My fav #XLB #小籠包 in Greater Vancouver.
Xiao Long Bao (XLB) 小籠包
Xiao Long Bao is often called "soup dumplings".
I would say Shanghai River has the perfect XLB. Their XLB is juicy, thin-skinned, yet not-prone to breakage, and full of broth inside.
Boiled Soup with Chicken and Pork Wontons 砂鍋雲吞雞
The soup served in a clay pot. It was terrific with chicken breast, lots of baby bok choy and wontons. It was very flavourful.
Shanghai River Restaurant 滬江海派料理 is a well-known Chinese restaurant which is located in central Richmond at 7831 Westminster Hwy, Richmond, BC.
📝📝
Food: 🥟🥟🥟🥟🥟Must Try!
Service: 👩🍳👩🍳👩🍳👩🍳
Kids: 👶👶👶👶Yay! (Who kid doesn’t love soft and juicy dumplings?)
Price: 💲💲💲 $50-$100 for two
Presentation: 📷📷
Parking: 🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗
Tips:
📝has 3-hour free parking behind the restaurant.
📝 recommends to make a reservation.
📝can see the kitchen though a huge glass window in the dining room.
Would I Return: Yes 🙋♀️
Since we have been here multiple times since my first post, I thought I would write a revisit on it.
This place is a bit upscale but we usually just order the XLB and some noodles, so it’s not that expensive. The set menus and larger dishes are the expensive ones.
Parking has usually been pretty easy. There is an underground parking lot with many reserved spots for the restaurant.
Pan fried pork soft buns: The pork buns are delightfully crispy on the outside. The pork inside was flavourful and juicy. An order comes with 5 buns so it is great to share.
Hello Hello! This past weekend was Mid-Autumn festival and my family decided to have our dinner at Shanghai River. Shanghai River is located directly across from Richmond Centre so it is not a hard place to find. It also has a designated parking lot so you don’t need to worry about paying at the meter.
I went to this place quite a few times. I like their Xiao Long Bao, and vegetable dumplings as they are freshly made after ordered. You can see their staffs from a glass window busying preparing those dumplings. I also like their rice in oyster soup, and picked vegetable with meat noodle soup. I will definitely go again and again.
○decent service
○Good food depend on what you get/ they're known for their xiao long bao but I've tasted better at other places / not a place where you'd go for dim sum or breakfast , more like lunch / dinner portions and Better go with 4 or more people
○free parking in the parkade
○family friendly
○a tad high priced
○if I had to choose 1 dish : rice in oyster soup
○would i go back ? Maybe
Every dish, even the more rustic ones, has a high level of refinement reflected in a specific sauce or a small detail, such as the Noodle Soup with Tender Chicken, in which the noodles are slightly pan fried first with soy sauce, in order to have the extra layer of flavour. But at other places, this dish is usually pretty bland and boring.
Just another weekend. Tried to make it count. I try to make every meal count now, too, because I'm no spring chicken. We came to Shanghai River Restaurant for a pretty satisfying dinner:. We had some (old) pea shoots, fried yee meen noodles, the pork with the sweet sauce, and chose 3 appetizers to start. We tried their drunken chicken, because I still had cravings for the ones at Asian Legend in Toronto. I wouldn’t come back for this drunken chicken.
When I crave shanghai food, this place in Richmond always come to mind. Whether it’s their XLB’s, noodles or cold plates, they are all my favourites. . Juicy pork xlb’s. Have to drench mine in black vinegar and ginger slithersWonton in soup with vegetablesSad how this dish turned out
my curiosity have led me to this restaurant that is located in richmond, went here with around like 10 people ish while discussing some things in life. luckily one of my friend have visitted this place, and he knows some of the more popular dish, and which one worth trying, so tried their xiao long bao, which is nice, but not the best that i've tried so far, but good enough, then ordered mayo prawn which is okay, fish, pork etc, so far it all tasted decent nothing really memorable that let's me think it's worth going for a second time type of food.
Good Shanghainese food in a nice environment! I like the food but I think for a lesser price you could get just as good XLB/noodles at a different restaurant.
Have seen the hundreds of photos in Zomato, we decided on a whim to try it tonight.
No MSG is right, yay!!
