Lòushì Tāngbāoguǎn 陋室汤包馆

Everyone has their local xiǎolóngbāo 小笼包 or tāngbāo 汤包 spot, granted some are better than others and you may travel farther for a better soup dumpling (like Jia Jia Tang Bao, for example). Lòushì Tāngbāoguǎn 陋室汤包馆 (lòushì 陋室 meaning "common room" and tāngbāoguǎn 汤包馆 for "soup dumpling shop/shack") serves the vicinity around Nanchang Lu between Shaanxi Nan Lu and Xiangyang Lu.

Xiǎolóngbāo 小笼包 ("soup dumpling") versus tāngbāo 汤包 ("soup bun") - what is the difference? The Chowhound boards noted that tāngbāo has a greater emphasis on the soup than the meat, but otherwise, they are generally the same thing. After speaking with a few Shanghainese, the consensus is the larger soup dumplings you can eat with a straw should be referred to as "tāngbāo," but otherwise they are all the same. Xiǎolóngbāo 小笼包 is the same as tāngbāo 汤包 depending on what you feel like calling it. These juicy little parcels are not exclusive to Shanghai though because other areas, like Suzhou, have their own version of the soup dumpling. Hence, the characters at the bottom of the Lòushì Tāngbāoguǎn 陋室汤包馆 sign saying "Nánjīng tè sè xiǎochī 南京特色小吃" or "Nanjing special quality/kind snack."


The menu only has three versions of soup dumpling: Lòushì tāngbāo 陋室汤包 (their speciality or simply just pork soup dumplings); xièfěn 蟹粉 or crab meal (and pork); and xiārén 虾仁 or shrimp meat. Being an afternoon snack, the house specialty or pork and the crab and pork soup dumplings were ordered. There were still some pork soup dumplings in the steamers at the entrance, which came out first. The crab and pork ones took about 10 minutes to steam to perfection. The pork tāngbāo was quite soupy and the wrapper was a bit thick on top where it was pinched together. It tasted a tad oily and not freshly made, but was still satisfying. The crab and pork tāngbāo was really savory with bits of crab meat and plenty of soup inside the dumpling. The crab flavor was not overwhelming and the meat inside the dumpling held together. The wrapper had a similar issue at being a bit too thick at the top, but by rolling it over a little and biting a little hole at the side gives you that first hot soup.



Left to right from top: Lòushì tāngbāo 陋室汤包, the inside of the pork soup dumpling, xièfěn tāngbāo 蟹粉汤包, inside of the crab and pork soup dumpling, steamers outside
Lòushì Tāngbāoguǎn is not a particularly fancy place, but the crab and pork soup dumplings are great and the dumplings are definitely not lacking on the soup.

Lòushì Tāngbāoguǎn 陋室汤包馆. 601 Nanchang Lu (by Xiangyang Lu), Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Naughty Nuri's Pork Barbecue Spare Ribs

In Jakarta, while my host was making this extensive list of dishes you have to try that are unique to a city in Indonesia, the rave reviews of the spare ribs at Nuri's stood out the most. It could be that the portion was so generous, one person could barely finish the rack. It could also be that the pork is so tender that it slips right off the bone. Or maybe the sweet sauce slathered on the ribs when they are cooking. Maybe the 70,000Rp price tag could be a deterrant for one Indonesian or a gastronomic investment with high returns. Either way, these ribs must have made a strong impression. After reaching Ubud, I had to stay true to my promise that I would visit Nuri's Warung to taste the prized deliciousness of pork flesh. The location of the restaurant is said to be "20 minutes walking from the center," at least according to the guy at the front desk who takes his motobike everywhere, even to go 20 meters around the corner. It did not look so far on the map, but it was a far trek and the journey seemed even longer since it was raining. If that much pork was supposed to be consumed, the least we could do for ourselves is burn a few calories beforehand. At the entrance of the restaurant, there is a vat of pork spare ribs already brined, seasoned, pre-cooked, or whatever has to be done to get the ribs ready for the grill. Once the order is placed, the ribs are placed immediately on the grill and the aroma swirls through the entire open-air restaurant. You can hear a faint sizzle from the sugars in the sauce caramelizing on your ribs. The ribs are served alone with no frills except for a wedge of lemon. If you want any sides, that will be added to your tab. My host was right. The spare ribs were tender, juicy, falling off the bone, and had a slight caramelization from the grill. Yum. The plate looked huge, but I managed to polish it off easily sparing no shred of meat. It was well worth the splurge if you are on a budget. Happy and full, the walk back in the pouring rain reminds you just how much that trek outside of the center of Ubud was worth it for those ribs.



