Some comebacks get teaser campaigns and influencer previews.
This one got a packed dining room with zero social media buzz.
Jasmine Flower, the Shanghainese restaurant that spent eight years on Granville Street before shutting down in 2024, quietly reopened in Richmond back in May.
Yes, May.
This is a late report, but we did dine here twice already.
The new home is in the plaza at 4200 No. 3 Road beside Aberdeen Square, sharing an address with Master Rice Roll and Nong Geng Ji.
The unit itself belonged to a short-lived noodle spot before this.
After the Granville closure, the team spent over a year hunting for a new location before landing here.
Inside, the vibe is simple but clean, with room for around 20 people.
When I went anonymously twice (late May and mid June) – both times on a weekday evening – it was ACTUALLY packed, with a 20 minute wait for a table.
Locals seemed to have just discovered it themselves, as there was no major marketing push.
The menu runs through all the common Shanghai items, from xiao long bao at $10.95 to lion’s head meatballs, scallion oil noodles, and yan du xian soup.
There is a proper cold dish section too, with drunken chicken, smoked fish, and malan head salad, and most plates outside the big share items sit under $20.
We ordered a spread, and most of the items landed.
The squirrel fish at $36.95 is genuinely massive, a whole fried fish scored into a lattice, fanned out, and drenched in sweet and sour sauce.
This version leans slightly more sour than the one at JiangNan Wok, the award-winning Richmond spot famous for its squirrel fish, and it comes topped with shrimp and extra pineapple over the crackly cut.
Split it between three or four people and it anchors the whole table.
The xiao long bao are made fresh to order and arrive piping hot, with the broth inside steamy enough that you need to let them sit a minute before the first bite.
Then there is the zhangcha smoked duck, a half bird for $29.95 and the most polarizing thing we tried.
Every bite carries an intense hit of smoke and salt.
If that profile is not your thing, skip it. We loved it, and it is a quintessential Sichuan dish.
It also comes with tiny clam-shaped steamed buns on the side, gua bao style, ready to be stuffed with duck.
Because we went when they were still rather new, the wait times might have eased.
But Jasmine Flower had positive reviews from both family and friends that we went with.
Jasmine Flower joins the list of summer openings in Richmond like Dimsum Caddy, Jing Noodle House, and Chuan Noodle.
Google decides which local food news you see. Tell it you want Noms
One tap adds Noms Magazine as a preferred source. No signup, no email.
Address: 4200 No. 3 Rd, Richmond, BC
Google decides which local food news you see. Tell it you want Noms
One tap adds Noms Magazine as a preferred source. No signup, no email.