We ordered Xiao Long Bao, Steamed Chicken Soup with Wontons, Pan Fried Yellow Rock Cod with Mushrooms, and peashoots.
The soup was delicate and delcious, I enjoyed the taste of the wonton filling. The Xiao Long Bao was too thick and doughy at the top, and so sticky that every one of them bursted at the bottom. We prefer the Xiao Long Bao from Dinesty on Robson. The fish was OK, but Kirin would have executed better. The peashoots never arrived, and we were full anyways, so we were sble to cancel it. We felt great after the meal because we didn't suffer from CRS (Chinese Restaurant Syndrome).
We came back for lunch. Six of us ate until we were full and the price per person after a 20% tips were $16. We ordered the usual lunch small dishes including Pan Fried Wontons. The XLB was much better at lunch. The sticky rice took 20 minutes but was well worth it – very delicious.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
July 2016, 7:30 on a Monday night in Downtown Richmond. Original plans fell through. 4 hungry people needed a place to eat. Peering through the windows of Shanghai River, looked busy, clean, promising. There was a line-up. Was told 45 minute wait. We left, came back at 8, and were seated right away. Place was full. Big, colourful menu with lots of choices. We ordered and shared:
Wonton soups x 2
Pan fried cod fish with spicy pork on green beans
Salted vegetable and squid (Zomato menu shows cuttle fish, but it's not up to date)
Mushroom stuffed pastry (don't remember the name on the menu)
Pork dumplings (2 different kinds, don't remember exactly which ones)
A noodle dish
I usually don't expect much in these kinds of restaurants; just filling, greasy food with poor service. But the food here was surprisingly good. Flavours (mostly sesame) were unexpectedly subtle. Textures were just right. My favourites were the squid salad (served cold) and the cod fish with spicy pork (cod was melt-in-your mouth, almost slimy, but for me, perfect, pork was not spicy at all, though, but still tasty). Everyone was satisfied, although we could have ordered one less dish. We managed to eat everything, but it was really too much.
Service was acceptable, better than other places of this type. (We didn't feel rushed. The servers didn't seem too annoyed with us.) I'll definitely come back. The duck dishes we saw on other peoples' tables looked really good. I want to try those.
Best shanghai buns in town! So hot and so juicy. My daughter ate 6 and mom and dad got 1 each. Handmade noodles here get em while they're hot! Chicken fried with shanghai sauce,beef ettuce wrap
Not bad, not great, but pricey. My maternal family is from Shanghai and my mother confirmed the menu is authentic and comprehensive. We ordered an assortment of dishes that, to me, seemed like what one can get at most pan-Chinese restaurants in Richmond, all laden with corn starch for maximum gooey-ness (although these came with nice touches, such as lily bulbs, wood ear, and yellow chives). I thought the xiao long bao were mediocre, and my partner thought they were dry. On the plus side, we ordered the Shanghainese vegetable rice, a staple in the region for the middle class, which came in a sizzling ceramic pot with finely chopped bok choy and some sort of ham. This was one of the more memorable dishes, nicely fried at the bottom, aromatic, crunchy, and well-flavored. The service was congenial and the establishment clean, both noteworthy for a Chinese restaurant. That being said, we might not return for another try.
• busy all the time, just wait or your turn
• the best Xiaolongbao for me in the lower mainland, there's no msg!
• nicely plated dishes & clean
• $$-$$$
• everything on the menu are just awesomely delicious, you'll keep coming back for more
This place has got the best Shanghai-nese food I can find in Vancouver. I always order their dumplings and the chicken wonton soup. Service is fast and decent for a real Chinese place :) Parking is not too bad either, there's a covered carpark right beside the restaurant. Large restaurant so getting a table is easy even for large groups.
Love this place!! This is probably my favourite shanghai place in Richmond. have to try the original shanghai dumplings and the crab meat shanghai dumplings. Also must order their cold dishes..
If we had not felt rushed and had better timing on our food arriving, this would be a 4.5 rating. My husband had short ribs with vinegar sauce. I had black cod with spicy pork and green beans. We also had the steamed pork dumplings. The food was really good. However, my husband's ribs came out well after my fish. I went ahead and started, because I hate cold fish. We arrived around 9:15 PM. They close at 10 p.m. (Apparently, 10 p.m. sharp.) Before we even got our main courses, we were asked if we wanted anything else because the kitchen was shutting down. Then, a check was given to us before my husband's food arrived. Then within about 5 minutes, waitress came to check to see if we had a credit card in the folder, which was odd, since we still didn't have my husband's food. I'd still recommend this place, though. It was busy, and I felt like everyone around us was enjoying their food.
