind our seats and out of reach and my daughter was certainly not going to sit back down again. We had the beef noodle soup which was pretty awful - it tasted a bit off and my daughter and I both ended up with diarrhea in the evening. read more

Update here is definitely needed. After all, my only experience previous was under the peak of the world changing situation so take and go was the only option. Meeting some friends from Hayward, I got here when they opened and we were their first customers, taking a wall table on the right. My friends are loyal and frequent customers here so I entrusted them to craft our meal. You are given a laminated menu sheet and an erasable marking pen to pick your items. The kind hostess and waitress took our order after giving us cups of cold water as requested. We ordered eleven items, including one add-on from me. Here are the highlights: 1. Xiao Lung Bao, apparently an off-menu item from reading my photo (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=TCmWnTUhgBOk4EFYejnONQ&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) - Eight juicy thin-skinned dumplings served with a small dish of black vinegar. One of the better ones that I've had in a while. 2. Pan fried pork buns (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=DDmOtNEG7jKOC_4JGPZIpw&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) - Apparently one of their signature items, this was as delicious as they looked with juices preserved within the crusted casing. Almost a must order here. 3. Shanghai Style Ja Jang Noodle (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=RGkoGeLEAie4qhT37kwhQg&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) - This is certainly better than my takeout version from almost three years ago. The flavors meshed well from the cucumber julienne and pickled vegetables to the sweet and savory meat sauce. It makes a difference having fresh noodles versus having it cold or reheated. Recommend for dine-in or within the hour if taking out. 4. Fried pork cutlet (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=5RwN4YJrTCfntEEqcJCbmw&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) - This was surprisingly more interesting eating wise than it sounded. Topped with a light creamy sweet sauce, the pork was tender and did not taste greasy. My chopsticks uncontrollably picked up random pieces of this throughout the meal. We were a party of four with one teenager so you know we wouldn't finish the meal. We packed food for future meals throughout the week. In ordering a takeout order for a friend at the counter, I saw a dish packed to go at the expediting station (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=XRenU2hKlJQHrYCxDjefiw&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) so I had to add this on for myself. I will cook some rice and this will likely become two dinners later in the week. Service wise, everything was smooth for the 1st half hour since we were the only guests. As people filtered in to dine-in and pick up takeout orders, the pace slowed but we were pretty much done by that time. Our gracious hostess and waitress refilled our cups with water and removed empty plates. I ordered some food for a friend to try (never tried their food) as well as my above order. They generously comped me another dish as a courtesy to my friends. When the room fills up, do be patient as there are only three people in the kitchen and one manning the front of the house. The dining was filled by the time we left a little after noon. Will be back and will remember to repeat our schedule in coming when they open. read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]There's lots of seating inside and not too busy when we went.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The servers were friendly and attentive. The food was delicious and decently sized portions. The cucumber salad is always a favorite with it being refreshing and full of flavor. read more

Zen Noodle Bar - B2. Spicy Cucumber, A1. 6 Pieces Pan Fried Pork Buns, C1. Braised Beef Noodle Soup - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Tucked away in a small plaza streets down from downtown San Mateo is this hole in the wall restaurant serving delicious Shanghainese food. Good portions, affordable, and most importantly, everything was delicious! The dry fry string beans were seasoned to perfection and paired well with the other dishes. We also ordered the spicy beef noodle soup, spicy dan dan noodles, and beef wrap to share. The spicy beef noodle soup wasn't spicy but had good flavor. The dan dan noodles were quite thin, so I wish they had an option for thick noodles. Other than that, the sauce was tangy and flavorful. The beef wrap was crispy and packed with meat -- totally worth the $11! Apparently, this spot is known for their pan fried pork buns, so I'll definitely be back to try this next. There's also more menu items on the white board next to the door. Friendly and efficient staff. read more

My boyfriend and I came here Friday night for dinner. We were greeted immediately and were able to sit wherever we liked. We got the Chinese donut, shrimp noodles, chicken cutlet with noodles, (not pictured) shrimp and leek dumplings and pan fried pork buns. Our food came out fairly fast. Everything was delicious and hot! I got the shrimp noodle soup spicy and it was full of flavor. Chicken cutlet with noodles was delicious - chicken was nice and crispy noodles were the perfect touch. The pan fried pork buns were crispy yet doughy and also very juicy to the bite. I would definitely come back here especially on a rainy night! read more

