Chinese Shaxian Snacks on 2nd Road Near Soi 6

[Evil Penevil]

Based on a post by BM Saddic in another thread, I decided to try Chinese Shaxian Snacks last night.  It was an excellent tip- xie xie ni. 

Chinese Shaxian Snacks is a small restaurant on the east side of 2nd Road near Soi 6 that's been open a week.  The name can be a bit misleading as the word "snack" in Chinese (xiaochi, literally "small eats") encompasses  a lot more than potato chips and salted peanuts.  Chinese snacks are street food that has traditionally been sold by hawkers and vendors from carts or stalls on busy streets, often near markets or temples.

Shaxian refers to Sha county in Fujian province.  In the 1990s, local entrepreneurs began selling their county's specialties on the streets of larger cities. The "snacks" became hugely popular and an association was formed to market the Shaxian brand name.  The snacks themselves are  Chinese standards like dumplings and noodles as served in Sha county.  Today there are thousands of outlets for Shaxian Snacks across China and even some branches in foreign countries.  

The new Pattaya branch has four tables indoors and three outside.   It's cramped and basic with no A/C or fans. It was clean but messy, with no decorations. The exterior sign is its fanciest feature.  However, the food I've tried so far has been delicious. Last night I had the steamed dumplings:

and the beef brisket noodle soup:

One of the dumplings is missing in the pic, as I popped it in my mouth before I took out my camera.  Each dish cost 100 baht. The bowl of soup was huge.  The wheat noodles were fresh, but hadn't been made on-site.  The broth had a great taste, quite sophisticated for a Chinese restaurant in Pattaya.  Each table had a container of soy sauce, a bowl of chili paste and a squeeze bottle of chili oil. The condiment I lacked was vinegar.  I asked for it, but was told "mei you," the Chinese equivalent of "No hab."  They didn't have any sort of beverage on sale, not even water.

A couple of things to note: this is an authentic Chinese hole-in-the-wall place, more a glorified food stall than a sit-down restaurant. I believe it's mainly intended for take-away rather than in-house dining, just like in China.  The poor ventilation made it  warm inside and I was soon sweating, not really a meal-time experience I want.  If you sit outside, you're about six feet from the fumes and noise of 2nd Road, again an experience I don't want.

The menu is short, about a dozen dishes, with text in Chinese and English, but the English can be strange.  Who would guess that "Fried Cow River Powder Noodles" are actually  broad rice noodles with beef brisket?  Large and accurate pictures are the menu's saving grace; just point at what you want. Next up for me will be zhajiangmian  (noodles with minced pork in bean paste) and wontons with peanut sauce.

Chinese Shaxian Snacks is clearly aimed at ethnic Chinese visitors to Pattaya.  It offers a taste of China, not Chinatown.  Farang looking for U.S.- or U.K.-style Chinese food will be sorely disappointed.  There's no General Tso's Chicken or chow mein on the menu. The two young Chinese men who were operating Shaxian Snacks last night spoke putonghua (China's official standardized language) with each other and didn't seem to know much English, but they did their best to make me feel welcome.  They smiled a lot and praised me on my use of chopsticks.

Bottom line:  A very positive addition to Pattaya's food scene.

Evil

[Soda11111]

I pass that shop everyday since I live on Soi 5. Haven’t tried yet but they seem to always have a customer. Thank you 

[philbadger]

Thanks Evil, great review! 

2 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

Last night I had the steamed dumplings:

Were the dumplings pork and chive, and did you get the sense that they were freshly made vs the frozen variety?  It looks like whomever made them has some mad wrapping skills, but a bit hard to tell with the picture and my poor eyesight.  Thanks!

[rioman]

Always good to have another soup place and steamed dumplings bit harder find in Pattaya.  GIven they did not have vinegar did you happen to notice if they had the brown sugar which seems to accompany thai soup carts and can sort of be mixed with soya to make a kind of hoisin that I like?

[h.harris]

Well, I tried their noodle soup on my last trip. Only finished half bowl, they are not good to me. Glad that it tastes better for you.

[Evil Penevil]

2 hours ago, h.harris said:

Well, I tried their noodle soup on my last trip. Only finished half bowl, they are not good to me. Glad that it tastes better for you.

Since Shaxian Snacks  opened on September 21, it must have been a very recent trip.  Or perhaps you are confusing it with a different shop?

Evil

[h.harris]

21 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

 Since Shaxian Snacks  opened on September 21, it must have been a very recent trip.  Or perhaps you are confusing it with a different shop?