Nuri's Warung and Grill, Jl Raya Sangiggan (opposite the Neka Art Museum half way up the hill heading north out of Ubud), ☎ +62 361 977547. 10AM-11PM daily.

Ibu Oka Babi Guling

Java chooses beef, but in Bali, pork reigns. Babi guling or suckling pig is the ultimate Balinese dish that made Warung Ibu Oka Babi Guling famous, now a site of foodie pilgrimage in Ubud (at least the Chowhounders or other tourists claim so and the push from Anthony Bourdain does not hurt either). The slow-cook spit-roasting process results in tender meat and crispy skin. This quest for babi guling was another solo mission backed by determination to taste luscious pork.

I sat down at a table with two other small parties finishing their meals. I opted for the Babi Guling Special plate at 30,000Rp and an iced tea with no sugar. The menu centers around all that can be created from the roasted pig, particularly the skins and meat. There was another set plate at 50,000Rp that came with soup and the babi guling came out on a heaping portion on a plate separate from the rice, but it looked too filling. The Babi Guling Special was served in one plate. The base is rice, fried pork skin, roasted pork skin, pork meat, a sort of chunky, spiced vegetable sauce or marinade on top of the meat, and a special salad with a sour and bitter hint. Basically, the plate had the best of everything that comes from the roasted suckling pork. For every bite, I tried to create the "perfect" bite by adding a little bit of each thing on the plate to my spoon. The pork was very tender and savory. The pork skins were also extremely crispy and carried a nice flavor from the roasting. The special salad that came with the dish balanced out the flavors and the iced tea finished each bite nicely.

At the time of visiting, there were two locations of Ibu Oka, but the one closest to the center of Ubud was closed, probably due to the royal wedding that was taking place across the street. This location was about 150 meters farther north and in a traditional compound setting. Passing the entrance, there was a truck with three pigs in the back ready for butchering in the open kitchen (with an open sink nearby for washing hands). Diners sat at tables around the compound with strangers and friends. The atmosphere was familial and communal, perfect for this Balinese dining experience.

Ibu Oka Babi Guling, Jalan Suweta (just north of the Jl Raya Ubud-Jl Suweta-Monkey Forest Rd crossroads). Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai Fung

With all the raving about the xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung, it was time to give in to their extraordinary prices to see what all the hype of their xiao long bao with 18 folds is about. Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese chain and compared to Taiwan, the restaurants in China are upscale and more service-oriented. There was a huge emphasis on presentation as well. Large bamboo steamers are ushered out and the lid is taken off upon arrival with the lids being placed back on the tray to go back to the xiao long bao stuffing room.

The menu displayed a few variations on the xiao long bao. After getting our fresh watermelon juice, we made a selection of four varieties to sample. Each of the steamers were lined with a sort of little cloth tea towel to prevent the dumpling skin from sticking to the bamboo and breaking, releasing all of its precious soup. Finely sliced ginger was served in a little tower to add to the dipping vinegar to taste.


First sampled was the chicken xiao long bao. They were not as pretty as the pork xiao long bao, which arrived at the same time. Usually, when I eat my xiao long bao, I prefer to bite the top off and suck the soup out before consuming the rest of the dumpling. The soup did carry a strong chicken flavor and the dumpling alone was just a ball of ordinary chicken. The chicken xiao long bao seemed better suited for eating whole to allow the chicken broth to burst in your mouth.


The pork xiao long bao was absolutely gorgeous with is delicate 18 folds. The wrapper is super thin and translucent enough that you can see the soup floating inside. The broth tasted very much like pork without the extra salty flavor that you would find from other cheap canteens in Shanghai. The filling was also luscious and meaty.


As mentioned before, the crab xiao long bao was avoided until later in the meal as one holds off on sipping a bold red before going back to a light white wine. The crab filling was not as impressive as the one from Jia Jia Tang Bao, but the Shanghainese hairy crab is also not so much in season. It lacked the abundance of roe and the meat tasted slightly gritty (also characteristic of the Shanghai hairy crab), almost to the point that one would believe there were small pieces of soft shell in it. However, there was no shell as there was no definite crunch, but the texture was a bit more rough rolling around in your mouth.


