Shanghai Chinese
From the street, Shanghai Chinese looks like any modest Australian-Chinese restaurant: jade-green tiles, frosted windows and that westernised calligraphy font which has become the international sign for “yes, we have honey chicken”. Inside, it’s a soft-lit capsule of longevity symbols, floral wallpaper and red lanterns. An all-are-welcome timewarp of scalloped tablecloths, CorningWare plates and two stunning landscapes in lightboxes.
This is the oldest surviving Chinese restaurant in Bowral and all the greatest hits are played. The prawn toast tastes like prawn toast. The fried rice tastes like fried rice. The black vinegar pork ribs taste like a cinnamon doughnut. At the end of a long carte ranging from “$45 Banquet A” to “Banana Fritter”, there’s a small collection of dishes handwritten in Mandarin. Many items are listed elsewhere on the menu, but the page is a handy go-to for any Chinese tourists or expats less inclined to split a mixed entree and combination satay. The beef hor fun noodles from this section come out smoky, savoury and sweet, textured with the crunch of bean sprouts and spring onion.
Shandong chicken is a highlight, with vinegar-sharp skin and juicy-enough flesh under a foliage of coriander. Mapo tofu eats more like a Country Women’s casserole than anything from Sichuan, but it’s exactly what you want on a cold Bowral night.
Good to know: BYO corkage is $3 a person if you want to open any Southern Highlands cellar door finds.
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Last visited: 2025
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