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May 4, 2005
The Spring 2005 Shanghai Xiao Long Bao Survey
Xiao long baos (小籠包), or commonly referred to as "soup dumplings" in English, originated in Shanghai. At least in New York, I have never tasted a single one that I can even remotely consider to be a passable rendition of this fine Chinese delicacy. All xiao long baos in New York have one thing in common: the skins are ridiculously thick. And they tend to be too large. If you're lucky the filling might be about right, with a good amount of soup; but the skin.... oh the humanity! Sometimes they are so thick I could swear I was eating a cha shao bao (roast pork bun). New Yorkers love Chinese food and, if you've ever seen the lines at Joe's Shanghai in Chinatown and Flushing (horrible xiao long baos, btw), many love xiao long baos. Sadly what they are waiting in line for are not even a pale imitation of the real thing.
Some background before we start, since many people have never tasted a true xiao long bao: A proper xiao long bao should have very thin skin, about spoon sized and soupy on the inside. The skin is such an integral part of the dish that I'm shocked that not a single restaurant in New York can get it right (c'mon people!). The best xiao long baos have skins so thin that they are practically translucent. As you carefully pick one up with your chopsticks, you could literally see the weight of the soup stretching the skin down, threatening to rip the thin wrapping apart, yet it should have enough elasticity to hold it all in. The delicate balance of dough, soup and meat then explodes in a wash of flavors in your mouth.
My favorite xiao long baos are from the famous Taiwanese restaurant Ding Tai Feng (鼎泰豐). They have branches all over (Shanghai, Tokyo, HK, LA), but for some reason not in New York. I've tried the Shanghai, HK and Tokyo branches and they are all about the same with each other, but all are slightly worse than the original in Taipei. Still good enough to be better than most xiao long baos out there, though. [Update: I finally tried LA's Ding Tai Feng and it was BAD!!!]
Here is my quest for the ultimate xiao long baos in their birthplace, Shanghai. Whose xiao long bao will reign supreme! Allez cuisine!
Any survey of xiao long baos in Shanghai must start with Nanxiang Mantou Dian (南翔饅頭店) in Old Town God's Temple (城隍廟), a horribly tacky tourist area. After all, this is the shop that invented xiao long baos. You'll always find a mad line of people waiting to buy 16 xiao long baos for 8RMB/US97¢ at the take-out window (That's 16! For less than a buck US!).
Upstairs, there are two areas where you can sit down and dine. One is more expensive and thus less wait. And supposedly they have better quality than the crazy cheap stuff downstairs, so you are not just paying for the ambiance. That's what they claim anyway.
Anyway, we tried the deluxe upstairs version.
We tried both the regular version (30RMB/US$3.62 for 6) and the crab meat version (50RMB/US$6.04 for 6). Compare those prices with the 16 for 8RMB at the take-out window and you see why there's a huge line for those downstairs.
So how's the xiao long baos from the people who invented xiao long baos? Eh. Disappointing. The skin here, though not nearly as thick as the abominations they call "soup dumplings" in NYC, is not as thin as Ding Tai Feng's. The thick skin ruined the dish already so I couldn't even really try to figure out if the filling is good or not since it's irrelevant at that point. (I don't think it was anything special, btw. It was soupy, that's about the best I can say about it.)
And just so you know I'm not talking out of my ass about the need for thinness. The brochure at Nanxiang stresses that the skin should be thin. Too bad they don't listen to their own literature.
Anyway, if this were in New York it would be by far the best xiao long bao in the city. Not saying much, since it's not that hard to be the best when the rest are such zeros. But compared with Taipei's Ding Tai Feng? Not even kind of close.
I also tried an "old" Shanghai restaurant, Wang Jia Sha (王家沙). It's one of those places that's been around forever for one reason or another.
I sampled their crab meat xiao long bao (15RMB/US$1.81 for 4), as they are known for their crab meat fillings in many dishes, from xiao long baos to spring rolls. These were pretty large-ish and the skins were hella thick. For a second I thought I was back in New York's Chinatown. If you haven't gotten the hint by now, I hate NY's Chinese food. Flushing in Queens is better, though. But that's so far it might as well not be in NY. Am I bitter that Chinese food sucks on my beloved Manhattan island? Hell yes.