Amazing. SERVICE: the staff here were extremely attentive and friendly. I can't say enough about this because most dim sum places you visit you feel like an outcast as a white guy. They were so helpful and recommend dishes to us and really seemed like they cared about the experience we were having. Easily five star service. FOOD: Right of the bat, it's not traditional dim sum from Hong Kong, but actually mainland style dim sum so was very different however super delicious. Everything is literally made fresh in this place and comes out piping hot and fresh. There is actually a window into the kitchen and you can see them rolling wonton and other items. PRICE: Extremely reasonable. I bought lunch for myself and two others and it was $40! There was food left over too! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND experiencing this restaurant.
Premeditated Gluttony
+3.5
The restaurant is nicely appointed except for the cramped waiting area. Food is good but service could be improved, but that is typical with many Chinese restaurants.
I think they must have read the reviews which say poor service. We had great service and enjoyed the food too!
Pretty good but pricey. Xlbs were pretty tastey but I have had better ones. The skin of the xlbs were a tad thicker than id like it to be but it was still good. Fried chicken and pork shoulder also quite tastey. If you love shanghaineese food, give this place a try!
No. 1 Chinese food. First time here, it's so good . full house when we came in for lunch. service good.
Absolutely LOVE the pork dumplings here!! So good. Their food is always consistent and reasonably priced. My favourite shanghai restaurant in Richmond. Beware, it does get busy most of the time so call in to make reservations prior to coming
Siu loong bao is a must! Delicious little dumplings
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Good variety of Shanghai dishes, but very average XLB. I love Shanghai food. My favorite Shanghai restaurant in Richmond has to be Top Shanghai but since I've been there so many times, I decided to try a different place. With recommendations from hubby's friend, we found ourselves at Shanghai River. Since we were having brunch with family, I was able to order a large variety of dishes to try. I would say everything we ordered was excellent with the exception of the soup dumplings (xiao long bao). They were very average - skin was too thick, had soup inside but the meat wasn't very flavorful. Everything else - especially the pan fried black cod with spicy bean sauce was excellent. All the noodle dishes used the same noodles but different soup/sauces and my toddler loved the jia jiang one. With all the food we ordered the bill only came to $90 for 8 people ($10 of it was tax too) we thought it was great value. Service was not bad. We didn't have to wait for the table as I made reservations ahead of time, and by the time we left there was a ton of people waiting for a table! I would definitely return and try their other Shanghai dishes but will pass on the XLB.
Best Shanghai and XLB in the city!. This place definitely lived up to its hype. Oh how I miss Shanghai food in Vancouver! The XLB here are to die for, very soupy and delicious, especially the crab meet ones. I've also tried the bean curd with mushroom, drunken chicken and jellyfish, all shanghai staples which were solid. I also really enjoyed the salty sticky rice. The XLB is something else though.....mmmmmmmmm
Lunch/Dinner. I LOVE this place! If you want fresh, consistently good, Shanghainese food, this is the place to be!
There's a glass wall, where you can see the smaller kitchen in the restaurant. Here the chefs make fresh dumplings, etc, with a smile on their faces. You can see they enjoy and take pride of their jobs. When you get the food, oh my!, it is exactly like the Chefs smiles!
Good food. Love the xiaolongbao. everything else we ordered was also very tasty. their online menu is completely different (and boring) compared to their REAL menu which is beautiful and varied. can't wait to go again to try more dishes!!! recommended. make reservations. service was fine, not spectacular, but no real complaints.
No smart service. Food is ok but portions are small, prices high, service no smart
Bad service, good food. We went for a family celebration. The host must have ordered more than a dozen dishes which ranged from seafood to Beijing (Peking) duck, and an assortment of noodles, vegetables, beef and pork dishes. Duck was relatively lean, the noodles toothsome, and the seafood dishes delectable. I actually really enjoyed bean, eggplant, and mushroom dish the most. The food was delicious and not MSG heavy. The service was less than to be desired - particularly the manager and female staff. The young male server was great, but he wasn't in our section. Love the food. Update - went for two more dinners. The servers - particularly the middle-aged men - are unbelievably arrogant. I guess being a server at Shanghai River means they feel entitled to treat their customers like crap. Never again will I eat there.