Evil

I came back on the 19th this month, and I am pretty sure I ate there on the 14th. I had a rendezvous with another BM there before we visited Soi 6 on that night according to our LINE messages, are you sure it just opened a week ago ?

[Saddic]

I went back last night for early dinner...

...

corrections... They have AC... it might not have been on when you were there... In the early evening the sun comes in directly thru their glass windows.. roasting the place... so AC was on...

The noodle soups (and dumpling soup) was 120b...  a great deal... (ex: comparison... The place across from Drinking Street in the Burger King plaza, AND the place in Marina Central charge 200b for their noodle soup (more developed and complex flavors) but they are also worth it!

Lastly, their Sichuan Chili Oil is awesome and addicting!... I now have to add a spoonful to my dishes... YMMV...

Oh yeah, there was a Thai woman in the shop directing the Chinese guys... so it would not surprise me that the place is put up by Thais...  She left shortly after I got there...

So nice to see real Chinese food...

[Evil Penevil]

are you sure it just opened a week ago ?

Yes, I am sure it has been open about a week, although a friend tells me it actually opened on the 19th, so 10 days.

Evil



Sent from my Sunny2 Plus using Tapatalk

[Evil Penevil]

corrections... They have AC... it might not have been on when you were there... In the early evening the sun comes in directly thru their glass windows.. roasting the place... so AC was on...
The noodle soups (and dumpling soup) was 120b...  a great deal
...
Oh yeah, there was a Thai woman in the shop directing the Chinese guys... so it would not surprise me that the place is put up by Thais...  She left shortly after I got there...

I couldn't see any AC unit, but of course there might be one. However, it was turned off or not working when I was there.

I stand corrected on the price. I paid 200 baht for my meal, but it was 120 for the soup and 80 baht for the dumplings. I didn't get a written bill, the waiter just showed me the price on a calculator.

I have no idea about the ownership, but there was no Thailand staff when I was there.

Evil

Sent from my Sunny2 Plus using Tapatalk

[expatdude]

The times I've been there, there was vinegar on the table but no soy sauce. I think you mistook the vinegar for soy sauce as it's black colored vinegar-very nice at that.

I'm absolutely sure of this. I've eaten there twice now, and used the vinegar both times, once on the dumplings (heaven with the hot sauce!) and once on my fried noodles, and saw no soy sauce.

I love the dumplings, the fried noodles I had were ok, but the dumplings were great.

[SirL]

Here are some menu pics from CSS.  I saved them from a post I saw on a FB group, and they are dated 16 Sept (not sure if that's the date I saved them or the date the original photographer took them), so CSS must have been open some time before 16 Sept.  I'd guess it opened approx 10-15 Sept.

I haven't been to CSS yet, but it looks good and I'll be heading that way soon.  Thanks for the writeup EP.

[BobbyTits]

On 9/28/2018 at 10:39, Evil Penevil said:

Based on a post by BM Saddic in another thread, I decided to try Chinese Shaxian Snacks last night.  It was an excellent tip- xie xie ni. 

Chinese Shaxian Snacks is a small restaurant on the east side of 2nd Road near Soi 6 that's been open a week.  The name can be a bit misleading as the word "snack" in Chinese (xiaochi, literally "small eats") encompasses  a lot more than potato chips and salted peanuts.  Chinese snacks are street food that has traditionally been sold by hawkers and vendors from carts or stalls on busy streets, often near markets or temples.

Shaxian refers to Sha county in Fujian province.  In the 1990s, local entrepreneurs began selling their county's specialties on the streets of larger cities. The "snacks" became hugely popular and an association was formed to market the Shaxian brand name.  The snacks themselves are  Chinese standards like dumplings and noodles as served in Sha county.  Today there are thousands of outlets for Shaxian Snacks across China and even some branches in foreign countries.  

The new Pattaya branch has four tables indoors and three outside.   It's cramped and basic with no A/C or fans. It was clean but messy, with no decorations. The exterior sign is its fanciest feature.  However, the food I've tried so far has been delicious. Last night I had the steamed dumplings:

and the beef brisket noodle soup:

One of the dumplings is missing in the pic, as I popped it in my mouth before I took out my camera.  Each dish cost 100 baht. The bowl of soup was huge.  The wheat noodles were fresh, but hadn't been made on-site.  The broth had a great taste, quite sophisticated for a Chinese restaurant in Pattaya.  Each table had a container of soy sauce, a bowl of chili paste and a squeeze bottle of chili oil. The condiment I lacked was vinegar.  I asked for it, but was told "mei you," the Chinese equivalent of "No hab."  They didn't have any sort of beverage on sale, not even water.

