Shanghai Tea Garden

This is my favourite Chinese place in North Bridge… Actually in Perth so far .
My friend and I stumbled upon this place and we have been hooked every since.
The service is quick and the food is to die for. It’s always fresh and full of flavour .
Do yourself a favour and get the cabbage and pork dish. It’s a mixture of smokey bacon and cabbage and I could eat it every day .
The Shanghai dumplings are also the best I have ever had. They have a massive explosion of flavour and liquid .
5 * from me.

This little restaurant in Northbridge has an inviting Oriental entrance. You step through an ornate red door into a courtyard before going into the restaurant. It’s a pity they don’t make the courtyard more inviting as it has the potential to be a really cool little spot for al fresco dining. A tall aquarium greets you smack in the eye as you walk into the restaurant.
My small group was there for dinner, and we ordered a variety of dishes to share. We had several plates of the Shanghai dumplings to start with. These were flavourful little things, though I can’t recall exactly what the fillings were.
I was interested in trying a Szechuan dish, and the combination Szechuan hotpot seemed to fit the bill. It was a mild Szechuan pepper spicing in this dish; not that smack-​you-​in-​the-​mouth-​and-​numb-​your-​tongue-​and-​lips sensation you get from a genuine assault of Szechuan peppers. Still in all it was flavourful and full of vegetables and seafood.
The fragrant crispy skin duck was a generous-​sized dish, served with a bowl of that special salt that adds so much flavour to chicken and duck. Parts of it could have been a little more succulent but the skin was crispy and overall this dish was fine as the shared meaty dish.
The combination veggies were crisp and fresh, with none of those limp, ageing veggies you sometimes get in suburban Chinese restaurants. I always love a good dish of stir fried veggies, and this one was about as good as it gets in my book.
The service was attentive and fairly prompt, so I have no complaints there. It was a relatively cheap evening and the booze was BYO, always a bonus in my book.

I’ve went to this place about 4 years ago. It was very unique at that time with its layout and menu. Unfortunately it does not meet those same expectations again today. Food was ok but couldn’t get the sechuan clay pot. Service was below par as had to wait for a table we had reserved. Staff looked around unwilling to accommodate us.
Eventually got a table which had to be to be recovered with a table cloth. The dinner setting we had to do ourselves.
Would I come back here again? Maybe if they returned to the glory years.

The food that we ate here was ok. Quite pleasant were the dishes that we asked to be made vegetarian. We got massive portions and the staff were attentive and friendly on a busy Saturday night. We brought our own drinks along with us. The only real downside that we experienced was the restroom. So bad, and behind the restaurant down a dark alley and past the bins! :S

In a city renowned for sketchy food this joint was a sure fire winner. left the Phone back in the car and went to retrieve it once we had ordered. Like Laura we had walked past the place multiple times, it seemed busy, and we weren’t sure if it was because everything else was closed for Chinese New Year., or that they did good food. We read the one and two star reviews while we waited, would have liked to have got out of there but Laura’s three stars kept us there. We didn’t eat a lot, started and soon finished it was that bad. If they gave their food away to the homeless, it would still get left in the dumpster. Service was ok, staff were attentive and helpful, décor and settings were nice, shame about the loud drunken people next to our table, seeing in the New Year-​1 star was our overall experience. Just got home now and my tongue is still numb from the food!!!

Before it changed ownership, I really enjoyed coming here. We wandered in tonight after finding our favourite Indonesian was closed, wondering if it was still the same. The décor hadn’t changed or been touched up & that was the first warning. We looked at the menu & couldn’t see any dish we used to eat –mmmmm. We ordered the Fragrant Crispy Duck & Szechuan Beef (yes I hear you say it’s not Shanghainese). Well, we couldn’t detect any ‘fragrance’ in the duck. ‘Fragrant’ in a Chinese dish means Chinese herbs & spices have been used. The Szechuan Beef was very unappetising as the beef wasn’t stir fried but dipped in batter & deep-​fried, then tossed in the wok with dried chillies & spring onion. It was also very oily. So please believe me & do not go here. I don’t think it’s worth trying. No photos sorry. They’ve all been deleted!

I’ve walked past this place so many times. It’s located just next to 399. The lure of my other favourite Northbridge Asian restaurants is usually too strong for me to risk trying somewhere new.
However the other night Drew and I were starving and every restaurant along William Street had a massive wait, so we thought we would finally give this place a try.
We got the last table in the small restaurant. The fit-​out is modern, with crazy high back chairs. It’s BYO and food was great, though a little pricey. The service was lacking a bit, especially with the waitress leaning over us and the food on our table about four times during our meal to get water glasses from the other side of the table. You don’t mind if the service isn’t that flash if you’re paying $ 20-​$ 30 a head, but not when you’re paying $ 50 a head with no booze.

The Shanghai Tea Garden presents itself as a slice of bygone Shanghai, with its elegance and cosmopolitan attitude. Décor-​wise, it does a good job of invoking that feel, with an impressive entrance reminiscent of a court garden, and some beautifully ornate chairs.
In terms of tea — it is a surprisingly bland café. There isn’t much in the way of choices, and for a Chinese-​orientated place that labels itself as a «tea garden», there is little in the way of choices with tea. Their sweet food is about average when compared to other cafés around the area, although their savoury food is simple but surprisingly good fare.
The staff tend to ignore you until you make it obvious that you are wanting to order. They are nicer to larger tables, but if you are a small group, expect brusque service.
The Shanghai Tea Garden had the potential to offer an interesting café experience to patrons, but instead is an average café dressed up in elegant décor.