Oh, by the way, the rest of the food at this restaurant sucked, too. Extremely greasy and tasteless. Reminded me of the times I've spent in the middle of China where everything tasted like they were drenched in stale oil. But anyway, this is about xiao long baos, so we soldier on...
Next, I sampled xiao long baos from a couple of "regular" restaurants that have reputations as being good places. The one pictured above is from Weng Restaurant (翁家魚翅) during dim sum (the dim sum was quite good, easily one of the better dim sum places in Shanghai). The xiao long baos are not as large as they appear in the photo above. The basket is one of those small dim sum steamers. Again, the skin was too thick (though, again, thinner than New York). Not pictured is another basket of xiao long baos we had at another well regarded restaurant. Also about the same: Nothing objectionable, but nothing too good either. Let's just say you won't be pissed off after eating them (I'm frequently pissed off after eating because I can't believe people have the audacity to serve such crappy food and charge for it).
So far, the survey has been a bust. Everything had been mediocre (and even horrible—damn you Wang Jia Sha!). I was beginning to think only the Taiwanese can make good xiao long baos. Until...
This is it... I've finally found xiao long baos that can give the ones from Taipei's Ding Tai Feng a run for their money.
It's true.
These were from 佳家湯包/Jia Jia Tang Bao, this dirty little hole-in-the-wall on a small street in 黃浦區/Huangpu that sells basically only xiao long baos. A basket of 15 costs 6RMB. That's US72¢!!
The place is about the size of a large walk-in closet, with four girls standing in one corner, wrapping the xiao long baos and three tiny tables and a bunch of stools for the customers.
They make the xiao long baos to order on the spot. They wrap them only after you've ordered. Incidentally, everyone who worked in this little hole in the wall was a teenage girl... I like the way the owner thinks... Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. The xiao long baos are a little smaller than usual, I like the size quite a bit. The skins are delicate and thin, but are somehow not quite the same consistency and feel as the ones from Ding Tai Feng (might be a weeee bit thicker). I'm not saying it's better or worse, just a little different. And they had an incredible amount of soup inside. I've never had soupier soup dumplings. They are easily twice as soupy as any other soup dumplings I've had. The taste is a touch on the sweet side, but it didn't bother me.
And really, let me remind you, they were 72 cents!!!
On a price/performance ratio, I don't think any xiao long baos can beat them.
We also tried the crab version (16.5RMB/US$1.99 for 15) which I didn't like. Less soupy and very... crabby. Perhaps if you love crabs you might like them. I felt like I was literally eating a crab with some dumpling skin wrapped around it. They have many other varieties of xiao long bao fillings that I didn't try: chicken-pork, chicken only, shrimp-pork and shrimp only.
But the regular soup dumplings... nice!
And finally, to complete the survey, I went to the Shanghai branch of Taipei's Ding Tai Feng.
Pictured above is a special type of xiao long bao. Ding Tai Feng calls the regular ones xiao long bao (小籠包) and they call these xiao long tang bao (小籠湯包). They are much smaller. A basket comes with 20 of them (58RMB/US$7). As you can see, they look a little different from the regular ones as well. They are kind of "upside down", the creases being on the bottom.
Not only are these smaller, they come with a bowl of soup on the side that you can either drink separately or eat with the xiao long baos. The little "dumplings" have soup inside as well, so I'm not entirely sure why they want you do eat them with extra soup on the side. I end up eating them on a spoonful of soup and they are good!
I don't know how it is at the other branches, but at least in Taipei, Ding Tai Feng doesn't serve this dish everyday. In Taipei, this is only available on weekend mornings before 11am. The Tokyo branch doesn't serve it at all, and I'm not sure if the HK one serves it either (I've only been there once and I didn't pay attention to whether they had it).
Anyway, here in the Shanghai branch, they serve them all day long, everyday. The first time I came here a couple of years ago, I was so excited since I had always wanted to try them, but I never went to Ding Tai Feng on a weekend morning.
The only problem with these baby xiao long baos is that they cool down much faster. If you don't eat them quickly, they lose that piping hotness essential to the enjoyment of a xiao long bao very fast.
Eating Ding Tai Feng and Jia Jia Tang Bao on consecutive nights, I can say that Ding Tai Feng is still better. Not by a whole lot, but better. Just keep in mind that Ding Tai Feng in Taipei is yet another notch better. But you know, it was 6RMB last night, so maybe Jia Jia Tang Bao was better after all, if you take price into consideration. A little better in a much nicer surrounding versus much cheaper in a much crappier surrounding (I hear it gets crazy hot in that little closet of a restaurant in the summer time). Your call.
