Whenever I’m in deep Brooklyn, I make sure to stop by Liu’s Shanghai for family-style, Shanghainese food that always hits the spot. I took my Manhattan and Prospect Park friends here, and they were blown away by the deliciousness and comfortness by the food. It was defintitley worth the long Q train ride for them.

I ordered a wide variety of my favorite dishes for us to share. As each food item started coming in, we passed everything around and ate to our heart’s content. Each dish had its own complexity of flavors that remind me of how much I love Shanghainese food! 

My belly was warmed,and my palate was impressed by the combination of flavors from the Hot Sour Soup. Most places, especially fast take-out, the broth tends to look yellow and “cloudy” from the eggs, cooked in the soup. But notice the rich burgandy color of this broth – that’s exactly what the broth is supposed to look like. It also had a warm, comforting savoriness. The variety of sliced tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and lily buds were well-cooked and helped balance the spiciness from the dried chilis, enhanced by the white vinegar. 

The Soup Dumplings resembled a nice presentation of pretty flowers. I couldn’t help but notice the intricate folds of each dumpling – the labor and detail put into each one. Each bite of the juicy dumpling came with a burst of meat, veg and broth all at once in your mouth. 

To make room for more food, the trick is to eat greens, as my Grandma and Mom taught me. As simple as these Green Beans look, they were delicious! I grew up eating dishes like this so eating veggies was never an issue for me as a child. Most greens tend to be more greasy or oily. These green beans were sautéed with onions, garlic, dried chilis and soy sauce. This dish inspired me to make this at home. But it’s not exactly the same because of the dried chilis they used. 

Now for what my friends and I have been waiting for…The Fish Head Soup! I love that this soup doesn’t look like its name and doesn’t smell fishy. Yet it has the textures and tastes that you can’t get without the actual fish head. Then add the dried chilis, onions, potatoes, butter, cream and cilantro, and we have an incredible bowl of deliciousness! Pour this over a bowl of rice, and you won’t regret it. 

We ended our meal with Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls), sprinkled with  crushed nuts. These yummy treats have a wide variety of fillings. The filling in these treats in particular had a mixture of seasame paste. I liked the combination of salt, savory and nuttiness of this Tang Yuan. 

Liu’s Shanghai is my “Go-to” place for Shanghainese food and every time I’m in this part of the neighborhood in Brooklyn. I also love taking friends and family here who are new to authentic Chinese food, love Chinese food or want to try something new! 

For more information about Liu’s Shanghai or to check out their menu for these dishes and more, you can check out their Facebook page at https://m.facebook.com/liusshanghai/. 

Happy Eating!

All images and content © 2017 Carol Vu, unless otherwise indicated.