A couple of things to note: this is an authentic Chinese hole-in-the-wall place, more a glorified food stall than a sit-down restaurant. I believe it's mainly intended for take-away rather than in-house dining, just like in China.  The poor ventilation made it  warm inside and I was soon sweating, not really a meal-time experience I want.  If you sit outside, you're about six feet from the fumes and noise of 2nd Road, again an experience I don't want.

The menu is short, about a dozen dishes, with text in Chinese and English, but the English can be strange.  Who would guess that "Fried Cow River Powder Noodles" are actually  broad rice noodles with beef brisket?  Large and accurate pictures are the menu's saving grace; just point at what you want. Next up for me will be zhajiangmian  (noodles with minced pork in bean paste) and wontons with peanut sauce.

Chinese Shaxian Snacks is clearly aimed at ethnic Chinese visitors to Pattaya.  It offers a taste of China, not Chinatown.  Farang looking for U.S.- or U.K.-style Chinese food will be sorely disappointed.  There's no General Tso's Chicken or chow mein on the menu. The two young Chinese men who were operating Shaxian Snacks last night spoke putonghua (China's official standardized language) with each other and didn't seem to know much English, but they did their best to make me feel welcome.  They smiled a lot and praised me on my use of chopsticks.

Bottom line:  A very positive addition to Pattaya's food scene.

Evil

Nice 1!

thanks for this write up.

[Evil Penevil]

Chinese Shaxian Snacks is one of the better recent additions to the local food scene as Pattaya has always been weak on the Chinese side.  I've eaten there a number of times since it opened in September, 2018, and it's time for an update.  I have to emphasize something I wrote in the OP:

Quote

Chinese Shaxian Snacks is clearly aimed at ethnic Chinese visitors to Pattaya. It offers a taste of China, not Chinatown.  Farang looking for U.S.- or U.K.-style Chinese food will be sorely disappointed. There's no General Tso's Chicken or chow mein on the menu. 

Several times at Shaxian,  I've seen farang families walk in, sit down but not recognize any items on the menu.  After some fruitless questions the staff didn't understand, these families got up and left in frustration.  On a couple of occasions,  the family father made stupid remarks that reflected his ignorance rather than any shortcoming with the restaurant. If Orange Chicken at Panda Express defines your taste in Chinese cuisine, you're better off skipping Chinese Shaxian Snacks.  While its menu has expanded at bit since it opened 5 1/2 months ago, it is still concentrated on a few types of Chinese food, namely dumplings, noodles and soups.  If your heart beats warmly for  boiled or fried dumplings, beef brisket noodles,  herbal soups and wonton or noodles in peanut sauce, then Shaxian is the place for you. 

I also want to correct an error in the OP.  Shaxian does have air conditioning, but it wasn't working the first night I was there.  It's been fine on every subsequent visit.

The big attraction for me is that the jiaozi are made fresh daily in the traditional fashion.

The fact that she sat in the dining area filling the jiaozi  gives Shaxian a very authentic Chinese feel.  It's a bit rough at the edges and about as far way as you can get from elegant dining, but the food is excellent.  

And this is how those dumplings will end up: either  steamed , boiled in broth-

or fried-

Most of the staff at Shaxian know I can use the nimble tongs, but a new waiter brought me the order above with a fork and side dish of ketchup ()!   The fork was replaced with chopsticks and dark vinegar instead of ketchup (). 

One of my favorite dishes is the noodles in peanut sauce and topped with scallion and pickled cabbage.

You have to mix it thoroughly.

I have a fair amount of take away from Shaxian, but they tend to skimp on the sauce to avoid messiness.  Dumplings do best for takeaway.

Bottom line:  I eat at Chinese Shaxian Snacks two or three times a week.  I can definitely recommend it, but only if you are familiar with and enjoy traditional Chinese snacks.

Evil

[Piece Corp]

What, no fortune cookie?  I’ll check it out anyway next time i’m In town.  Thanks for the review.

[Kreggerz]

I like this restaurant a lot and the young man Chinese owner is very friendly and appreciate of regular non-Chinese customers (most customers are Chinese tourists). However they used to have an incredibly good made in house chili oil dipping sauce on the tables and they replaced that with an out of the bottle mild chili paste. I was told it was because the Chinese customers found the other sauce too spicy.

