Shanghai Lil - Dim Sum Revisit

****NOTE: SHANGHAI LIL IS CLOSED********

I heard a rumor the other day that Shanghai Lil might be closing (hopefully that is all it was) so the other day when hubby and I had a free day for lunch (and got shot down attempting to try a new place that as it turns out was only open for dinner), we decided to drop in and have some dim sum. It had been awhile.  And I figured I would remind you about it just in case you had forgotten (I would be sad if it closes).

The meal started with a little amuse bouche before our lunch (even for lunch which I thought was a nice touch).  This time the one they gave us was delicious as well. It was a little duck and cabbage salad with a piece of soft, wonderfully cooked eggplant (I am a sucker for eggplant).  It was super tender and had a nice soy based, slightly sweet sauce.  The salad part was more acidic and they were nice together.

We ordered several things—our usual ha gao ($3.95) and spring rolls ($3.75) were a no brainer. They are some of our favorite basic things, and they are very well done at Shanghai Lil.  Ha Gao are shrimp dumplings and they are generally pretty straightforward—shrimp inside a soft steamed dumpling.  The shrimp is fresh and doesn’t have that fishy taste that it sometimes can if it’s been sitting around too long, and it was properly cooked.  The spring rolls are good as well—super crunchy and containing actual shrimp and lots of veggies.  They are also thinner than your classic egg roll and easier to eat.

We also got shrimp siu mai ($3.95) which is similar to the shrimp dumplings, except the steamed shell is filled with shrimp that has been minced with other things—I am thinking scallions here, so it has a slightly different flavor.  The dough used in the dumpling is a little different too—a little firmer than the ha gao.

We also tried the fried tofu with scallion sauce ($3.95) and the shrimp and chive cake ($3.95).  I generally like tofu, and this was pretty good, particularly along the pointy parts where you got nice bites with crispy edges. Once you got to the middle it was just a little too much gooey tofu with nothing else.  The sauce had very little flavor to me. We ended up adding some soy to it.

The shrimp and chive cakes were interesting and a nice variety (we usually try and get at least one new thing when we do dim sum).  Interestingly, there was actually pork in there too, which I didn’t mind, but it was a little surprise.  They ingredients were minced together, put in a dumpling skin (more like the siu mai thickness) and then pan-fried which gave them a nice little crunchy side.  There were a lot of chives and scallions in there, and they had a very grassy flavor because of it.  I appreciated the additional variation in texture (I try to balance between steamed, fried and pan fried) although this was probably my least favorite item of the day.

Overall the quality is really very good, and the dim sum menu is quite large.  We don’t have a lot of good Chinese food on the northeast side, and Shanghai Lil is definitely one of the better ones. And I am glad they do dim sum (they also have some good looking non-dim sum lunch specials I would like to try as well). 

Shanghai Lil

8505 Keystone Crossing

Indy  46240

317/205-9335

www.shanghai-lil.com 

Shanghai Lil--Revisit

****NOTE:SHANGHAI LIL IS CLOSED*******

Shanghai Lil had been a fairly regular place for us (particularly for carry out and dim sum), but for whatever reason, we hadn’t been in ages (last time I posted about it was 2009, holy moley).  One of the reasons we don’t go a lot is because my son is allergic to a whole host of nuts, which pretty much rules out Chinese food because of all the nuts used-- I fear that there is a lot of cross-contamination going on with woks, etc.  It is just too scary.  But the other night he was spending the night at a friend’s, so we took our daughter and went.

I noticed a change on this trip—there are no longer any of the Japanese offerings that they used to have. I always wondered about this, because we never ordered Japanese, and I never saw people eating it. That has got to be expensive to keep up the fresh fish angle (for sushi) if no one is ordering it.  We went with a couple of things we have had before and a couple of new things as well.

We started with the stuffed eggplant ($6) and the dumplings in chili oil ($6).  The eggplant was a new dish for us—kind of interesting. It is slices of eggplant stuffed with minced pork and tempura fried.  It had a garlic ginger sauce.  We liked it—a lot of stuff going on here, but the more we ate it, the more we enjoyed it. It was really hot and freshly fried, so it was nice and crunchy on the outside, even with the sauce drizzled on top.   It is probably really more of a pork dish than an eggplant dish though—there was a lot of pork stuffed in there.  I liked the sauce—it had a nice flavor and wasn’t too sweet.

The dumplings in chili oil are an old standby (one is already missing in the photo), and I am not sure why, but they just weren’t as good as I remembered.  Maybe they weren’t made as freshly as other times I have had them or something.  They just seemed a little bland and the insides (that contain pork, shrimp, and scallions) didn’t seem to have enough seasoning or something.  They have a “spicy sweet” chili oil that was fine, but wasn’t saving the dumplings.

