Shanghai Dimsum House

Great Value, Great Taste. The two of us shared a #6, #7, and a #10, I.e., noodle and wonton soup, Shanghai style dumplings, and beef roll. All authentic and delicious.

I bought Xiao long bao (5 pieces) for a late lunch. The Xiao long bao was packed in a foam plastic box. Obviously the presentation was not very nice because I ordered takeout. However it tasted ok or above average. The soup inside the Xiao long bao had a bigger portion. It was great that the skin of the Xiao long bao was thin (not too thick). The meat inside was very soft that it melted in my mouth immediately.
The service was okay. A customer in front of me had complained that her order took quite long that she almost wanted to cancel the order. This food stall was quite busy and popular. I ordered the Xiao long bao with a number. The server told me that it would take about 10 mins., so I walked away and shopped around the mall and then walked back to the stall to pick up my food.

Finally made it here to try their Xiao Long Bao. No doubt about it, the best xiao long bao I’ve had. Nicely filled with soup and tastes so so good. I did get one without the soup so minus points for not being consistent and not have an actual line formation. Some Asian guy cut me in the line and the order numbers were called out at random? Number 20 got his order before 16 and 17 and then 21 before 19. Will come back to try the pan fried buns.

I love love the steamed dumplings here. So juicy and hot.
The pan fried dumpling are delicious as well.
The Shanghai thick noodles are ok can be a little greasy. Wangs is the best Shanghai noodles I’ve ever had.

The broth inside the soup dumpling is DELICIOUS! There is a bit of a wait but I think it’s worth it for what you are getting. They’re surprisingly quite filling as well. Definitely my go-​to place for XLB in Burnaby.

A Small booth in the food court of crystal mall. Very tasty and real Shanghai food. The xiaolong bun are all hand made and you can even see the staffs making them on the site.

After renovations, Xu’s Wonton House is now Shanghai Dimsum House. Menu looks the same. Went back with a friend today and this time I also tried the pan fried version.
1. Bayulan Steamed Mini Pork Buns ($ 4.95 for 5)
Tasty (and slightly fatty tasting?), flavourful broth inside.
7. Shanghai Style Pan Fried Pork Buns ($ 5.55 for 5)
The golden-​brown bottom looks suspiciously deep-​fried. In any case, quite crispy in parts and that it can therefore snap and cause the soup to spill out.
Basically you get a fried texture and flavour to #1 for just 60 cents more. The modest cost is really good enough that you should consider it, especially for take-​out. Steamed buns don’t travel very well in my opinion.
Depending on your appetite, one or two plates is enough for a meal, so you are looking at a mere $ 4.95 to $ 9.90+ for lunch if you just have xiao long bao. Tasty, and great value!
Points lost for service: Counter service was pretty crappy toward my non-​asian friend. The server managed to avoid eye contact for a long time even though she was already right at the counter waiting to order – to the extent that I had the vibe she was hoping my friend would leave, maybe so she wouldn’t have to deal with an English-​speaking customer (?).

This place is at the corner of the food court, but don’t miss the best xia lonag bao in North America. I’m a Shanghaiese, and these one are very close to those one in Shanghai. The xia lonag bao is filled woth soup and pork. It taste so fresh. Highly recommend you to try it out if you are in town and you love xia lonag bao as much as I do.

(Note: According to some recent reviews, Xu’s is now known as Shanghai Dimsum House Ltd. Dined here when it was still under the old name.)
Continuing my hunt for Shanghainese eats, I headed over to Xu’s Wonton House located in the food court of Crystal Mall in Burnaby. Compared with my previous stop (R&H Chinese Food in Richmond), I thought the menu offerings here were more to my suiting. Not only do they have the requisite, xiao long bao but they also offer shengjianbao and Shanghainese wontons.
The menu consists of the same three things as R&H including Chinese appetizers, noodle dishes and dumplings. They also have combo offerings and the price point for a meal here is under $ 10.
Having already had some xiao long bao at R&H, I decided to opt for something else. Settled on combo D which consists of (5) Shanghai vegetable & pork wontons in soup and a green onion pancake for $ 6.75.
The challenge of eating at Crystal Mall’s food court is that very often packed with diners. You need to stake out seating when eating here, but also watch for your order at the food stall. Given the crowds, it just seems easier to order takeout if you can. I was a little skittish about ordering a soup dish knowing I would have to find a seat here.
I managed to find a seat towards the back window, though not ideal since the glare of sun was shining upon me. But my meal made me forget this. The Shanghai wontons were excellent and the chicken broth it came in was delicious. It warmed me up on that cool day. As for the green onion pancake, it was nice and crispy.
If you are looking for fresh handmade Shanghainese dumplings, Xu’s is worth trying as the prices are inexpensive and the food is good. Though you will need to deal with the challenge of seating should you decide to enjoy them at Crystal Mall.

