386022 Wed Mar 28 15:29:57 -0700 2007 11 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2430138 Every time we go there, I swear I'll never let us do it again. But my big kid likes their salt-and-pepper squid, and sometimes we stay late at the library and it's just too far to stroll all the way to Durant to the Shanghai restaurant, and one thing leads to another, and we end up at Shen Hua. It has only gotten worse in the four years we've lived in Berkeley, but the waiters like our kids and serve them free Shirley Temples. I just can't stand the place, and it's not for lack of trying. Maybe somebody on this board can lead me in the direction of a dish there that I won't find just awful. And in the meantime, let me warn you against the following: Chinese Shrimp Dumplings: dry lump of filling in these Pot Stickers: Greasy and thick-skinned and taste like they've been sitting around Hot & Sour Soup: Very, very thick Mu Shu: this is one of the most palatable dishes they serve, except when it's 75% overcooked scrambled eggs Shen Hua Beef: No flavor, way over-tenderized Hunan Lamb: not good Spicy Garlic Eggplant: Gloppy and sweet Spinach and Mung Bean Thread: watery Snow Pea Sprouts and Garlic: woody Soft Tofu & Broccoli: no flavor, but at least no bad flavor Andy's Chicken: I can't remember the nature of its badness Garlic Chicken: Harshly salty-sweet, over-tenderized meat Roasted Chicken with Ginger Mist: dry Gwai Wer Noodles: nearly-raw zucchini and more of that gloppy salt-and-sugar sauce ...all of which I would find forgivable if this was a rice-plate dive, but we're paying $9 and up for these plates of food which are ending up in a box in front of the 7-11 for the homeless to pick up. Has anybody had better luck? Wed Mar 28 15:29:57 -0700 2007 10331 heidipie 1 2430160 Man, I loved Shen Hua when it opened, but it's gotten worse and worse over the years, hasn't it? Now I just get sad when I drive by. However, I have had good luck with one of their soups, I forget what it's called but it's spicy with noodles (it might be on the noodle part of the menu, but it's definitely a soup, with seafood) and it's great when I'm sick. Wed Mar 28 15:39:31 -0700 2007 2430138 13525 JasmineG 1 2430207 Well we sometimes go because the kids like the wonton and chow fun but they have never gotten free Shirley Temples. I like to order the shrimp with snow peas--I think it's a very nice example of the dish. Other than that, the other stuff I've tried is nothing to write home about. We were actually there on Saturday and I got the kids ice cream afterwards at Ici, which was hopping. I'm not a huge ice cream fan, so I passed. It did make me fondly remember the bittersweet chocolate orange sorbet at Vivolis a long time ago... Wed Mar 28 15:54:24 -0700 2007 2430138 13962 Cheesy Oysters 2 2433489 The waiter with the bleached-blond hair has been very solicitous of my kids ever since the older one took a taste of their chili oil, threw up in the bathroom, and then returned to the table and finished her meal without complaint. Thu Mar 29 15:37:44 -0700 2007 2430207 10331 heidipie 1 2430284 While I have been burned by many dishes at Shen Hua before, I have to disagree with you on the Andy's Chicken, which is pretty much the only dish we order at Shen Hua (their Mu Shu is good, too). Andy's Chicken is white mean chicken served in a fermented black bean sauce. My boyfriend and I like Andy's Chicken so much that now that we live in San Jose and we have those once in awhile weekends where we get to go to one of our beloved Berkeley institutions for a meal, we often pick Shen Hua for lunch for two orders of Andy's Chicken (and I'll have you know it's up against some steep competition). Wed Mar 28 16:12:40 -0700 2007 2430138 10992 katya 2 2430735 Is the Andy's Chicken there better than the one at Kirin? (Kirin is Shen Hua's sister restaurant) Because I find it kind of bland at Kirin. To answer the question below, Shen Hua is in Elmwood. Wed Mar 28 20:27:34 -0700 2007 2430284 10246 choctastic 3 2433123 I've never been to Kirin, so I wouldn't be able to judge. Still can't believe people don't like the Andy's Chicken on this board. Everyone I've gone with to Shen Hua has loved it. Thu Mar 29 14:01:58 -0700 2007 2430735 10992 katya 1 2430630 Where is Shen Hua? Wed Mar 28 17:59:35 -0700 2007 2430138 25012 chemchef 2 2431641 In Berkeley, Elmwood district, on College just north of Ashby. Kirin on Solano and Ching Hua in the Alameda Marketplace are more or less the same. Thu Mar 29 07:56:31 -0700 2007 2430630 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 2430854 I don't like Shen Hua either. I think the food is terrible for the price they're charging. I had Andy's Chicken and it was awful. I took one bite and I didn't have another. The chicken tasted bland almost gamey and the sauce tasted like it had been thrown on afterward instead of woked with the meal. The only dish I ate was vegetable chow mein and even it was nothing special. Wed Mar 28 21:01:52 -0700 2007 2430138 35524 rightstar 2 2430898 okay then the andy's chicken is exactly like kirin's then... Wed Mar 28 21:18:07 -0700 2007 2430854 10246 choctastic 1 2431186 Have you tried King Yen on College? I love this place. They have regular prawn dishes but also more expensive, BIG prawns and that's what I go for -- garlic prawns, about $12 but I have not had a better prawn dish around here. I live in SF and dislike the drive to Berkeley but if I lived there I'd eat at this place all the time. Thu Mar 29 00:31:40 -0700 2007 2430138 12520 walker