Tri Dim Shanghai

Tri Dim Shanghai Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: There’s no lack of soup dumpling restaurants in Manhattan and Queens, but there isn’t a Shanghainese spot on the Upper East Side that makes them its showpiece. Shanghainese cuisine, better known for its noodles in the U.S., is presented at Tri Dim Shanghai closer to its Chinese roots with a menu that not only shows off noodles but also presents a multi-page list of Szechuan protein and vegetarian favorites.

Food: If you come here, however, you’d be breaking a golden rule if you didn’t order the soup dumplings, which come in a crab and pork version. Waitstaff will patiently explain the correct methodology for ingesting these magical bites filled with liquid “soup.” Soup dumplings are part of an extensive dim sum menu with a variety of dumplings from Shanghai and other parts of China. Tri Dim Shanghai pushes the boundaries of the many pedestrian Chinese venues in the city that cater to the takeout and delivery crowd. Here, instead, you’ll also find Peking duck rolls; lion’s head casserole of pork meatballs and cabbage; and Beggar’s Chicken, a Hangzhou delicacy of chicken marinated in spices, stuffed, wrapped in lotus leaves and clay, and then roasted for hours --- you must order this one day ahead, just as you do in China. A spicy Szechuan option, the amusingly named “Ants Climb on Tree” is marinated minced pork, stir-fried with glass noodles in a spicy garlic sauce. Even spicier, “Amazing Chicken” fires up chicken sautéed with snow peas and pepper with a special four-alarm sauce. Expect a small selection of beer and saké. Come alone or as part of a group; both small and large tables accommodate everyone.