Xiao Long Bao literally translate to as a small basket of dumpling. It is filled with meat and soup essence. One often has to be very careful as the soup can be rather hot and burn your tongue.
I have tried many versions of Xiao Long Bao with many half baked versions around Malaysia or even Singapore. Though Crystal Jade in Singapore served a rather nice version but it is still not as good as the supposedly original version in Shanghai itself.
For those who had travelled to Shanghai before, a visit to the original Xiao Long Bao store is a must. The store name is Nan Xiang Mantou Dian. I cannot remember the exact location as I was brought there by my tour guide. It served wickedly heavenly Xiao Long Bao for a price which is out of this world. If I remembered correctly it is only like US$0.10 per dumpling which we purchased in quantities of 14 or so.
There are higher class versions upstair where there is even one where you get to use a straw to drink the soup from it. This store is supposedly more than 100 years old and currently lay claim to being the originator of this dish. Perhaps someone else need to verify this fact? Nonetheless, I was in Shanghai during the cooler months of winter, so biting into a Xiao Long Bao with its piping hot soup is almost a heavenly feel.
A distant second after Nan Xiang would have to be this restaurant in Hong Kong at TST called Mu Dang Ting. It was a whole lot more expensive at HKD$20 per basket of 4 but it does remotely remind me of the Shanghai version.
So where is your favourite Xiao Long Bao?
I did try the Xiao Loong Paos at Nan Xiang Mantao Dian in Yu Yuan, Shanghai. Had to line up for an hour to buy some. It was a waste of time. They are extremely cheap but I found them to be absolutely terrible. Didn’t know about the upstairs thing when I was there so I didn’t try it out.
My personal favourite is Crystal Jade at Lot 10.
Personally, I thought the taste at the queue even though cheap is quite nice. I guess it is a personal choice. Just like I personally never liked Crystal Jade’s Xiao Long Bao. hehehe..
just side track a little, I remember while I was queuing up for the cheapish xiao long bao, it was interesting to see how a rural chinaman actually tried to complain about the bad taste. Problem was he didn’t know he has put a lot of vinegar on them. He might have mistaken it for soy sauce.