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This review was contributed by guest reviewer Lyndsey Minett.
Despite its location on the extremely busy Hoole Road, the Shanghai is an oasis of calm. A recent refurb has seen the 'traditional Chinese restaurant' look (dragons, red and gold tassels, etc) replaced with a 'modern oriental' theme, with lots of wood, plum walls and the odd arty piece. As you step in there is a seated waiting area-cum-bar where you'll be placed if you've been silly enough not to book. The very friendly staff will get you a drink while you sit and listen to your stomach rumble. The eating areas are on two floors with smokers having to climb the stairs (well we need the exercise!) to enjoy their tobacco between courses.
There is a good drinks menu, something for everyone including a couple of Chinese beers. We were unadventurous and had the house Chardonnay, which was better than we expected for a house bottle. As with most Chinese restaurants, the food menu is quite extensive and a lot of the 'usual suspects' crop up but the Shanghai throws in plenty of surprises such as sea bass and lobster (to be ordered 24 hours ahead, one day I will try this!).
There is a satisfying array of starters but I must admit that I go for the same one every time - mashed prawn in Chinese croissant with mayonnaise sauce. These little mashed prawn balls come with a sweet yet unsickly sauce that I could eat by the vat full. If I ever were to stray from the above temptation, then I would have the mussels with ginger and spring onion - huge, fat, juicy and very tasty. Other dishes sampled by my folks on our visit were huge battered whole king prawns - nice but very hot inside (although not quite Maccie D apple pie hot) - and yummy prawn rolls (can you see the family seafood fetish yet?), but there were only three of them and not very fat and came with the unidentifiable orange dipping sauce typical of Chineses.
The Shanghai excels at seafood dishes and its chef's specials of various sizzling platters, so I combined the two and had sizzling king scallops in sea spice sauce with assorted strips of veg, accompanied by slightly crispy thin noodles with beansprouts. While the sauce was neither here nor there, the scallops made up for any blandness by being large and very succulent - the best I've ever had. Mum enjoyed a perfectly fine king prawn chow mein, while the bloke stuck to his usual fave of duck - this time crisped, in plum sauce and not at all greasy or fatty. For a bit of spice, I'd recommend my dad's sizzling platter of beef in Szechuan garlic sauce, which I have tried myself since - fiery yet surprisingly flavoursome.
A meal for four with drinks cost around £85, which I believe is entirely reasonable for a meal out (you just have to get the thought of takeaway prices out of your head as there is no comparison taste-wise). The Shanghai's food is complemented by its 'buzzy' atmosphere (not too loud though) and its great staff, who are always happy and welcoming, professional yet unstuffy. I used to wish they had continued their (brief) takeaway service for when we're too lazy to walk up the road, but now I like to go for the whole experience. The best Chinese in Chester by far!
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