I've said before in other reviews of Xinjiang restaurants...it's all about the lamb. Sapar Uyghur Restaurant delivers on the lamb, doesn't let down on the "side dishes" (i.e. everything that's not lamb), and overall delivers the Xinjiang cuisine restaurant experience I'm looking for...in a convenient central Jing'an location! Everyone wins! 

Lamb skewers: Roasted fresh. Meaty, fatty, tender and juicy. Seasoning was present without being overwhelming. The flavor of the meat really shone through. Skewers on the larger side, which made the 10CNY/skewer price basically acceptable, although still a bit on the high end. 4.5/5

Da pan ji: (Xinjiang-style "big plate chicken). This was very good. Da pan ji is basically a Sichuan-style dish made with ingredients from Xinjiang, (supposedly was the result of Sichuan chefs trying to adapt their cooking styles to the seasonings and halal restrictions predominant in Xinjiang) which is why I expect some delicious, savory, numbing ma la sensations, and this didn't disappoint. The chicken pieces were cooked well, tender and juicy without any stringiness. The potato chunks were cooked all the way through, also soft and tender. The juice was delicious all on its own, turning the cold noodles into savory, delicious springy noodles. 5/5

gan bian si ji dou: Wok-fried green beans with chili and garlic. Classic dish that you can almost never go wrong with. Sapar's was pretty tasty, although I wasn't crazy about the sprinkling of MSG crystals that the chef seems to have added too late into the wok. I like MSG, but I like it to be dissolved into the dish, not appearing as little crunchy crystals like sesame seeds. 3/5, but only because of the MSG crystal thing, which was weird. 

Stir-fried naan cubes with mutton: An eternal favorite for me at Xinjiang restaurants. Sapar's was excellent. The naan cubes were crunchy on the outside, but still soft and chewy on the inside. The mutton in the side was generous and not overcooked or dry. The dry chili+cumin flavoring was perfect...this is my go-to dish for a reason and Sapar has it down right. 5/5

Suan la tu dou si: (hot and sour potato strips). Honestly I couldn't tell you how good this dish was, since I only had a few bites of it (I was stuffed!) I had it for dinner the next day over rice, and I felt it was quite spicy, but it's difficult to tell if the flavor had changed at all from sitting in the fridge and reheating. We'll say it was pretty good, but nothing really special. 4/5

Overall, Sapar ticked all the boxes for me when it comes to Xinjiang food. I will be back. Price was good too, something like 242 CNY for all the food mentioned above (a feast for 2). 

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