Busy mall dimsum place.
I only tried the xiao long baos today. Quite large but not the best. They didn’t have as much juice as other places. And the skins, despite being relatively thick, ruptured too easily. I had to take care handling them. That said, they tasted great despite some technical flaws.

Crystal Mall was our venue for early-​afternoon walkabout recently, and then we returned to the food court to try dumplings at Shanghai Dimsum, for an early-​evening ‘snack-​type’ dinner.
We ended up trying (via separate orders) two different preparations of their soup dumplings: XLB — steamed Xiao Long Bao dumplings, and SJB — pan-​fried Sheng Jian Bao dumplings. We did the steamed dumplings first, and when I returned to the counter to place a second order, I was convinced (by a fellow customer in line) to give the pan-​fried dumplings a try (I really enjoyed this friendly and informative before-​ordering chat, and decided to go with her suggestion). Wait times, after placing the orders, were about 5 – 7 minutes (small price to pay for receiving food prepared ‘for you’, and piping hot from the kitchen!).
Service at the counter was very friendly — I really liked the staff, although busy, they had warm smiles, were attentive, and really did seem to enjoy what they were doing. A fun note: one person from the kitchen came out into the Mall area for a short ‘stretch’ break while we were eating nearby, and popped over to our table to see how we were enjoying the dumplings — then with a big, warm smile and grin, told us how to «slurp» them! :-)
This was our first taste of these dumplings, so can’t relate what we had to any others. The dumplings were fun to eat, and the soup and meats inside the dough coverings hot, and tasty. I thought the coverings on the pan-​fried dumplings were a touch dry and tough (maybe fried a little too long?), but the ‘rewards’ inside were sure good.
We enjoyed Shanghai Dimsum for our «snacky-​dinner» experience!

Previously known as Xu’s Dimsum, but changed name after renovations!
I’ve always heard great reviews about their handmade soup dumpling (Xiao Long Baos) and Shanghainese pastries. My friend and I decided to check out this place after a long day studying at the library right across the street!
For less than $ 5, you get a steamer with 5 freshly made and steamed soup dumplings! The wait was roughly five minutes. Definitely considered long for a food court vendor, but I can say it was definitely worth it! The skin of the dumpling is a bit thicker than machine made wrappers, but you definitely need it to keep in all the juice of the dumpling! Be careful it’s very hot! I would suggest getting extra napkins and carefully suck out the soup first by making a small hole from the top. Don’t wait for it to cool down because once it cools, it will start sticking to the bottom of the steamer, ripping the dumpling and you lose all the amazing soup!
We also ordered the Shanghai-​style fried pork buns. The bun had a similar filling to the previous dish, but because it was pan fried, the soup was extra hot! Be careful with this one because the soup squirts out when you make that first bite! I definitely preferred the steam one as this was slightly greaser for my taste.
Would come back again because we were full and spent only $ 10 between the two of us! :)

Nestled in a small corner of the food court, this place is easily missed. The sign has changed from Xu’s Wonton House to something like Shanghai Dimsum Ltd, but it’s still the same food and I believe owned by the same people. The menu hasn’t changed at all.
Given that it’s in a food court, don’t expect much from atmosphere and service. You’re given a number in a plastic tag that is called out in chinese and english when your food is ready. The line was confusing at first, but you order on the left side of the stand, in front of the cash register, and pick up in front of the person making dumplings on the right side.
We got the pan fried soup dumplings and the xiao long bao. The pan fried soup dumplings were excellent, though it was the first time I’d had them. The dough was thick and seasoned on top, and the filling was meaty and delicious. They were incredibly hot when we got them, this is definitely something you need to let cool down much longer than regular xiao long bao (possibly due to the thicker dough surrounding the meat and soup). The regular xiao long bao here were decent but forgettable. The skin was a bit thick but pierced easily.
I’d definitely order the pan fried soup dumplings again, but I’d pass on the regular xiao long bao.

The sign doesn’t say Xu’s Wonton House anymore, it says dimsum house or something like that, but just remember it’s beside the bubble waffle place in the corner.
Ordered the xiao long bao and shanghai pan fried dumplings. The wait was pretty long, but there were a ton of people waiting as well, so place your order and go scout out a place to sit in the crowded food court. Both dumplings are very large in size, and come out piping hot, so take care when eating.
The xiao long bao here are quite large, and the skin is delicate. I think they put some soy sauce into their filling, so the soup has a bit of soy taste to it. The vinegar they give you is super duper strong vinegar, not the typical watered down stuff. Normally I just toss the entire dumpling into my mouth, but with these ones it was best to suck some soup out to contain the mess. I really enjoyed eating the xlb here, would definitely return.
The real star is the Sheng jian bao, #7. There is a warning sign on the counter telling you how hot the juice/​soup inside is, and it’s smart to listen to it. Biting into one, the juice squirted out all over the table and luckily not onto anybody. These things are dumplings with thicker skin, with the bottoms pan fried and I think the tops doused with hot oil to fry it as well. Similar soup in these, and oh so hot.
The best part about this place is that everything is pretty cheap.

