Shanghai Shanghai - Aberdeen

Now to continue on with the Chinese Food Court theme (see previous post), the other shop I got to sample was Shanghai Shanghai.  I don't know squat about Chinese food so I go with whatever my parents introduce me to...if I like it, that's a different story.  One of the other places my parents like to frequent after their walks is Shanghai Shanghai. 

The shao long bao are made fresh, front, and centre for all to see.

The luo buo shi bing (white radish pastries) were quite large compared to what I've eaten. 

I don't know why I turned them upside down for the photo....they looked really round.

Inside the white radish were coursely shredded, much more so than what I've sampled in the past.  They tasted pretty good though, regardless.

Of course, what Shanghainese meal would be complete without a couple of shao long bao?

These little suckers were packed with soup/liquid pork fat.  And surprisingly delicious for food court food....better than some restaurants I've been to. 

Shie ke huang...I don't have a clue how you'd say it in English.  It's a sweet pastry with sesame seeds on top (duh). 

Inside is just sugar and maybe lard.  I usually have the frozen ones you take home and bake in your toaster oven.  When the sugar melts and leaks out, then caramalizes, it's like heaven.  These ones probably could have spent a bit more time in the oven (for my personal tastes).

Shanghai Shangha is cheap....dirt cheap considering what you get.  I can't say much about the service because my dad went to pick up the food, but I'd definitely want to eat the food from here again....only, I never, ever want to drive through Aberdeen's parking lot again.

Jang Mo Jib - Aberdeen

What else would be open on Christmas?  Aberdeen and Yaohan, and pretty much every Chinese restaurant in the lower mainland.  It always reminds me of A Christmas Story when Ralphie and his family go to the Chinese restaurant when they lose their turkey to the neighbor's dogs.  Anyway, our family is no exception because we seldom do a turkey.  I went with my parents on a food court tour during the holidays and one of our first stops was Jang Mo Jib in the Aberdeen food court.

My mom ordered the Chicken Bool Go Gee for $7.95 and it came with the usual side dishes plus rice and soup.  It was the first time I'd ever eaten this dish and what I found was that it was spicier than hell fire, and a little sweet.  It tasted good, but I could already feel an ulcer developing.

Now the menu said this was Gam Ja Tang($5.95), but I call it fire soup.

Apparently my parents have this a lot after their daily walks...I have no idea how they can stomach this stuff so much, it would burn a hole through my guts.

I stuck with what I knew was good -  Gahl Bee ($9.95)

Inside one of the Korean gyozas.

Like I said, my parents come here a lot, and it was the first for me.  At first, I was a bit skeptical, but after taking my first bite into the beef short rib, I was hooked.  Now, I'm no expert on Korean food because most of it is way beyong my spice tolerance, but one thing I do know is beef, and the beef here is damn good.  Koreans know beef, and they know it well.  The Jang Mo Jib location at Aberdeen Food Court makes a pretty mean gahl bee.

We were walking around the mall at around 10am and when I placed my order here, the staff there looked like she was just waiting for the first customer.  She didn't speak much English or any Chinese for that matter, and my Korean is non existant, but I managed to point to what I wanted to eat and she figured it out with a friendly smile.  Actually, it was just about the friendliest service I had ever had at a food court, let alone Aberdeen Food Court.  Anyway, by the time my food was done, there was a line up and people were piling up to order at this place.

The food is good here, near as I can tell.  The service was wonderful that day, and well, the prices are reasonable I suppose.  It's got a pretty crappy review on http://www.urbanspoon.com/ but maybe I just don't know Korean food.  Would I go back?  Probably, but I hardly ever go to Aberdeen.  The parking lot is a nightmare, and I grow a new white hair everytime I go there.