"Queens natives and childhood friends David Kong and Jim Nguyen opened the first location of The Bund in Forest Hills in 2016 to give the neighborhood a destination for quality Shanghainese food. In 2019, they opened a second location in Astoria. And at both spots, you can choose from three options for Shanghainese wontons, or just do the smart thing and try them all. The Shanghai jumbo wontons are filled with pork and leeks, with a delicate and lightly-salted broth. The mini pork wontons have a paste-like filling and come with an herbal chicken broth. And the third option with chicken and zucchini instead of pork is less traditional, but perfect for anyone who’d like a slight crunch with each soupy bite. Food Rundown Peking Duck Bao While this is a Northern-style dish rather than a Shanghainese one, The Bund’s version still has the fluffy bao and juicy, thin-skinned duck that makes it so satisfying. There are two buns per order, and we recommend dousing the duck and scallions with the hoisin-based sauce. Pancake with Beef Brisket This is a giant rolled up pancake that’s as flaky as phyllo, stuffed with tender beef brisket. It’s meant to be shared, but the portion is big enough to be a full meal for one. Crab Pork Soup Dumplings Soup dumplings are almost a requisite order at any good Shanghainese restaurant. The dough is slightly thick on these ones, but they still hit the spot. We have a slight preference for the crab and pork version over the plain pork xiao long bao, but both are worth trying. Shanghainese Jumbo Wonton with Soup Skip the Sichuan wontons (not nearly spicy enough) and try these Shanghainese wontons instead. A house signature, these extra-large wontons are filled with pork and leeks, with a delicate and lightly-salted broth with egg strips and seaweed. Deep Fried Matcha Sesame Balls On the outside they look like traditional dim sum sesame balls, but on the inside these have an ample amount of matcha mixed into the bean paste. They’re deep-fried but not too oily and just sweet enough to balance out the matcha bitterness. Order these if you need an extra caffeine kick with your dessert." - Diana Kuan