So on Sunday, I ventured out all the way to Burnaby because I was really craving some Shanghai steamed dumplings and fried dumplings. Ended up at the Crystal Mall food court’s Xu Wontons because it’s my go to place for Shanghai fried dumplings.
What I like about their dumplings is that the broth inside the dumplings are not too salty and there’s a good amount of soup as well. The meat tasted pretty fresh and was a pretty good ratio to skin. My only complaint is that the skin can get pretty thick sometimes.
Also the fried dumplings have a very crispy outside and holds quite a lot of soup.
Overall one of my favourite places for Shanghai dumplings. It’s not really a secret anymore because the wait for dumplings is a good 10 – 15 minutes which is long for a food court.

(XLB Score: ³⁵⁄₅₀)
I was craving Xiao Long Bao one day while grocery shopping and came across this shop. Nothing fancy. The price was right, but the wait was long. it took me 20 minutes before they finally called my number to pick up the Baos.
Soup and Meat Flavor: ⁵⁄₁₀
Amount of Soup in Bao: ⁴⁄₁₀
Dumpling Skin Thickness: ⁶⁄₁₀
Dumpling Size: ⁹⁄₁₀
Value: ¹⁰⁄₁₀ ($ 4.99 for 6 XLB)
Total Score: ³⁵⁄₅₀
Check out my Vancouver Xiao Long Bao Challenge List to see what restaurant reign supreme in the Xiao Long Bao world!

Xiao long baos
$ 4.95
Cheap
Delicious
Soup-​filled
Hot
Fresh
Hard to find seating
Pan-​fried pork buns
Line ups
Worth it
Go.

*Come here for the pan fried buns!!*
I read alot of reviews here below about the xiao long baos which i had before and were only OK — most of the time the baos stuck together cuz they’re too big! But don’t forget these underrated pan fried buns or ‘Sheng jian bao’. Pan fried to an amazing crisp exterior bottom, packed with delicious pork and of course look at that soup? I even lost some soup just to show y’all… My recent disappointing visit to Seattle and dintaifung really made me crave some of these bad boys. /​/​This is packed inside the end of crystal mall food court, good cheap eats.

Way at the back of the food court, this place is pretty awesome.
Parking is available in the Crystal Mall lot.
Even the dumplings are the famous items here, I went for the stir-​fried rice cakes with shredded pork. They were served so hot that I was afraid the Styrofoam plate would melt. Coated in oil, with plenty of cilantro sprinkled over. So good. With that said, I wish the dish was more filling.
The XLB here are larger than most places, and as a result, the skin is just a wee bit thicker than ideal.
If the rice cakes are ordered in soup form, the soup is of the clear light vegetable variety. Some may think it’s a bit on the plain side, but it tastes a lot like home cooking. Nothing wrong with that. With that said, I personally prefer the deep-​fried version.

Wow, this place is fantastic! I can’t believe they don’t have more than 4 stars. My boyfriend use to work nearby at EA and is really familiar with the food court here. Xu’s was his favorite spot for dumplings and wontons; I had to judge for myself and I loved it!
Even around 3pm on a Tuesday during the holidays, the food court was bustling and busy, so I can’t imagine what it’s like here during the lunch hour on a normal work week! We could find an open table pretty easily (they aren’t great about cleaning up the tables so don’t forego a table for that! Just wipe it off yourself). Make sure to grab napkins/​eating utensils at whatever restaurant you ordered from, as they don’t have them in the general eating area.
Also, even at 3pm, we did have to wait for our order (maybe 10 minutes), which they do tell you when you order. So even though there’s no line, don’t expect to get your food immediately. The good thing is that does mean they’re cooking your order fresh. You can see these Chinese ladies making fresh dumplings right at the counter! However, for our wontons and buns, I saw them take it out of the freezer to hand back to the kitchen to cook.
#6 Wonton in Soup (10) $ 6.75 — 4 stars
pic:
Yummy! Plenty of tasty wontons, and I like that their wrapping is really large so it’s like you have a big bowl of soupy pasta. I did find the filling very packed and hard, but that’s just a personal preference that I like the filling to be a little softer with the meat crumbling, a little more like you’d find in a pork bun.
#7 Shanghai style pan fried pork buns (5) $ 5.25 — 5 stars
pic:
one bite in:
I’d just had these fresh off the street in Shanghai, China a few months back, and this is the real deal! The buns are beautifully toasted on top to give you that crisp when you bite in. The dough is soft on the inside, and it is FILLED with a delicious soup! You definitely have to be careful even with that first bite – you might squirt soup on your neighbors, you might spill on your plate (our yourself!). Hold it over a spoon and take a slow, small bite. You’ll still probably get plenty of soup even with a small bite, but man will it be delicious! This was absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend it.
Menu: