Shanghai Lee

Best Chinese in Greenpoint!!

This is the best chinese food i have had for years. i go there 2 times a week and they have pretty fast service and have really good food and they are high quality too!

Amazing. Probably the best and freshest Chinese food I've ever had in this neighborhood. We eat at this place once a week. They're a little slow, but that's because they have so many take out orders. Overall 5 stars for value, taste and quality.

The menupages reviewers made this place out to be the best Chinese in the neighborhood, so it seemed obvious to try it. I wasn't expecting the best meal ever, just something nicer than the greasy joint two blocks away from my apartment. This review is based on my one visit around 3:00pm on a Saturday.

I ordered the Chicken with Chinese Broccoli Lunch Special (with a Spring Roll and Wonton Soup), plus an order of Shumai. The total was a little under $12 -more than other places in the neighborhood, but not extravagant (I think the chicken special alone was around $7 w/ tax included).

The spring roll was the smallest I have ever seen. I looked back in the bag to be sure there wasn't another one in there. The flavor and texture was ok, but the small size made the taste of celery a little overwhelming. Odd to say this, but that was a very unbalanced spring roll.

The soup was equally disappointing. It contained a grand total of 2 wontons. That's right: 2 measly wontons. They tasted pretty good, but whoever dressed the soup did something wrong; the herbs were wilted tasteless. I assumed that it was supposed to have scallions, but it tasted more like parsley and cilantro. Again, they were so bland that I couldn't even say for sure. Very disappointing.

I opened up the shumai, and low and behold: 6 pieces! Yay! These were tasty, exactly what I would expect (although a little more seasoning wouldn't have hurt the filling).

On to the main course: The chicken and Chinese broccoli was enough to let me know I wouldn't be going back here again. The chicken was a little overcooked (although surprisingly moist from the sauce) and under seasoned. Likewise the broccoli had virtually no seasoning (not ginger, not garlic, not even salt!). The brown sauce had a strangely floral taste to it and was very reminiscent of Chinese dinners from the frozen aisle.

Overall: I had high hopes that this spot would elevate the level of Chinese cuisine in Greenpoint. Unfortunately the higher prices, professional atmosphere, and nicer presentation does not make up for the lack of basic culinary skills. I'll just opt for the closest spot next time.