For a main dish, hubby wanted to try the pepper-salt flounder ($18) to see if it was as good as some salt and pepper fish we had in Chicago awhile back.  This is a dish that doesn’t really have a sauce—the fish is just lightly fried and has a very distinct salt and pepper flavor in the crust.  There are chilies and scallions chopped and served with it.  It was very good.  The flounder was nice and tender and the seasoning on the crust while simple, was really good (salty and peppery, go figure).  I think we may have even liked it better than the Chicago version.  The crust was a little crispier, and it had more of a battered kind of feel than the cornmeal crust that we had before.  Not the healthiest choice, but darn good.

My daughter got the crispy shrimp rolls ($4.50) and chicken fried rice ($11).  I have had the shrimp rolls a lot before and they are pretty basic (a shrimp wrapped in a spring roll wrapper and fried).  There’s a little seasoning in their (chives I think) and they are nice and crunchy, but nothing amazing.  Their fried rice is pretty good—not a ton of veggies which my daughter likes. In fact she ate it for several days after for breakfast and was very content. 

I still think Shanghai Lil is one of the better Chinese places we have on the Northeast side.  It isn’t cheap, but the ingredients are fresh—I feel confident ordering seafood there, which I can’t always say about some Chinese places.  And they have dim sum for lunch---and now I am craving that again.  But remind me again, what are your favorite places for Chinese?

Shanghai Lil

8505 Keystone Crossing

Indy  46240

317/205-9335

www.shanghai-lil.com

Shanghai Lil for Dim Sum

****SHANGHAI LIL IS CLOSED*****

Ok, I was really making an attempt to try a new Chinese place for lunch, but we went to one, and it was closed, called another, and it was closed too. I guess Mondays aren’t good days for a Chinese lunch. I was really in the mood for Chinese though, so we decided to go back to Shanghai Lil’s and have some dim sum.

I have reviewed it before, and it is one of my haunts for dim sum. I have been there many times, and often even order it for carry out. But I figured hey, it has been awhile, and it was fun because I went with 2 friends who had never had dim sum before.

We ordered shrimp dumplings, dumplings in hot chili oil (not on the dim sum menu, but offered as an appetizer on the lunch menu), spring rolls, shrimp rolls, and the traditional buns (usually filled with pork) but that were stuffed with mushrooms and chicken. They give you a choice of teas-- oolong, green or jasmine and we chose jasmine, which I really like but one of my friends commented on the floweriness of it. I would be happy with any of the teas actually though, as these happen to be all my favorites.

They also brought out a little amuse bouche which was quite unexpected before a meal of little plates, but a nice touch. Our waiter explained that they do this during the week only but that it is a regular thing then. Ours included some sautéed green beans, some cold noodles in a garlicy/peanutty sauce and a little salad.
Then, the plates began arriving. The dumplings in hot chili oil are wonton style (think, the kind that come in wonton soup) dumplings stuffed with pork, shrimp, scallions and garlic in hot chili oil and served with some sautéed greens alongside. This is one of my favorite things and is an appetizer on the lunch and dinner menus, so no matter what meal I am ordering, I almost always get these. The dumplings are soft, the greens accent them beautifully and the hot chili oil isn’t really very spicy (I find this the case in Chinese in general, if it says “spicy” it isn’t usually really very spicy, which is fine with me, I prefer to taste my food, not burn my mouth). The flavors come together really well.
The other things are more basic—the shrimp dumplings, traditional for any dim sum menu are very good, just basic shrimp inside the dumpling and steamed. No sauce, no need. I like a bit of soy sauce and that’s it.

When I am eating all this soft food (the dumplings), I like to balance it with something crunchy, hence the spring rolls and shrimp rolls (also both available as appetizers at dinner). The spring rolls here are really good, they have the proper proportion of filling to crunch (sometimes there is just way too much filling and the outside isn’t crunchy enough). And there are 2 shrimps in every roll, one at each end, so if you cut it in half (to share say) both are guaranteed a shrimp. I like this. And the outside of the spring roll (and shrimp roll for that matter) are the perfect super crispy, thin shell that I like. Basically, the shrimp roll is the same idea, but just one long prawn wrapped in the same shell. They are served with a sweet and sour sauce, which I am not a huge fan of personally (too sweet for me).

The only thing that I didn’t really like was the steamed bun—these are also very traditional dim sum (like I said usually stuffed with barbequed pork) but I have never been a big fan. This one was better than the usual pork, the filling a bit more interesting, but I just don’t like the wonder bread consistency of these kinds of buns.