[Taa_Saparot]

On 28/02/2019 at 06:12, Evil Penevil said:

Bottom line:  I eat at Chinese Shaxian Snacks two or three times a week.  I can definitely recommend it, but only if you are familiar with and enjoy traditional Chinese snacks.

Thanks for posting, very helpful and interesting.

[midge]

On 28/02/2019 at 07:12, Evil Penevil said:

Chinese Shaxian Snacks is one of the better recent additions to the local food scene as Pattaya has always been weak on the Chinese side.  I've eaten there a number of times since it opened in September, 2018, and it's time for an update.  I have to emphasize something I wrote in the OP:

Several times at Shaxian,  I've seen farang families walk in, sit down but not recognize any items on the menu.  After some fruitless questions the staff didn't understand, these families got up and left in frustration.  On a couple of occasions,  the family father made stupid remarks that reflected his ignorance rather than any shortcoming with the restaurant. If Orange Chicken at Panda Express defines your taste in Chinese cuisine, you're better off skipping Chinese Shaxian Snacks.  While its menu has expanded at bit since it opened 5 1/2 months ago, it is still concentrated on a few types of Chinese food, namely dumplings, noodles and soups.  If your heart beats warmly for  boiled or fried dumplings, beef brisket noodles,  herbal soups and wonton or noodles in peanut sauce, then Shaxian is the place for you. 

I also want to correct an error in the OP.  Shaxian does have air conditioning, but it wasn't working the first night I was there.  It's been fine on every subsequent visit.

The big attraction for me is that the jiaozi are made fresh daily in the traditional fashion.

The fact that she sat in the dining area filling the jiaozi  gives Shaxian a very authentic Chinese feel.  It's a bit rough at the edges and about as far way as you can get from elegant dining, but the food is excellent.  

And this is how those dumplings will end up: either  steamed , boiled in broth-

or fried-

Most of the staff at Shaxian know I can use the nimble tongs, but a new waiter brought me the order above with a fork and side dish of ketchup ()!   The fork was replaced with chopsticks and dark vinegar instead of ketchup (). 

One of my favorite dishes is the noodles in peanut sauce and topped with scallion and pickled cabbage.

You have to mix it thoroughly.

I have a fair amount of take away from Shaxian, but they tend to skimp on the sauce to avoid messiness.  Dumplings do best for takeaway.

Bottom line:  I eat at Chinese Shaxian Snacks two or three times a week.  I can definitely recommend it, but only if you are familiar with and enjoy traditional Chinese snacks.

Evil

Hope it's there and open if i come in november.It's able to send an exactly location map ??? Thanks.

[wadman]

4 hours ago, midge said:

Hope it's there and open if i come in november.It's able to send an exactly location map ??? Thanks.

Stand at the intersection of second road and Soi 6.  You can't miss it.

[southsidebruce]

I lived in Taiwan awhile back and the Chinese food there was awesome... The photos look like the real deal hollyField... gotta give it a try... I thought at first before reading the thread that the BM was loveN the shit outa MoonCakes... now there might be some MoonCake lovers out there, but I think (at least the ones that I tried while living in Taiwan) are about the worst tasting Chinese desert treat I have ever tried... to each their own... I will go with one from Column A and one from Column B, and a handful of fortune cookies toBoot...

[midge]

19 hours ago, wadman said:

Stand at the intersection of second road and Soi 6.  You can't miss it.

Thank you.Will be easy to find because in 30 years pattaya i know the City very well.555.

[Aziany]

Went to Chinese Shaxian Snacks yesterday, but was a bit disappointed. The noodles in peanut sauce and topped with scallion and pickled cabbage was okey. Also ordered the steamed dumplings. Got the dumplings immediately. I expected them to have them steaming hot. But was room temperature and a bit dry. The lady was sitting there making dumpling that’s good to see. 

There where also 2table’s of chinese. They complained about that it takes too long

No wonder they chose to serve the dumplings that way. Spoiled customers with no patience. Lucky the waiters are relaxed and used to it.

[Kreggerz]

The steamed dumplings there are the only dish that comes out instantly. It's like their signature dish and they always have them ready. Yeah, sometimes they've been sitting too long. You might want to try the boiled ones. I've never had to wait long for anything else though. 

[mmaaarrrkkk]

opps?

[Taa_Saparot]

Looks like Shaxian Snacks have opened a second branch on Naklua road, next to Lumpini Ville.