And with this, I have concluded my Spring 2005 Shanghai Xiao Long Bao Survey. I tried six (I consider) representative places, from the inventor of xiao long baos, to famous hole-in-the-wall, to well-regarded restaurants run by both Shanghainese proprietors and Taiwanese proprietors, etc, etc. Verdict: Ding Tai Feng reigns supreme (even in its inferior Dalu branch). Jia Jia Tang Bao is a close second, especially considering the insane price. Everywhere else: don't bother. And to my New York friends: except for Wang Jia Sha, even the worst xiao long bao I had was way better than what you can find in New York. Wang Jia Sha, however, gains my eternal loathing for reminding me of not only the heinous greasy food I was forced to eat in the middle of China but also the detestable xiao long baos I have to eat in NY.
PS: Before I end this post, I have one last rant: Stop calling every single god damn Chinese dish you can't translate a "dumpling". A dumpling is a "dumpling". A xiao long bao is not a soup "dumpling". And a zongzi is not a rice "dumpling". We don't call every Western dish a "burger"... Maybe steaks are "naked burgers". French fries are "shredded meatless potato burgers". Philly cheesesteaks are "Philly burgers". Hotdogs are "elongated burgers". Etc, etc.
PPS: I ate many other types of food during my two-week stay in Shanghai, to see a photo diary of what I ate, see my photoset, A Taste of Shanghai, on Flickr.
Restaurant informations:
南翔饅頭店, 豫園路85號
Nanxiang Mantou Dian, inside Old Town God's Temple (Cheng Huang Miao or Yuyuan in Chinese), can't miss it, (021) 6355-4206
王家沙, 南京西路805號 (考石門一路)
Wang Jia Sha, 805 West Nanjing Road (near Shimen First Road), (021) 6217-0625
翁家魚翅, 淮海中路138號, 上海廣場三樓
Weng Restaurant, 138 Central Huaihai Road, (021) 6375-6377
佳家湯包,河南南路638號 (文廟路口)
Jia Jia Tang Bao, 638 South Henan Road (by Wenmiao Road), (021) 6366-3570
鼎泰豐, 水城路18號和平廣場內
Ding Tai Fung (that's how they spell it with the incorrect pinyin), 18 Shui Cheng Road (inside Peace Square), (021) 6208-4188
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Comments
Where do you like to get the buns here in NYC ?
Posted by: Andrew at May 19, 2005 9:41 AM
Just found your blog looking for Xiao Long Bao after a conversation of trying to find anything decent in the US.
Posted by: Han Su Kim at May 19, 2005 7:32 PM
Really enjoyed reading about your quest. I finally got to try the XLB at Ding Tai Fung in Arcadia (LA) after many many repeat visits to branches in Tokyo (Takashimaya & Shiodome) and Taipei (Hsin Yi Rd only) . Have to say it was a disappointment. Perhaps because of the metal steamers they use, the skins dried out too quickly, and the fillings tasted strongly of inferior pork and too much sesame oil. The over-salty pai-gu skirted dangerously close to greasiness - and c'mon, how can you go wrong with deep-fried pork and 5 spice powder? But, in comparison to the horrors I've tasted in NYC, still very very good...
Posted by: chibi at May 26, 2005 10:36 PM
Right on.
That's exactly my experience at Arcadia's DTF too (I finally went recently)... Completely inferior to the other branches in Asia. I hope people who've never been to the REAL Ding Tai Fengs don't mistake the LA one as what it's all about.
And regarding where I like to get the buns here in NYC? The answer is "nowhere"... they all suck.
Posted by: Yusheng at May 26, 2005 11:18 PM
Food comparison is totally subjective. Unless we're talking about NYC Chinese food..hehe. In that case, we all know how much it really sucks. Ding Tai Feng is good but I hardly think it's the best. And considering its insane prices, it better be superior than the rest. IMO, Suzhou and not Shanghai has the best xiao long bao in China. Not only that, they're super cheap.
Posted by: Michael at June 2, 2005 12:27 PM
Really nice survey about xiao long bao.:)
I'll be trying those places you mentioned when i have time. So far, all the xiao long bao I've had here taste more or less the same..
