Lynn's Shanghai Restaurant - Sydney

We went to Lynn's Shanghainese Restaurant one evening and we really really wanted their Peking Duck special (only $28.80 on Mondays and Fridays). Unfortunately, for the two of us, there was absolutely no way we could eat a WHOLE DUCK and a main dish (which is their criteria for the special). And so, we had to settle for the other yummy sounding dishes on the menu.

We ordered a crispy smoked fish ($9.80) as I was really missing the Shang-style 'fun yue' that my uncle (which is Shanghainese) used to make for me. Unfortunately for me, this smoked fish offered something completely different to my uncle's version. This was crispy skinned fish with a thick sweet sauce. It was OK... but I still miss my uncle's type.

Crispy smoked fish - $9.80

 We also ordered a braised pork in soy sauce hot pot ($19.80). The pork belly was tender and the sauce was sweet and quite nice. I quite liked the egg in the hot pot too. However, I must admit, the picture made it look more awesome than it really was.

 Braised pork in soy sauce hot pot - $19.80

I don't know why I do this. I get disappointed every time I order steamed vegetable dumplings ($7.80) and yet, every time I see it on the menu, I really want to order it. Alas, I again fell for the trap - ordered it, and was disappointed.

steamed vegetable dumplings - $7.80

A bit better than the steamed vege dumplings was the Shanghai steamed crab meat and pork bun ($11.80). The dumpling pastry was paper thin yet was elasticy enough to not rip when touched with chopsticks. The pork was tasty but the hint of crab meat was really subtle - almost undetectable. Can't compare this with dumplings from overseas, but for Sydney standards, I guess it's not bad.

So whilst I was super excited about trying out Lynn's, I was a bit disappointed. The service was crazily slow - close to impossible to flag down a waitress - and the food was average. May come back for the peking duck special...maybe.

Ratings:
Food - 6.5/10
Service - 5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 6.5/10
Overall - 25/40

Lynn's Shanghai Restaurant
199 Castlereagh Street
NSW 2000
Tel: (02) 9267 7780