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I ordered food from them on DoorDash. The fried string beans that I got had a metal string in it that was clearly from the cleaning steel wool in the kitchen. It was disgusting. And the boiled dumplings came in a plastic (6) container. Plastic (6) is polystyrene and not safe to come in contact with food at boiling temperature. For hot food, only plastic (5) is safe. Plastic (6) is cheap and can be used for room temperature food like salad, etc, but not hot food. I ended up through away everything from this store. I would never order from them again. Clear hygiene safety issues. read more

Zen Noodle Bar - Metal string in my food from their cleaning steel wool in the kitchen! - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Came here for lunch with a few friends on a weekday. The food came out pretty quick and was made fresh. We had four people and overall only spent less than $30 per person. For sure worth it given the amount of food we got. We were full and satiated! My favorites were the spicy wonton and the pan fried dumplings. Prices were great and the food had so much flavor, it reminds me of my parents' cooking. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant itself could fit a couple of parties, but not too many.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I'd highly recommend this place if you're around the area and looking for some comfort Chinese food! read more

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This is, to us, the best place to get pan fried buns. They're the best here. For years, we would stop here after our dentist appointment in Daly City. We're from Hayward. Then, we changed our dentist and is now in Castro Valley :( Finally made it here again after 3 long years and the food is still so so good and how we remember it. We got fried buns to go as well since we missed them a lot. A hole in a wall away from the San Mateo Main Street. We always get the pan fried buns and Dan Dan noodles or Jja jang noodles ... yummm Highly recommend ordering these. read more

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Zen Noodle Bar | San Mateo 1. Pan Fried Pork Buns 2. Dry Fried String Beans 3. Beef Chow Main 4. Shrimp Pork Leeks Dumplings Alright, I came across this hidden gem on a sunny day in San Mateo after a long day at work. Zen Noodle Bar is a family-owned restaurant that serves affordable, authentic Shanghainese food. The interior of the place isn't the greatest, but you can instantly tell that the food is amazing because of the layout, which felt super homey.   The servers were the owners, I think, and they were super friendly. The nice thing about ordering at this place is that it's done through a laminated menu, and you can easily write down how many things you want to order. They had a wide variety of items that ranged from dim sum to appetizers and soups. I luckily got my hands on their pan-fried pork buns, dry-fried string beans, and shrimp and pork leek dumplings. The one thing that stood out to me the most was the Pan Fried Dumplings. It tasted similar to a soup dumpling as the soup and meat are engulfed in bread that is pan-fried to have a crispy bottom, which was AMAZING. I honestly could have eaten like 10 of these alone because of how good they are! read more

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Their Shanghai jajang noodles are really good, it's like noodles drowned in savory sauce with ground pork and veggies. Big portion with good price. Probably because of the location, maybe a couple bucks less than downtown San Mateo. read more

The outside of this place is dumpster city, but the inside, oh the inside! The inside is pretty much what you would expect from any Chinese Restaurant. But who cares about all that madness!! It's about the Food homeboi! We ordered a tonne of crap, even though we literally just came from another restaurant, but man we really wanted to try this! We legit spent 120$ American USD on two dinners. Yes, there was some Devil's Lettuce involved. Why do you ask? I love the SpicyDanDan Noodles. The BeefWrap Taco thing. And the Dumpings! Oh how they scorch the roof of your mouth with deliciousness and fire. My lady is totally gonna bring her mom to this place, so THAT'S HOW YA KNOW IT'S GOOD! read more

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The pork fried buns are what this place is know for. My friend, Harry, told me of this place many years ago. I have been coming here all the time and telling others. I went here last week, but without any air conditioning, the local heat wave made it uncomfortable to dine in. It is a BYOB type place, so it is awesome as a local spot to do that. read more

Juicy pan-fried buns with more soup than I expected! Very sweet soup and crispy exterior. The braised beef noodle soup was also very hearty with chewy noodles. Fantastic value and fast service. read more

Well, when you're in San Mateo, you have to come here. I'm back in town and this is the first place I go to eat and guess what, it's as good as every other visit. The spicy beef noodle soup, the pot stickers, the pork cutlet over noodles and the fried buns. All sooooooo delicious. The newcomers I brought with me loved it too. A must when in San Mateo. read more

Small hole in the wall with great food. Came here for lunch on the weekend and was pleasantly surprised. The spicy beef noodle soup was delicous. read more

Zen Noodle Bar - spicy beef noodle soup - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

great food. SJB were fantastic. [[HIGHLIGHT]]but table was sticky and not clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]bathrooms also gross and not clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

The food was so delicious and the portions were absolutely monstrous. You get so much food for the price, so it's a really good value. I wish i had taken photos before i started eating, but in case you were curious. I have provided pictures of all my half-eaten food. We got the Pan-fried pork buns, Beef Wrap, Combo Stir Fry Noodle, Spicy Dan Dan Noodles, Spicy Meat Sauce with Pork Cutlet Bento, and Combination Noodle Soup. read more

