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

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/

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.

Sheng Jian Bao

Promises of endless xiao long bao lured me to Shanghai after the first fateful encounter at Joe’s Shanghai in New York City only 2 years before. How that hot broth managed to remain protected behind the thin dumpling skin was such a mystery (until a thorough internet search revealed the secret that I think I would now prefer to remain mystified by). I had to taste the real thing.

Upon arrival, I was enthusiastically informed of a near cousin of xiao long bao – sheng jian bao. “It’s like xiao long bao but fried.” Oooh! Now that is an intriguing idea. The Americans enlightening me on this form of baozi claim to relish the frying methods. Frying things is a favorite method of cooking in the States, especially in the South. Caramelizing the dumpling skin would add a whole dimension to the experience.

The roads to sheng jian bao in Shanghai lead to Wujiang Lu, off of Nanjing Xi Lu, a short walk from the metro station. Here is a street packed with little low-brow restaurants and people milling about and bouncing from window to window to decide which place will serve the most satisfying meal of the moment. Yang’s Fry Dumpling sits on the east end of the road, right next to another Yang’s Fry Dumpling. With one being so good, imagine having another location right next door!

The prep area is full of people ripping off small pieces from a giant dumpling dough ball and spooning some filling in before swiftly closing off the dumpling and throwing it in a large, heavy iron pan. The pan lined with raw sheng jian bao is put over a flame and doused with oil before being covered with a large wooden lid to steam. Once done cooking, a sprinkling of sesame seeds completes the cooking process.


Ordering is done at a till first where you pay. Each order of sheng jian bao is of 4 for 5¥ and two orders can make a satisfying meal. You take your receipt to the prep area where a server will either scoop the hot dumplings in a take away carton or in a bowl to eat there. Service is fast and efficient, but there is no order. If another customer who ordered after you manages to get their ticket to the server first, you will have to wait after one more person until you get your ticket in.


Sheng jian bao is larger in size to its xiao long bao counterpart, resembling a small ball than dumpling. Its rounder shape holds due to a thicker dumpling skin and that the fried bottom reinforces its base. Unlike xiao long bao, you cannot pop the whole thing in your mouth, unless you have a really big mouth. Plus, all the juice contained within the thick dumpling walls will squirt out like a water hose. It’s also extremely hot and the juices inside tongue searing. Chinese like their food fresh so what’s fresher than straight from the pan?

Eating the dumpling is not as neat as the xiao long bao. There is more mass to deal with and if you are not careful, the dumpling will jump out from between your chopsticks and land in the vinegar dipping sauce getting more liquid everywhere. If your skills are not up to par, then add oily broth from the dumpling to the vinegar for an even bigger splash. Getting through the dumpling skin is not so easy either as it is a lot thicker and more held together from the frying process making it more difficult to neatly bite off a bit of dough to create a little hole to slurp the juices from.

Yang’s sheng jian is quite tasty though a bit more fattening from all the oil. The best part is all the incredible juices the meat is floating in. There are a lot of other dumpling shops in Shanghai serving sheng jian bao, but they say that Yang’s is the best.

For my personal taste, I would choose xiao long bao over sheng jian bao. The much thinner dumpling skin and steaming do not make the dumpling so heavy and weigh you down. After a steamer of soup dumplings, you are still satisfied, but do not feel bloated or lethargic from the oil. Though, that aspect is more likely to be craved for after a long night of drinking.

Yang’s Fry Dumpling. 54-60 Wujiang Lu, Nanjing Xi Lu near Nanjing Xi Lu.

Xiao Long Bao

The hunt for good xiao long bao in London is a laborious effort, requiring a significant amount of time trolling the internet for restaurants and blog entries from fellow foodies along with carefully analyzing each one. Xiao long bao is a shanghainese dumpling commonly made with pork or crab with soup on the inside made from a meat gelatin that turns to broth when heated. Outside of Shanghai, it seems that Joe's Shanghai in New York City is the next best match with its lovely parcels of goodness resting on a bed of cabbage in a bamboo steamer.

The proper way to eat xiao long bao is to first gently lift the dumpling from the bamboo basket without ripping the sides. If it rips, all the precious broth will spill out. This has proved to be a difficult feat if the dumplings are stuck together in the steamer, the wrapper gets stuck to the steamer or the paper in the steamer it is sitting on. At Joe's Shanghai, this is easily avoided as the dumplings are on a bed of steamed cabbage to prevent sticking. After successfully retrieving the in-tact dumpling, dip in the vinegar sauce with ginger before placing on the Chinese soup spoon. Over a bowl of rice (a personal recommendation and best to catch and absorb any of the nice bits that may fall off of the spoon) and using the spoon as foundation and chopsticks as support, carefully bite a small piece of the dumpling near or around the top to create an small opening from which you can suck out the hot broth. Now you can also start taking bites of the dumpling inside.

After sampling xiao long bao at the most recommended Chinese restaurants in London, the siu luong bao from Leong’s Legends is the current winner. Although the skin is the slightest bit thin, the xiao long bao is full of broth compared to its counterparts at Chinese Experience and Pearl Liang, edging out its competition. The broth bursts into hot joy in your mouth. The majority of the xiao long bao from Chinese Experience does not have as much broth and breaks or is already broken, though still really good. The dipping sauce at Chinese Experience might be better as well.

Xiao long bao is a deal at Leong’s Legends for a bamboo steamer of 8 for only £5.00, while a steamer of 3 at Chinese Experience is £3.20. Watch out for the “SC” on the receipt, which is the discreetly added service charge. Sampling the xiao long bao at Leong’s Legends is definitely a must while in Chinatown.

Leong’s Legends. 4 Macclesfield Street, London, W1D 6AX