Shanghai Lil is definitely one of my favorite places for Chinese, and they also serve a full Japanese menu (including a fairly wide range of sushi). The downside of it is it is a bit more expensive than most Chinese, but I think partly because the quality of ingredients is higher than most. My friends seemed to enjoy it for their first time, and if you haven’t tried dim sum yet, give it a try.

Shanghai Lil
8505 Keystone Crossing
Indy 46240
317-205-9335
www.shanghai-lil.com

Miyagi's

****THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED****
Woo-hoo! I get so excited when I find a new restaurant that is good. Really good. And not a chain! Oh happy day. So hubby and I came by Miyagi's seperately and yet both suggested it the same week for date night. We had both seen an ad for it, and I will admit, been drawn to the coupons for the place mixed with the description as French infused Japanese. And face it, we were looking for something new.


So, we were doubtful, and even had back up plans if it looked too questionable. (I mean, it is not often that we choose a restaurant based on coupons in a free mailer) But we pulled up to the location on 96th street (near Keystone) and were pleasantly surprised by the modern decor and prompt greeting. We were seated and ordered drinks (there is a full bar for those who are interested). As we perused the menu, we were happy to see an actual French influence on many of the options. There were so many things I wanted to order. You need the first drink to have whilst you look over everything on the menu, as it is quite extensive. There is a hot kitchen and a cold kitchen and separate appetizers and entrees (well, sushi rolls for the cold kitchen and regular main courses on the warm side). I was thrilled when I saw all the choices on the hot appetizer side. All of my favorite things, crab and shrimp, scallops, rare-cooked high quality meats, all combined with citrus and ponzu sauces. Yummy.


I decided to go with 3 appetizers and have a tapas-style meal. I had the soft shell crab (natch), gyu no tataky, or thin slices of filet mignon atop cucumbers, tomatoes and avocado, and the lobster spring rolls. Hubby ordered off the cold menu and got the Hamachi appetizer (which is actually cooked quickly at the table) and a fancy roll called a diablo roll.


The lobster spring rolls came first and they were outstanding! They were crispy and served over a bed of mango chutney with a orange vinaigrette. They were perfectly cooked and we both loved them. Next came the soft shell crab which had a soy based sauce with it. Now you know how much I love soft shell crab and these certainly did not disappoint. My final choice was the beef dish which was very medium rare (which is exactly how I like to eat beef) and it was served with very thin (wafer thin) slices of tomato, cucumber and avocado. It was quite tasty as well, but probably not quite as good as the other things.

Hubby's hamachi, which as mentioned was cooked at the table, was probably the biggest disappointment. It was good, but cooking it even that long was too much. Maybe sear it on one side only for a couple seconds. The seasonings were good though. If it wasn't so tough, it would've been better. His roll, on the other hand, was outstanding. It was tempura king crab and shrimp wrapped in the classic rice with salmon on top and roe as well as a delicious spicy sauce. It isn't on all the menus (apparently, even though they have only been open for 3 months, they already have an "old" and "new" menu. But if you like fancy rolls, order it!

We also tried the honey bread dessert on our waiter's recommendation. It was sort of a sweet bread drizzled with a honey cinnamon sauce and served with ice cream. I wasn't overly excited about it, but the waiter had not steered us wrong so far, so we went for it (and after all, we did have that coupon!). It was really good. The bread was crispy and mixed with the ice cream and sauce, it made a really good combination.

The service was very attentive and informative. Our server really knew the food and made great recommendations on the whole. By the end of the meal, he was a bit almost pushy and a tad know it all-ish which got annoying. But he did really know and appreciate the food.

The wine choices were somewhat limited (which seems to be the case with most Asian restaurants it seems, well, except Shaghai Lil which has great choices) and a little on the flowery/sweet side for me, but I know that is what you are supposed to drink with spicy, or Asian food, and I struggled through, but would love to see a few more crisp choices by the glass. Hubby had a mixed drink to start which he said was very good.

We will certainly be back--and I will order some of the same things and some different things off the appetizer menu. There were so many appealing choices!
One last thing, I think they should drop the "'s" after Miyagi and just be "Miyagi" instead of "Miyagi's." It sounds like it is owned by the guy from the Karate Kid movie. Just my 2 cents.
Miyagi's
3625 East 96th Street
Indy, 46240
317-846-7077
http://indymiyagi.com/

Sawasdee Restaurant

Again, I am behind. Why is summer so busy? Anyway, I went on a recent trip with girlfriends to Sawasdee Thai restaurant after being told by many folks how good it is (and reading the same in many places). For those who might be curious, "Sawasdee" is a word for a bowed Thai greeting.

