New Chinese Tapas Bar Makes Soft Landing on Rosecrans

Several readers noticed that Shanghai Bun is softly up and running in Point Loma. Dubbed a Chinese tapas bar, the restaurant replaces longtime local watering hole Westy’s Bar & Grill. Its new proprietor, Nancy Qu, has refreshed the space, which has TVs throughout and a full bar. Qu, who was born in China and is a first time restaurateur, told the San Diego Community News Group that she’s aiming for the eatery to be a blend of “old meets new with a refreshing look for today's tastes.”

Shanghai Bun will eventually be open for lunch, but is sticking to dinner service during its soft opening phase. Eater got a look at the menu, which features small plates that you might find on a dim sum cart, from pork and shrimp shu mai and fluffy barbecued pork buns to lotus leaf-wrapped chicken and sticky rice. There are Shanghai’s signature soup buns, called xiao long bao, and sheng jian bao, traditional crispy-bottomed meat buns, and the kitchen is also making dumplings in-house, including potstickers with a pork and cabbage filling. Other tapas-sized dishes include braised pork belly sliders and crispy chicken wings. Entrees stick mainly to the familiar Chinese-American classics ranging from kung pao chicken and broccoli beef to fried rice and beef chow fun noodles, but there’s also Szechuan fried tofu in hot chile sauce, pork stewed with Chinese dates and lychee, and dry-fried green beans with Chinese pickles. The Rosecrans Street restaurant will also offer a 3 to 6 p.m. weekday happy hour, with $5 draft beer and wine, $6 cocktails of the day and 20 percent off select dishes.