Posted by: aline at June 6, 2005 12:22 AM
Jia Jia Tang Bao is definitely worth a detour especially if you are into that roughing-it-with-the-locals experience.
Posted by: Yusheng at June 6, 2005 2:07 AM
More XLB talk on eGullet, if you haven't been there already. Ever wonder how they get that soupy goodness inside?...Read on...
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=54214
Posted by: PurrrL at June 13, 2005 2:41 PM
I've been on my own xiaolong bao quest since 1992, when I had my xiaolong bao epiphany at the Nanxiang Xiaolong Mantou Dian. That was before they reconstructed the building and added the downstairs takeout window. In those days, the NXXLMTD were the standard for XLB, and the wrappers simply melted in your mouth, they were so delicate. I was last there in 2002, and had the xiaolong bao from the takeout line (a 1 HR wait!) The wrappers were thicker than I remembered, but I attributed it to the fact that they were made sturdier because they are simply dumped rudely into a paper boat. Just last month my sister-in-law was in Shanghai and reprted the the XLB upstairs had gone way downhill, so you are probably right about the current state.
Incidentally, the xiaolong bao in NYC that I've found closest (but no cigar) to the real thing was at, of all places, the trendy hipster bar M Shanghai Bistro in Williamsburg. I live in San Francisco, however, so I haven't been able to check out all the New York (especially Flushing) venues.
The best XLB I've found recently in North America were at Shanghai Xiao Chi in Oakland, California's Chinatown. I also found a good version Richmond, BC (Vancouver suburb) in the Richmond Public Market Food Court at a stall called Beijing-Shanghai Delicacies.
A absolutely aree with you that Joe's Shanghai "soup dumplings" have given XLB a bad name. I've steered New Yorkers to more authentic versions when they were visiting San Francisco, and sometimes they are disappointed that they are not like Joe's version!
I have a rule about the skins: if at least one XLB in 8 doesn't burst when lifting, they are made too tough.
Keep up the quest!
Posted by: Gary Soup at June 29, 2005 11:12 AM
Gary, funny you should mention Bejing-Shanghai Delicacies in Richmond as my brother was just there and said the XLB was, considering the cheap price, not bad.
I have to slightly disagree with you on one thing, however. The skin should never break! Not even when they are of the appropriate thinness. They should be elastic enough to hold the soup in. I'm assuming you don't have atrocious chopstick techniques, of course, haha. Anyway, thanks for the thoughtful comment.
Posted by: Yusheng at July 1, 2005 7:46 AM
I think you are a little too picky about all of this. I personally think Joe's Shanghai in NYC Chinatown is very nice - sure the skin is a little on the thick side. I also think the Xiao Long Bao in Ding Tai Feng in Taipei on Hsin Yi Road are good too. But with all the hype about Ding Tai Feng, I can't say I noticed that big of a difference when I ate there. Actually in Taipei, in my opinion, most restaurants that serve Xiao Long Bao serve them with pretty thin skins. The times you will find them with thick skins is when you buy them from a street vendor. Those bought of the street are supposed to be more for like snacking from a bag, so I guess maybe this is why they make the skin thicker, that is, so they don't break apart in your bag - but, who knows? But, yeah, I don't get why you're so picky about all of this - or why I've let you steal 2 minutes of my life writing this gibberish.
Posted by: HoraceBCheng at July 8, 2005 1:04 PM
Sorry! Just passed by and had to comment on the "last comment". I do not agree with HoraceBCheng on her comment about not much difference in XLB. I think there is a HUGE difference both in the thickness, quality, elasticity, specularity on the skin of the XLB. I too sampled XLB in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Shanghai hoping to find that legendary XLB but ended up in dissappointment in most cases. Ding Tai Feng is one of the best if not the best XLB I have ever tasted so far. I have never been to NY but I can imagine it would be impossible to get any good XLB there. For a start, their pork will be completely different to Chinese pork.
See my comments on Ding Tai Feng at: http://spaces.msn.com/members/felixcheung/Blog/cns!1psCo5xV_FqC7J8ccn2gdudg!1331.entry
Posted by: kuponuts at August 21, 2005 2:10 PM
Em, I'm not exactly sure on the specific details exactly.. but my favorite XLB-lookalikes come from
1) GuanTangBao.. famous muslim place in Xi'An muslim district. Lamb or beef, I know.. but knocked my socks off. Blew away any XLB I ever ate in Shanghai.
