I’ve heard accounts from three very angry friends that one of our favorite restaurants, New Shanghai in Boston Chinatown, has undergone a change of menu (and apparently ownership). We used to like to go there because it reminded us of the food we’d get in Taiwan; now, it’s generic Cantonese…not a decent Ma Po Tofu to be had!
So it’s time to find a new favorite haunt in Chinatown…King Fung Garden is a good place: cheap, tiny and Zagat rated! I’m fond of East Ocean City too for it comfortable atmosphere and the occasional whole fish. For the Taiwan street restaurant experience, I like the Taiwan Cafe; the fried pork chop lunchbox has a special place in my heart, and the menu items are unsettling in a familiar kind of way. Fine candidates all, but none of these feel as comfy as the Old New Shanghai, though.
My favorite chinese restaurant is actually in Billerica of all places: Sichuan Gourmet. Absolutely fantastic spicy Sze-Chuan food. The place is crowded with Chinese all the time…a good sign!
UPDATE: I stumbled upon this reference to the new owners, who are quite experienced in the biz, so I’ll have to visit and see what they do well. The old New Shanghai was one of only a few places (maybe even the only one) that served up shanghai-style yumminess.
4 Comments
Fuck New Shanghai. They should change their name to Cheap Crappy Cantonese Canteen. I’m all for King Fung Garden or Taiwan Cafe. I am so pissed.
Thank god for Sichuan Gourmet; hopefully they will stay below the radar of whichever fucktard bought up and ruined New Shanghai.
*deep breaths*
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Ooooh, fried pork chop lunchboxes!!! They had that at a little Chinese/Taiwanese place near the San Diego State University campus, where I work… For a while I was eating it at least once a week, despite the VERY HIGH fat content… but then they took it off the menu a few months ago. I was so sad. Obviously I should have been eating it every day in order to encourage them to keep it on the menu!! :D
All that, and Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica is SO CLOSE we can go there ANY TIME :)
Yes, New Shanghai has gone downhill and is just another Chinese restaurant, which is a shame, because they had been so good. But King Fung Garden and East Ocean City are indeed great alternatives, as are Hei La Moon and Peach Farm. And if you opt for other cuisines in Chinatown, Shabu Zen has great Japanese hotpots, and Hu Tieu Nam Vang has excellent Vietnamese food.