Shanghai Mama’s food review.
I was in desperate need of some comfort food yesterday. I took a walk down to 6th street in search of lunch at Shanghai Mama’s. When I lived downtown, I used to come here all the time and I loved how they’re open on the late night. This is one of those places where at the right time, say 3 am on a Friday, you can see the best of Cincinnati all crammed into a small restaurant, coexisting. Most importantly, it is a place that offers up a huge bowl of goodness.
When I arrived, the lunch rush was over which suited me fine. I sat at the bar, and although I was really tempted to get a glass of wine, I resisted. Come to think of it, the lady never offered me anything to drink. LOL! I was so stressed I didn’t even think about it. I ordered the cashew chicken lunch special and added extra vegetables (so I could assuage the guilt of not eating a salad for lunch). It came to $7.40, and I really enjoyed having carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, bean sprouts & baby corn alongside the usual Chinese cabbage. It came out maybe 5 minutes after I ordered and was literally piping hot. But I’m a pro, so I know to move the food around to allow the heat out. Man oh man, it was so amazing! I literally can’t even express how amazing it made me feel. It’s really crazy how good food can improve your mood. The folks must have sensed my distress when I came in b/c they pretty much left me alone for the 40 minutes I was there and having that quiet time was very therapeutic. I left a better version of myself and prepared to tackle the rest of my day!
The lowdown: the service was pretty bad, so I’d give it a D. It’s never been that way, and I was a bit surprised. Then again, I wouldn’t have cared if someone tripped me on the way in, I simply wanted my face in a bowl of hot delicious food in .2 seconds: and I got it. The food was an A+ for being exactly what I needed. Despite the service, this still remains one of my favorite restaurants in the Nati.
