Authentic taste of street food from Shanghai at this little spot in Quincy

QUINCY – Jessica Ye said her mother, Conny Yao, always wanted to open her own restaurant after decades of working in the food industry.

"She always worked for someone else instead of having her own place," Ye said. "My mother has worked hospitality both here and in China, and knows how to run a kitchen."

So after her mother returned from a long visit to China, Ye said they decided to take on the challenge of opening a Shanghainese restaurant. Ye left her career as an accountant and dove into owning a business.

They heard there was a space available inside Kam Man grocery store on Quincy Avenue, and the store's manager is originally from Shanghai. The space is small with a few tables for customers.

Six months ago, the mother-daughter duo opened Shanghai Soup Dumplings. The restaurant specializes in Shanghai street food, which Ye said is usually served for breakfast or lunch.

The staple of the menu includes hand-crafted Xiao Long Bao, otherwise known as soup dumplings – rice-noodle dumplings filled with steaming, savory soup. On a busy day, Ye said they serve up to 80 orders of soup dumplings.

Ye said the food has been a big hit, largely because it's authentic. All of the dough is made from scratch, and customers can see the process from start to finish as Ye and Yao churn out dumplings and wontons.

"Americans travel a lot and they know what real Chinese food looks and tastes like," she said. "China is so big with so much variety."

Another popular item is Shanghai wonton soup, which has handmade pork wontons in a soup broth with pickle, scallion, seaweed and dried shrimp flakes and seasonings.

Ye said people travel from as far as Rhode Island because good Shanghainese food is difficult to find.

"You don't see a lot of Shanghainese specific street food, so we're doing something different," she said.

During their first month open, Ye said a customer asked if they were interested in opening a franchise, or at least a second location.

While flattered, Ye said it's "too soon to think about that."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Jessica Ye and mother Conny Yao open Shanghai Soup Dumplings in Quincy