New Shanghai | Chatswood Chase

Sydney’s most authentic Chinese restaurant, New Shanghai is set to launch their latest wine list and we were invited by ID Collective to an exclusive media and blogger launch with special guest and wine expert, Glenn Caldwell. The evening was intimate in a small cozy room which provided us with plenty of opportunities to speak with Glenn and learn interesting facts about wine.We actually learnt that the best place to swirl your wine glass is to hold it closest to the bottom! (unfortunately we made a mess because we are such novices).




We sampled three white wines and three red wines accompanied with Chinese delicacies. We have listed all the pairings in the post, so please refer to each canopy for reference.
The following wines will be available on New Shanghai's new wine list. 

Sparkling

White wine list

Red wine list



We started off with Sparkling (our favourite for the night) to cleanse our pallette. It was light and sweet. Perfect way to start the night!


Xiao Long Bao - Steamed Pork Dumplings
Paired with Veuve Tailhan Blanc de Blanc Loire Valley, FR

I love Xiao Long Baos... I can literally eat 10 and still want more. It's dangerously small, juicy and damn addictive. I love the soup that bursts out in your mouth as well. Perfect for a cold evening.
You get the best of both worlds with these little gems!



Salt and Pepper Prawns
Paired with Ad Hoc Riesling Mt Barker,WA

Jumping out with heaps of flavours is the salt and pepper prawns. The prawn was crunchy in texture so even Matt enjoyed it. This dish was tasty and was packed with chilli. Surprisingly the burn of the chilli really did work well with the wine pairing. It is difficult to point out exactly why, but it really felt as though you were trying the dish for the first time, after each bite followed by a sip.

Pork Belly Steamed Buns
Paired with Ara Single Estate Pinot Gris Marlborough, NZ

When these came out, there were two per bamboo steamer and we automatically thought one steamer per couple. Until we were told it was one steamer per person. WOW! Our bellies were satisfied alright. The pork belly was melting in my mouth. The buns were so fresh and hot, hot, HOT! Most of the bloggers were burning their hands for the perfect shot. This was also one of our favourite white wines, it was easy to drink and because of it's crisp taste, it complimented the heaviness of the pork buns.


Crispy Skin Chicken
Paired with Oakridge Chardonnay Yarra Valley, VIC

Oh geez, when a title claims to be crispy, they set the expectation already and yet most places don't deliver. New Shanghai got it right with this one... THE SKIN WAS SO THIN AND CRISPY. The chardonnay was very sweet and it almost made you feel like you were on a cruise ship sailing somewhere tropical when matched with that chicken! 



Steam Bun with Fragrant Crispy Duck
Paired with Devils Staircase Pinot Noir Central Otago, NZ

The duck was fragrant and flavoursome. It was perfectly cooked and the skin was crispy. One little criticism here is that there was too much bun and not enough chicken! We (like most around us) decided to fore-go a large part of our bun to enjoy it. This was also our first red wine of the night. Unfortunately red wines are a bit too strong in taste for both our liking. In saying that, it was a well balanced red that was easy to drink. Still not our preferred drink, but its nothing compared to the next drink...


Rainbow Beef - Sweet and Sour Crispy Beef
Paired with Pocketwatch Cabernet Sauvignon Central Ranges, NSW

Christine's favourite for the night. This dish was devilishly delicious, it left your hands sticky and messy but it's soooo worth it! The beef was definitely crispy and we were eating these like french fries! You would normally see this dish as 'sweet and sour pork' but I think the beef worked well.
Unfortunately the wine didn't really do it for us. One sip was enough as it was overly strong in both smell and taste. Others seemed to be enjoying it so it might just be our lack of experience with Red Wines showing.

Crispy Garlic Pork Ribs
Paired with Taltarni T Shiraz Pyrenees, VIC

When anything has garlic, you know it will fill the room up. Before we saw this dish coming out, I said "I smell something nice" These were finger licking good as well. The only criticism was the crunch. Unfortunately the ball was dropped on this dish as they got everything else perfectly crisp throughout the night. The taste was definitely there though! and c'mon... who doesn't love them self a good finger lickin' set of ribs?

The Shiraz was also a winner. It was by far the best red wine that we tasted on the night. 
The perfect way to end the night!





Once again, a big shout out to ID Collective and New Shanghai for the invite. While it was a standing event the whole night, the food was amazing, the company was great and your hospitality was even better. Thank you for the experience! We thoroughly enjoyed it as you can tell :)

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