Very good shanghai food!!
Had a late dinner here. Ordered the xiao long bao and hot & sour soup. The XLB were good with some soup inside and tasty pork filling. I actually prefer the XLB at Shanghai Wonderful and Wang's in Crystal Mall more because their XLBs have more soup, tastier fillings and thinner more tender wrappers. The hot & sour soup was ok too, but it was too hot for me with the thick layer of chili oil on top. Considering that we came in to eat at 9:00 pm (because we were too lazy to drive further) it was good for a late dinner.
Great food, but a few faults. Atmosphere & service:The restaurant is very nice inside. It was clean, well-staffed and busy. However, as other have said you have to almost stand up and wave in the servers faces to get their attention - they ignore you unless you chase them down. I was pleased, however, to find that it was not cash only (a pet peeve of mine because I never carry cash:))! Parking is at the back - in case it is your first time!
Food: We ordered the Peking duck, xiao long bao, & chow mein. We enjoyed our food and it is as good as other have described, however I would say that I wish there were more options for those coming in a party of two. I wanted to order more dishes, but would have had to bring 6 people to eat it. It would be nice if there was an option to order half portions. I really wanted to try more dishes, but didn't want to take home a fridge-worth of leftovers. Guess I'll just have to go back and give some of the other dishes a try!
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Decent food. Interesting service. When looking in the area of our hotel for a place to eat I came upon several reviews stating that the Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) here were very good. Having a special place on my favourite foods list for them we decided to try this place out.
We were seated quickly due to arriving somewhat before the dinner crowd and were right next to the window through which we could watch the baos being made.
We had to flag someone down to order our food and when the dining room filled we found it interesting that the tables with non-Asians all had different tea pots than those where only asians were seated.
We ordered some of the baos and decided on the 2 course Peking duck as our main.
The baos were indeed good and unlike many we've tried actually did contain some soup. These were likely the best we've had outside of Hong Kong so far.
The duck was served more or less Beijing style with only the skin on the plate for inclusion in the wraps. They did not cut the duck the same way and served hoi sin instead of the Tian mian jiang like most westernised places. It was quite good none the less and the noodles with the meat were nice as well.
It proved difficult to get service and we had to not only flag down a server when we needed something, but ask another for the same thing when our request was not fulfilled by the first one.
I'd recommend the food but am quite disappointed by the service at Shanghai River.
Siao Long Bao Heaven. If you must try one thing at Shanghai River, it's the siao long bao (steamed pork dumplings). Made fresh daily throughout the day by chefs who specialize in the construction of these little succulent dumplings, the siao long bao at Shanghai River take the spotlight of the restaurant, as the chefs make the siao long bao in front of the customers behind a glass window. The restaurant itself is a mix of modern design with Chinese nuances. Service is efficient and the food is consistently delicious regardless of what you order. Just be adventurous and explore the beautifully designed menu!
Great food!. I just recently went here for a friends birthday dinner. Shanghai River has always been consistently great! They also have reasonable prices for what you get. Definitely on the better end of chinese restaurants in Richmond
If there is one thing you have to order at a Shanghai restaurant, it is their xiao long bao (XLB). These are more commonly referred to in English as soup dumplings with a pork filling. They are folded to collect the juice of the filling as they are steamed. A good XLB should have a thin wrapping except for the top where it provides what people refer to as ‘mouth feel’ when chewing. The filling and the soup that it creates vary from one to another. In addition to XLB, we ordered crab and pork XLB, and a noodle soup. First up are the pork XLB. They were good and had a good ‘mouth feel’ when chewed. This time, the skins were okay and so was the filling. I swear, several years ago their XLB tasted different and were better. Next came these crab and pork XL
I went out to Shanghai River this past weekend for lunch with the in-laws to celebrate my brother-in-law's first job and paycheck. This restaurant is on my list of regular places to go eat and I've been going for the last 7 years. Besides a noticeable decline in XLB (小籠包 - (xiaolongbao) or soupy pork dumplings) quality several years ago when supposedly the master chef left the restaurant, the overall food quality has been pretty consistent over the years. On this particular visit, we ordered quite a few dishes including the popular Shanghai Thick Fried Noodles. For some reason, the noodles were completely unseasoned. We sent the dish back and it was returned to our table with some extra grease, but it tasted completely unchanged! Rather than cause a scene, we packed it to go and salted it later ourselves. Despite that one problem, all the other dishes were very good as usual. We ordered XLBs, green onion pancakes (one of my favorites), salty soy milk, Chinese doughnuts, sticky rice stu
I love how everything is crisp and crunchy with the "Styrofoam noodles" and nuts, and the meat is juicy and tender. The flavouring is mild so it needs a bit of helping with the sauce I think. Eaten alone it's okay, but I feel like there's something missing to brighten it up so I like having the hoisin sauce.
