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

Dim Sum Brunch at Ye Shanghai

Ye Shanghai has this great weekend brunch deal for 98RMB all-you-can eat inclusive of tea. If you pay a little more, you can get an entree like roast duck. A little more RMB means that you can also get free-flow sparkling wine. That is not bad for a brunch deal, especially considering that the classy restaurant is located in Xintiandi, known for its more up-market establishments. Ye Shanghai takes a modern look at classic dim sum selections from both Shanghainese and Hong Kongese cuisine. The dining room reflects this philosophy and during brunch, it is well-lit and cozy without being so pretentious. Though, it is quite unfortunate to see that the patrons are mostly waiguoren instead of Chinese. That should not be a deterrent, however. The dim sum menu has an assortment of dishes perfect for sharing (ideally between 2 people as each order has two items). As it is a free-flow feeding frenzy, the parade of plates never has to stop. The server may look a bit perturbed by the length of the initial order of food, or she is balking at the amount of food seemingly small people can consume.




About every dish was ordered off the menu aside from the rice and noodle dishes (the dan dan mian (traditional Sichuan noodles) were a little on the oily and runny side). This includes the drunken chicken, sliced pork terrine with Zhejiang black vinegar, pan-fried turnip cake, sliced pork with garlic and chili, barbecue pork puffs, stir-fried beef with scallions and pancakes, spring onion cakes, steamed shrimp dumplings in XO chili sauce, smoked fish, steamed spare ribs, wheat gluten with mushroom and bamboo shoots, beancurd skin roll with mushroom, and wontons...to name a few. The spare ribs came out with pumpkin and was flavorless. The terrine was nothing special either. Overall, everything else was really lovely. If you do not like one item, someone at your table is bound to eat it. If you do like something, there is nothing stopping you from ordering more.


Ahhh...xiaolongbao. Mornings in Shanghai feel even more complete with an order of xiaolongbao. The hot broth supporting a light, meaty filling all enveloped by a thin wrapper translates to a savory explosion in your mouth. The xiaolongbao at Ye Shanghai was nothing impressive. The wrapper was not of an extraordinary thinness aside from the bottom as it did often break when being lifted from the steamer releasing its precious contents. The wrapper should be of even thickness throughout the entire dumpling, even taking the little folds into consideration. The broth was not very salty, but not savory either. And the pork itself did not stand out. No matter though. Still being able to get a xiaolongbao fix is enough to start the day.


Out of the desserts, I enjoyed the glutinous rice ball with peanut paste the most. The peanut paste was more of a pulverized peanut powder that was soft and melted slowly on your tongue. The mango pudding had a surprise of actual pieces of mango hidden within the pudding.

Ye Shanghai brunch is great for your wallet for what you get and has a classy dining area that will readily impress your dining partners. It is highly advisable to reserve in advance. The brunches are very popular and tables do get booked quickly.

Ye Shanghai. Xintiandi North Block, Lane 181 Taicang Lu (near Madang Lu), Shanghai, People's Republic of China. 太仓路181号 (近马当路) 新天地北里

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..

Dining Secretary Tasting at Mao Jia

Frenzied Palate must be moving up somewhere from a recent invitation to a tasting in Shanghai organized by Dining Secretary, a online table reservation service in Shanghai. Shau-Ru Lin, who writes the blog associated with Dining Secretary, From Dumplings to Donuts, hosted the tasting. These tastings, at least from the purpose presented, are meant to bring exposure to Dining Secretary and for the benefit of its registered members. It was not clear how the restaurant for the tastings are selected and if it will follow a particular schedule. The idea is good for its members and to attract more members. Free lunch once a month! And drinks! Awesome.

The tasting took place at Mao Jia, which is north of People's Square and specializing in Shanghainese cuisine. After the introduction of the tasting, the meal began and conversation took its own course. As there were about 12 in attendance, there was an assortment of cold and hot dishes. There was even a menu printed out in English to let everyone know which dishes were being tasted. The food was good for Chinese food, but nothing spectacular or anything that would motivate you to go back. The experience was only enhanced by the ambiance and attentive service.


Overall, the tasting was lovely. Different people from different backgrounds came to meet and share a meal. It was a lunch for strangers who left with new connections. Looking forward to the next one.

Mao Jia. 98 Liuhe Road (by Ningbo Road), 3/4F, Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Jia Jia Tang Bao 佳家汤包

The alleged mecca of soup dumpling or xiao long bao is located north of People’s Square at Jia Jia Tang Bao 佳家汤包. At half eleven there is already a long line standing outside waiting for one of the 30 or less chairs in the dining area. It is best to get there in the morning or before noon as the restaurant closes when they run out of their offerings, which are made to order by a team of six women furiously filling and pinching together dumpling dough. The menu behind the cashier shows which items are no longer available as the red tags are flipped over to show that the kitchen is out. After all the cheap items are gone, all that is usually left are the more expensive crab dumplings.

Here's the translated menu:

Standard pork XLB - RMB 7.5
Shrimp and pork XLB - RMB 9
Chicken and pork XLB - RMB 9
Egg yolk and pork XLB - RMB 12
Crab and pork XLB - RMB 19.5
Chicken XLB - RMB 12
Shrimp XLB - RMB 12
Crab XLB - RMB 81

Chicken and duck blood soup - RMB 2
Seaweed and egg drop soup - RMB 2
Fresh shredded ginger - RMB 1

Our eyes must have been bigger than our stomachs as we asked for 3 orders of pork, crab and pork, and crab with 2 orders of ginger – the whole spectrum of crab and pork for 2 people. 81RMB for crab tang bao seemed like a lot for something that is considered cheap street food, but we decided to splurge because eventually we would have to endure the long line again just to try it. Most people ordered the blood soup to eat with the xiao long bao, most likely to help with the digestion of the heavy filling and to get the spoon optimize consumption. We did not go for the soup option.


First out was the steamer of pork xiao long bao. So beautiful, hot, and filled with delicious, savory soup. The perfectly pinched skins were very thin and the broth abundant and flavorful. This was an excellent start. The servers were right to bring out the pork xiao long first because the crab and pork and crab xiao long bao had a stronger, heavier flavor in comparison to the already delectable pork xiao long.


The skin on the dumplings is so thin that the roe inside the crab and crab and pork dumplings is visible. And on closer inspection, you almost swear you can see the soup floating inside.

While xiao long bao is the small, bite-sized dumpling, the tang bao is supposed to be its larger, goliath cousin, maybe even requiring a straw for consumption. The crab tang bao (filled with meat and crab roe) were slightly larger than a sand dollar. They were served as 2 steamers with 6 in each. The filling did not really hold together as a solid mass, but was more a delicious mess of crab, roe, and soup.

We were right to go from pork to crab and pork to crab soup dumplings because the flavor of each dumplings was stronger and more pungent than the preceding one. After a taste of the crab dumpling, the flavor of the pork xiao long bao was relatively bland although it is indeed excellent. For two people, this order was more than satiating as we could barely hobble out the door afterward.

This is definitely the best spot for xiao long bao. Not only does the long queues of locals indicate that the xiao long bao is good, the prices and informal atmosphere make it accessible for anyone to try.

Jia Jia Tang Bao 佳家汤包. 90 Huanghe Lu, Shanghai. China. People's Square near Fengyang Lu. 黄河路90号, 近凤阳路.