Shanghai Club
One of the oldest restaurants in the Anthem area is still serving up Asian feasts. Located across the street from the large community park, they are serving Lunch and Dinner everyday. Shanghai Club offers daily lunch specials until 3pm, excluding holidays. They have a large open dining room and a robust take out business. I was able to go with a great family that I have known for over a decade and we sat down over a family style setting of delicious Chinese fare.
While there were a lot of appetizing starter items available, we knew that there would be so much food moving around the table with the entrees that we decided to bypass those options and head straight for main dishes. The first item was a large bowl of Hot & Sour Soup ($7.95). This is labeled on the menu for two people to share, but they must mean four, as the bowl was big enough to swim in. We were very able to dive head first into the bowl of this amazing soup. The rich flavored broth cascades over your taste buds with each spoonful. It is chuck full of tasty other ingredients, such as diced scallions, julienned carrots, bits of tofu, noodles, and to top it all off, shrimp. This is a great soup to share with the table, but you may regret sharing it once you get your first taste. You may want it all to yourself.
The next item was the Thai Fried Rice ($9.75). This is a large over flowing plate of fried rice that has Shrimp, Chicken, Pineapple, and Cashew nuts all tossed together. You have your choice of Brown sauce or spicy curry powder when ordering, but if you don’t specifically ask you will get the milder Brown sauce by default as we did. This is the king of all Fried Rice dishes. There is plenty of Shrimp and Chicken to go around in this dish, so you don’t have to eye it carefully as other people are scooping out a portion ahead of you. The added sweetness of the pineapple and the crunch of the cashew rounds out the dish perfectly. Just be careful trying to pick up the massive plate to pass around the table.
The next dish was Teriyaki Chicken ($11.75). All the other dishes come with steamed White rice or you can upgrade to Brown rice for an additional charge ($1.00). We decided to all have the White rice, so it came in a large rice bowl for sharing. You get two breasts of white meat chicken that has been grilled and then tossed in a delicious and slightly sweet sauce. Then the dish is finished off with a spattering of sesame seeds. If you are a fan of Teriyaki sauce, I recommend this dish. It is not overly sweet or sticky and the charred flavoring blends well with the sauce.
Then came the Shrimp Lobster Sauce ($13.95). This dish consists of stir-fried shrimp that is cooked with bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, and a fluffed egg that is all finished off in their lobster sauce. The dish sauce is translucent and clings to all the other ingredients, so that you can enjoy the taste continually through out the dish. It has a rich flavor, so be prepared that it is not as light as it may appear.
The final entrée that the table enjoyed was an order of Sesame Chicken ($10.75). This consists of all white meat chicken pieces that are deep-fried and then quickly cooked in the wok with a flavorful Sesame sauce. It then is sprinkled with toasted Sesame seeds to finish off the dish. Another very large serving and can easily feed two or more. The flavor was sweet and the sauce clung to the chicken pieces in a sticky manner. This is also one of the most popular dishes that is ordered in the restaurant.
With the four entrees and the one humongous soup, all the food easily fed seven people. There was plenty to sample and share amongst the entire table. There are a few sections in the restaurant that cater to larger groups like the one we had, but I called to make a table reservation due to it being a Friday evening. The service was friendly, but a tad slow on drink refills, so you may want to nurse your beverages or order a glass of water with any other beverage that you desire. So whether you are with a large group or solo, you should stop in and try some of their great dishes. If Anthem seems far to you, remember it is closer that Shanghai.
Location and Website – 3434 W Anthem Way # 166, Anthem, AZ 85086, http://www.shanghaiclubaz.com