In general, I think Shanghai River is a great place in Richmond for Shanghainese cuisine. They are pricier than many other Shanghainese restaurants but that comes with the food quality and ambiance the restaurant provides.
Good pricing, adequate service and tasty food.
I loved the deep fried crab with garlic and chili. The meat inside the shell was fluffy, while the exterior was crispy and spicy. AY’s father prompted me to try the crab ‘brains’, which reminded me a lot of deep fried oysters.
While there were some misses, there were also definitely some hits, especially with authentic Zhejiang cuisine. I would recommend sticking to the xiao long bao, soup, and eggplants. Even with some disappointments, the dishes were still good; they just did not meet our high expectations for this place. If you are craving upscale Shanghai dishes and know what to order, then Shanghai River is definitely a good bet.
Dave Nguyen Foodhipster206.com
+4.5
You already know if I go to a city, I’m looking up the reviews for Xia Long Bao (soup dumplings). If the joint has a Yelp 3.5 star or higher, I’m intrigued. Everyone’s going to compare it to Din Tai Fung (DTF) or Shanghai Joe’s so the opinions fluctuate. When in Vancouver and/or Richmond, hit up the Shanghai River if you want to up your soup dumpling game. The wait is ridiculous but you’re a foodie and down with that anyway. Hell, that’s why you’re reading this site. Be brave, turn on your US phone plan and go shopping at one of the many Richmond Asian malls while you wait. The soup dumplings are so good, you won’t regret it! It’s a nicely crafted dumpling that holds a whole lot of soup. Juicy J pork filling that will make you dance. However, the spicy wontons at Shanghai River don’t quite compare to DTF. It’s a peppery chili sauce similar to many “spicy wontons” except for the DTF. You ought to know that DTF is laced
the ambiance of the restaurant is certainly more modern and classy than most Chinese restaurants in Greater Vancouver.
the food is better than most Shanghainese restaurants. There are many varieties to choose from, serving lunch and dinner.
The other must-get dish at Shanghai River is actually their dessert -- "doughnut" filled with red bean paste. It's not really a doughnut per say, but more like a deep fried meringue that is extremely fluffy.
In all honesty, I don’t really consider this visit a “dim sum” post despite coming here during the usual dim sum hour. Sure, we ordered Shanghai Steamed Pork Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) – but you have to order these if you ever dine at Shanghai River.
Alright, I've also never been to Shanghai River before, so Marv made it a point to take me there. We were originally on the way to some more Indian cuisine, but I had a sudden craving for Beef Noodle Soup, so we made a huge loop and ended up at Shanghai River Shanghai River 7831 Westminster Hwy, Richmond BC Tel#: (604) 233-8885 We were promptly greeted and brought to our table just outside of the display window to the kitchen. I really enjoy seats with a view of the kitchen Service here is exceptional! Every server was very polite and tea was promptly refilled. I found the tables to be quite large. We were seated in a table for 4, however if you end up sitting across from each other, you'll have to yell in order for your dining companion to hear you. Of course we had to order the Steamed Pork Dumplings . The wrap was nicely done. It was thin but not thin enough that it would break when lifted up. There was an abundance of soup inside the
Shanghai River is completely packed every night, even on weeknights, and there's a good reason for that. The food is great and the service has improved. Even though we came for dinner, we ordered mostly dim sum dishes. This appetizer of chopped shepherd's purse and bean curd roll (èºèè
ç®å·) was excellent and also very healthy. I remember the noodles were not particularly good during my previous visit, so I was surprised that the noodles with preserved vegetables and shredded pork (éªèè絲湯麵) was quite good. The picture doesn't look too appealing because I forgot to take a picture before we dug in. The soup was light and not too salty, and the noodles were soft but still slightly chewy. Of course a Shanghainese meal would not be complete without xiao long bao (å-ç¿"å°ç± å
). I love the juicy buns with hot soup inside. They were not as intense in flavour as some other ones I've tried, but I appreciated the lightly marinated
Shanghai River is trying to go for the upscale image, when all it really is, is just another shao long bao (spelling depending on where your from) place in a fancy wrapper. You got the fancy tea pots.... ....and the fancy spring rolls.... .....and the fan
I have been craving for Peking duck for the past couple weeks and one of my friend suggested getting it at Shanghai River in Richmond. Walking into Shanghai River , I immediately got the smell of vinegar and steame
I am very impressed at how skilled their chefs are and how authenticate the food is.