The restaurant, I have been told, has recently expanded in its strip mall location, and must have been quite small before. It is nicely sized now and was quite full for a Tuesday night. (And I might add, quite warm! For someone who usually brings a sweater to restaurants in this City in the summer due to the crazy air conditioning, I was flushed by the time I left Sawasdee).

So I ordered something off the menu that seems to be as large as the phone book (the menu, not what I ordered). OK, I am not going to be able to remember what its official name is, but it boiled down to chicken (on a side note, I was interested to see how many different ways "chicken" was spelled on this menu--when people are writing menus, do they forget all about spell check?) with garlic and black pepper sauce and seemed to have some crushed peanuts on top. (Another side note, as a Mom of a child with peanut and tree nut allergies, I would NOT take such children here since it appears that out of the 4 meals on the table, 3 of them contained peanuts and/or cashews--ok, one of them was "cashew chicken," but still). Once you finally narrow down what you are going to order, you then need to choose your meat, which could be chicken, beef, pork, shrimp and even sometimes squid. It takes AWHILE to get through this menu. I think I now know the true reason people just always order their favorite here. It is so much easier! If it were my restaurant, I would try to get it onto a couple of larger pages and make certain dishes with the ingredients that might benefit the most from the accompaniments. But that's just me.

Anyway, as for the food, it was good (I also tried the drunken noodles). They brought you soup and an spring roll to start. The spring roll was really crispy which is how I really like my spring rolls. The soup was sort of nondescript. Since I generally don't like sweet sauces in which to dip my spring roll (or anything else) I used the soup to dip in. It was pretty good. The entrees came with steamed rice (except the drunken noodles) and my entree was also pretty good. It wasn't amazing and the chicken was a little overcooked I thought. The sauce sort of had that eggy consistency to it that a lot of Asian restaurant meals have. None of it was super flavorful, but I probably should have gotten it spicier (oh yeah, that was yet another choice. Once you picked your entree, you chose between mild, medium, spicy and Thai hot). By that time I was overwhelmed and just said "mild" which may have been a mistake.

The service was quite nice and at one point when we ordered a second glass of wine, the manager?/owner? came to our table, opened the bottle and let us taste it, even when we only ordered a glass. Also, one of the other big benefits of this place is the cost. Dinners were only around $10, and they included the spring roll and soup (or Thai salad). All in all, for an Asian-type meal, Shanghai Lil's is still my fave, but it is significantly more expensive, so there you go.

1222 West 86th Street
Indy 46260
317-844-9451

Best Chinese in town

*****NOTE: SHANGHAI LIL IS CLOSED****

I am so lucky. I live near one of the best (in my opinion) breakfast places in town (see review of Sunrise below) and one of the best Chinese (that serves dim sum which is one of my all time favorite things).

For those of you not in the know, dim sum is a Chinese lunch time meal of small plates of various things. Things like (steamed) shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, and many other kinds of dumplings, shu mai, spring rolls, shrimp rolls, duck, onion pancakes, chicken feet and on and on. There are probably 40 things on the menu. You are supposed to drink tea with it although you can pretty much get anything you want to drink.

Oh wait, I guess I better tell you what restaurant I am talking about. Shanghai Lil's is the restaurant. It is located across 82nd street from the main entrance to the Fashion Mall. (Conveniently close to Sunrise). One of the things I was really worried about missing was dim sum when we moved here from San Fran. But luckily, shortly after arriving, we discovered this place, which was serving dim sum on the weekends at the time. It has since expanded to serving it every day for lunch. It is getting more and more popular each time we go which makes me very happy (although you still don't have to wait for a table). They cook it to order, which is unusual to someone used to the huge dim sum places in S.F. and Oakland, where they follow the traditional method of rolling carts around with various things on them for you to choose from. But hey, at least you know it is warm and fresh.

We also recently went for dinner and were very happy with that as well. Several people had highly recommended the basil chicken to me so we decided to try it (be sure and ask even if you don't see it on your menu, as I had one that had been misprinted and that item had been cut off!). It is so worth it! Delicious. Seriously. We also had a lamb dish which was good, but nowhere near as good as the chicken. We also had dumplings in hot chili oil that are amazing as well. Hubby likes crab puffs (their version of crab Rangoon) which generally isn't my fave but was done very well.

Sometimes, particularly at lunch, I find the service a bit gruff, but who cares really when the dumplings are this good?

They also have a full Japanese menu with sushi and all--haven't ventured there, but I did eat at the sister restaurant, Mikado, downtown, and it was quite good. It is a more Japanese focus.

My advice, skip the huge lines and noise at the massive chain Chinese across the road, and hit Shanghai Lil's. You won't be disappointed.

Shanghai Lil's
317/205-9335
http://www.shanghai-lil.com/