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This review is for their pork mooncake only as it's the only item I have tried. It's not as big as I expected but it's tasty, the outside is pretty nice and the filling is great! It has good amount of meat! I will definitely try other items from this restaurant in the future. read more

Zen Noodle Bar - *2. Pork Moon Cake, great amount of filling! - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I am a returning customer. The first time I came here was precovid and we ate at the restaurant. The family is so nice and their food is delicious. The other times, our order was called in and we picked it up. We always get: The Braised Beef noodle soup Pan fried dumplings (6) pairs very nicely with their vinegar Some vegetables, this time was garlic bok choy. They don't have a lot of vegetable options. The new thing we decided to try: Braised lion heads (yes, that's what it's called). Don't let the name fool you, they're very large meat balls. Super moist, soft, flavorful mounds of goodness. I would recommend this restaurant! read more

Zen Noodle Bar - Not the best pic but delicious! Braised Lion Head with Cabbage. To go order comes with 4 meat balls. - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Haven't been to this place for a while. I think our last visit is pre-Covid!! Craving for the pan fried buns this evening. Looked up on Yelp and glad to see they are still around. Got there around 7:30pm on a Wed night. We saw another dine-in couple and a family of four just left the Resturant. Many walk-In to place their to-go orders. They seems to be quite busy. We ordered beef wraps, wontons soup and pan fried buns, of course. We had to wait for a while as they are busy making to-go orders. I will pass on the beef wraps as it's lukewarm. The wrap seems to be deep fried as it's quite brown, but it is room temperature to the touch which is odd. The beef is unusually saucy. I do agree it's very flavorful. But I am sorry to say lukewarm food is a major no no for me. Wonton soup is surprisingly delicious! It's simple basic wonton soup. Nothing fancy. However, we both enjoy it very much. I will absolutely order this again! Pan fried buns are as good as I remember. Buns are fluffy and it's bottom is crunchy. Meat fillings is flavorful and juicy. Will order this again for sure. Why not 5 stars? The shop is not as clean as it should be. The chopsticks are a bit sticky. I rinse the chopsticks and wipe down the plates with the glass of water they serve. Understand it's a mom and pop shop. I do wish their utensils look a bit more proper next time. read more

Zen Noodle Bar - Pan fried buns and wonton soup (my serving from the main bowl) - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Cute authentic mom and pop shop with really juicy soup dumplings! FOOD - Soup dumplings: super filled with soup, moderate-thin skins, filling has good umami taste that is on the sweeter side. Ask for the slivered ginger to go with it - Pan fried soup dumplings: crispy outside, fluffy bun. Little soup inside - Scallion oil noodle: good flavor but oily. Would have liked fresh scallions as well to make it more fresh - Shanghai Ja Jang Noodles: it reminds me of bolognese with pickled cucumbers. The pickles cut through really nicely - Stir fried udon: really nice flavor with some veg, noodle texture is firm, I prefer it more QQ Service is friendly, English/Chinese speaking. Not the most glamorous or modern restaurant, but clean and simple. Parking lot outside but plenty of street parking around. No wait on Sunday dinner read more

I really like the pork cutlet with mayonnaise and katsu sauce. I've had their beef noodle soup, pork fan fried dumplings, and beef wrap before which was decently average. Ambiance is family friendly. Service is friendly. read more

Zen Noodle Bar - Pork cutlet - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

I was craving black bean noodles and decided to stop by this local shop while I was in the area. Taki Nori down the street was too busy, so I walked over here. This is a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. You seat yourself and use a dry erase marker to mark the menu. + Shanghai Style Ja Jang Noodle: DO NOT expect a lot of sauce... This is a pretty dry noodle dish. It honestly didn't taste like black bean sauce at all. It tasted more like a simple spicy minced meat sauce. I wish there was a lot more sauce. This dish wasn't for me honestly. + Shenjian Bao: I was in awe of how large these were! The biggest pan fried soup dumplings I have ever seen in my life. They looked like cha siu bao!!!! I enjoyed the flavor of the broth, but the quality of the meat was mediocre. The dumpling wrapper was also way too thick and doughy. Not very enjoyable. + Braised Beef Noodle Soup: Was not a fan. The broth just tasted like tangy five spice powder. The noodles also stuck together and not very enjoyable. Weird enough, they put a hard boiled egg in there? The best part was the braised beef. Very flavorful and tender! read more

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