The starter chicken in wine sauce is amazing. The skills of the chicken is tender and chewy, almost like a stiff jelly which bounces in the mouth. The wine flavor is aromatic.
The shrimp is so savory! The skin is crispy and thin, and the sauce is divine. I absolutely love it.
All the other dishes are outstanding too and the service makes you feel like home.
Strongly recommend!!
Sure there are places that offer better pricing, but this place has one of the best XLBs in terms of quality of ingredients and the thinness of the skin. This is one of those places where you can tell they put time and quality into their food. Even in their hot and sour soup, everything is neat and thinly sliced to precision.
Taste wise, I do enjoy their food, which some have mentioned, has a bit of a hybrid taste to it. It’s definitely one of the go to Shanghai places in Richmond though, so get a reservation or go early.
They have their own parking lot, which is nice, but the spots are narrow. Be careful.
This is definitely more of an upscale style Chinese restaurant so you will be paying a premium for the service and the environment. But this place has been around for a long time, they’re definitely doing something right and it all starts with the quality and taste of their food.
Food was not bad, the flavours were mostly pretty good except the pork belly over mustard (wasn’t stewed long enough) and the fried rice was a bit plain. Overall experience was pretty standard for a Chinese restaurant. Expect higher than average prices cause this place is a bit “fancy”. They serve fancy seafood items for $$$.
Shanghai River is a place we visit regularly for special occasion dinners. It's located on No3 road across the street, North of Richmond Centre mall. The food here is done very well and spot on. We never had any complaints from the numerous visits.
Prices are quite reasonable here. They have a semi open kitchen for you to see the kitchen staff making dumplings too.
The staff here are friendly and efficient. There is ample free parking too.
Didn't disappoint. We went a bit late since we were told that they could only take reservations after 8pm (Saturday night) and they close at 9pm. As such, our dining experience was a bit rushed. Other than that, the food and service were pretty good.
I got pickup from here recently. In terms of food, I tried their Chicken with Wine Sauce, Steamed Pork Dumpling with Crab Meat, Salted Pork, Ham, and Bamboo Shoots in Pot, and Braised Tien-Tsin Cabbage with Ham. The chicken had a nice flavour on its own and with some wine but some pieces were too alcoholic as they were soaked in the wine at the bottom of the container. The dumplings are definitely worth trying as it had good bits of crab, thin dumping skin, and nice flavourful soup. The pork/ham/bamboo pot is worth trying if you like comfort food. It had a lot of vegetables, nice pieces of ham, fresh bamboo shoots, and soy/bean products. The ham and cabbage was pretty good as well.
Amazing xiaolongbao/dim sum in the Richmond area of greater Vancouver. The Shanghai noodles are especially amazing. We had some really good pork buns, soup dumplings, and pork ribs as well. Probably one of the best brunches I've ever had.
Pricey but good! The XLB so juicy and the skin thin. Love the pork wrap and pan fried buns. The vinegar spareribs were a bit tough but the flavour is there. My mom makes it better tho. There was some small confusion with the pan seared buns we ordered but glad that we were able to sort it out. The thing with Chinese restaurants even if they screw up they want you to just accept it. After being firm that we did not order what they were trying to serve us, they then went and remade the correct item for us.
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