Thanks for the unbiased comments. My father and grand father were from Shanghai. In the 1960s they settled in Hong Kong. I was 6 then. Naturally there were many occasions where they went to restaurants serving Shanghai cuisine. My favorites, the memories were back 50 some years ago, I left Hong Kong in 1971 to go school in the U.S., were the eels, shrimps, the house special fish, etc. Never quite found a restaurant serving Shanghai cuisine in the New York area that could rival those I savored in Hong Kong. Or maybe because those were the good old days so the memories are sweeter than what they really were, and so was the taste of the dishes..
We've been to this restaurant once more than ten years ago and also ordered similar dishes. Our impression can't be more different. The crab sauce noodle was surely a winner and all other dishes were perfect. Sad to hear that they did not manage to maintain the standard.
Appreciated your candid critique. Such a difference between the lofty reputation and the food they served. What a shame. As for stinking washrooms? That's where I draw the red line. That's a total insult to patrons especially charging the sky high prices. I am so sorry for the disappointing evening you and your family had. Hope they can spare $40 for cleaning supplies and start with scrubbing the toilets.