By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

Starting things off, we got the Xiao Long Bao, which was pretty good. At first glance, the skin didn't look very thin, but it ate well-being al dente while still tender. Bursting with soup, the meat filling was tender and had a hint of ginger (could've used more xiaoshing wine). Sporting an equally bouncy meat filling, the Pan-Fried Pork Buns were somewhat juicy. I enjoyed the relatively thin exterior bun.

Although the Smoked Duck appeared to be dry and chewy, it was actually wasn't. The skin was fairly well-rendered and crispy with only a few fatty portions. Both the dark and breast meat were moist with some smokiness, but it wasn't as strong as I would've liked. On the other hand, the meat was salty enough. The accompanying buns were fairly soft and complimented the duck.

The Shredded Chicken and Mung Bean Noodle Salad was quite textbook with chewy noodles, tender chicken and crunchy julienned cucumber. There was enough sweet and salty peanut sauce to coat everything.

One of the best-tasting dishes was the Pork Ribs with Black Vinegar Sauce. It sported a classic sweet tanginess with the depth of black vinegar. It was well-balanced and highly addictive. The ribs were tender enough with a meaty chewiness. Despite the batter being too thick, it was still crunchy.

Overall, the food was more than acceptable at Yuan's and frankly, I do not understand all of the bad reviews. Yes, it is on the pricier side, but it isn't any more than Shanghai River.

Yuan's Shanghai Serendipity Cuisine

180-4260 No 3 Road, Richmond, BC

The Good:

• Fairly solid eats

• Nice dining space

• Decent service

The Bad:

• As mentioned, on the pricier side

• That parking lot sucks

Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.