To round off the xiao long bao sampler, at 78 RMB for a steamer is the black truffle variety. In this case, the black truffle and pork was sampled. As "truffle" is a version of "mushroom," this dumpling seemed to be more "mushroom" than "truffle." The broth was savory and meaty with an added layer of complexity from the mushroom. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that the truffle was layered on top of the pork filling instead of integrated together as a consistent filling, as were its preceding counterparts. Perhaps during the steaming process, the truffle flavor was able to permeate the soup emitted from the pork filling. The black truffle and pork xiao long bao is a fresh variation on the original.


Since the brunch was entirely based on xiao long bao, vegetables were ordered to balance out the meat-loaded part of the meal. Nothing too outstanding, but did give a better nutrition value to the brunch. The spicy wonton dumplings also ordered were a bit too sweet, probably better suited for Shanghainese rather than Taiwanese tastes.


To top off the meal were the peach red bean paste buns. The outside of the steamed buns looked like a white peach with a blush of pink, but tasted nothing like a peach. The bun was flavorless and was only a vessel for the smooth and subtly sweet red bean paste inside.

The experience at Din Tai Fung was highly enjoyable and the service was so impeccable a patron would feel that for once they were given proper care at a restaurant. The servers were eager to help when asked and stayed out of the way as much as possible. At the end of the meal, we were asked to fill out a suggestion card and the server wanted to know precisely what could be improved to better the food in an extremely interested and polite way.

The xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung was very good, but it was hard to order knowing that you are paying around 15rmb per xiao long bao when you can find it cheaper. If it is a battle between Jia Jia Tang Bao and Din Tai Fung, Jia Jia Tang Bao is more for your money as you rub elbows with local Chinese waiting in line.

Din Tai Fung. 1/F, Shanghai Center, 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Xikang Lu 南京西路1376号上海商城1楼, 近西康路. Shanghai, People's Republic of China (other locations in Shanghai / worldwide). www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/

Jishi or Jesse

The original Jesse. Not New Jesse. Just Jishi (the sign outside says Jesse) or "Old Jesse." The small restaurant split on two low-ceiling levels is famous for its Shanghainese food. After reading so much about it, I finally was able to make reservations at the original location. There were two seatings and we opted for the later one at 19:30. Upon arrival, we were asked to wait a moment before our party of four was crammed into a corner table on the second floor surrounded by tables holding larger parties.

The menu has a poor English translation and could use a pinyin one as well, which could help food travelers pick out the dishes that they hear about. Regardless, the server is able to recommend popular Shanghainese dishes, most of which sat on every table in the restaurant.

The first cold starter was mixed mushrooms and shredded tofu. The tofu had a wonderful, almost meaty texture and hid the the mushrooms hiding underneath in a bath of vinegar and light oil. The dish was light and very satisfying.


This was followed by cold chicken, which was extremely tender and moist, maintaining a subtle, although not bland flavor.


Then came the dates with glutinous rice. This is classically Shanghainese being subtley sweet, yet savory. It was a sweet contrast to the cold chicken and more salty shredded tofu.


The best part of the meal was the Hong Shou Rou or red-braised pork belly. The sauce was thick and sweet with mild caramelization. This is Mao's favorite dish and tasting it, you know why. Bowls of rice where ordered to soak up the sweet and savory sauce the pork meat was stewing in. This is the one of the best hongshourou dishes I have tried, especially since the sauce was thick and dark as well as not being so oily as other versions.


It seemed like the same sauce was used in the Jishi fish, which was charged for per jin or 500 grams. The fish was not overcooked, still tender and moist. The disappointing factor was that the sauce was too similar to that of the hongshourou, which would have otherwise expanded the flavor palette of the night.


The meal was rounded off with some basic stir-fried greens, which were not as exciting nor common as the watercress. Unfortunately for the small table of non-native speakers, the proper name was not remembered at the time of ordering. We also missed out on the river shrimp. But there will always be a next time.

To be honest, I am not sure if they add MSG to the dishes, which most restaurants in China do, but each bite was totally addictive and you cannot help but serve yourself one more small bite. Old Jesse was absolutely amazing, especially if you want a Shanghainese gastronomic experience. It is not the fanciest sit-down restaurant, but the original Jesse is dependable for excellent, affordable Shanghainese food.

Jesse Restaurant. 41 Tianping Road (Middle Huaihai Road) 天平路41号 (近淮海中路), Shanghai, People's Republic of China..