Shangpaign Kitchen @ Sunnybank, Brisbane

The joy of having a car, even if it was a short while was bliss. In a funny sequence of events, we were left with a friend's car for a good two weeks since he had relocated from Perth and had to park one of his cars some where. At the same time, our neighbour had decided not to rent our car park space, so talk about great timing!


So one Friday, as with our other days when we decided that we just can't be bothered with cooking, we decided to venture out for dinner. Turns out it almost became a nightmare with the original plan to visit Market Square at Sunnybank. It seemed that the whole Asian community had decided to come upon the area to eat and it was a good 15 minutes of turning left and right trying to find a car park spot before we bailed on the area. 


Further down from Sunnybank, we chanced upon Shangpaign Kitchen; well I knew of its existence from reading online reviews. Fortunately situated at Centro Pineland, there was a lot more parking.


After being seated down, we ordered and waited with anticipation.

The metal containers and the lack of ginger slices to be seen lack appeal. However, credit given to where it is due, the xiao long bao was decent after not having a decent version for months. Every dumpling had soup and the filling was quite tasty.

A Shanghainese carbohydrate dish came in the form of nen goh or nian gao, depending whether you speak Cantonese or Mandarin. The simple stir fry with some minced meat was sweet but to have it alone especially in such a huge portion, it got rather repetitive after a while. Best to share with a few mates.

A balanced meal should have a protein too and after much deliberation, the Wife decided on some salt and pepper ribs. The thick batter tasted more like the famous taiwanese chicken chop, if only they served beer to go with this.

Here lies the problem with eating with the Wife and weight gaining. With the Wife putting on weight, she is eating less than usual, which means I am eating more than usual. Already as the above portions are more than enough for 2 people, the conclusion, now I know why I am growing and growing fast!

All in all, a good place to eat something slightly different, I read a lot about the fried pork buns, can't wait to give it a try!

Address and contact details:

Verdict: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. While I can probably get better in Malaysia, beggars can't be choosers and this is a great place for some shanghai loving (till I find another place).