2) While eating some dimsum we had some slightly thicker skinned and larger (and EXPENSIVE) Crab XLB brought to the table, with a beautiful yellow broth inside. Fantastic.
But still.. the GTB.. amazing.
Posted by: Joel at October 17, 2005 10:56 AM
I'm Shanghainese and I got to disagree with some of your points here. True, thin skin is important, but once its thin enough, making skin thinner is not going to make much difference. Although 南翔 xiao long bao is not what it once was, it's skin is thin enough. I even think the skin at Joe's Shanghai is acceptable.(The price is not)
The key to xiao long bao is the soup inside the dumpling. If soup is good, even if the skin is too thick, dumpling is still good. If there are no soup, it don't matter how thin the skin is, it's still bad. I have had xiao long bao at Arcadia's Din Tai Fung. Sure the skin is thinner than anywhere else I've been. But the soup inside wasn't all that flavorful. It's very good, but NOT the best xiao long bao I ever had. However I will withheld judgement on the chain until I have been to the main one in Taipei.
Posted by: Shane at October 31, 2005 5:02 PM
Shane: They are all important: the skin, the soup and the meat. But since the skin is literally the first thing you bite into, once that is not right, there's almost no point in discussing the rest of the dish. I wouldn't bother with a pasta dish if the noodles were over cooked even if the sauce was amazing.
I will admit, however, that this entry focused way too heavily on the skin component of the xiaolongbaos. Mostly because this is geared towards American readers who have never tried proper xiaolongbao skins. Plus, damn it, the skin is important (see: pasta).
And btw, Joe's Shanghai is horrible. And the Arcadia DTF is, while better than Joe's, horrible as well.
Posted by: Yusheng at November 1, 2005 2:14 AM
I was delighted to find people who has the same passionn as me: Gourmet food.
Xiao long bao, ah, grew up in Shanghai, I miss it so much.
Since I can't find it anywhere in Hawaii, not that there's any decent Northern China food in Hawaii, I might have to go to Shanghai for a trip. (sign), expensive xiaolong bao.
Posted by: Jennifer at November 20, 2005 2:18 PM
hey there - enlightening stuff on xlb's...
i'm with you on nanxiang and ding tai feng, and i'm pretty sure i've been to the hole you described at some point during my 2.5 years living there.
my personal favourite however is crystal jade, the singaporean chain now with three branches in shanghai. in fact, you were just moments away from my favourite outlet in xintiandi, on the second floor within sight of dtf. talk about thin skins man - they're the most delicate ones i've ever had an incredibly flavourful.
one question though: what are we supposed to call these things if not 'soupy' pork/crab dumplings?!?!
-mh
Posted by: mary helen at January 16, 2006 10:31 AM
Mary,
re: Crystal Jade. Yes, I've heard from reliable sources that they are quite good. In all my trips to Shanghai I've somehow never managed to make it there for a taste. Maybe next time.
And what to call them? How about just "xiaolongbaos"??
Posted by: Yusheng at January 17, 2006 2:43 AM
I've tried the XLB's in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles. New York is the best. Boston was awful, but the rest in California were all decent.
I think your preferences might depend on where you first tried the XLB's. I grew up in NYC, where Joe Shanghai is raved by all. I really don't understand all of you when you say that it's horrible.
While their skin may not be the thinnest, Joe Shanghai has the best soup filling, making it the best XLB in my opinion. It's bursting with flavor. The texture of the soup is perfect as well. I could drizzle some of that soup on top of white rice and be perfectly happy. I don't waste my time with the regular pork ones. I only get the pork-crab. Joe Shanghai uses the roe from blue shell crabs to make the soup, which gives it the amazing unique flavor that other restaurants lack. Other restaurants only use the meat I think.
Din Tai Fung in Arcadia (LA) is pretty decent, but I wish they served them steamed on top of cabbage instead of that wax paper. They do look very delicate. The skin is definitely thin and translucent, but the soup is lacking in flavor.
The ones in San Francisco and Bay Area are ok too, but nothing special. There's a place in Milbrae that's pretty decent. Better than Din Tai Fung I'd say. The one on Balboa Street is decent.
I've heard from a some XLB fanatic friends that Vancouver has the best ones (outside of Asia). They all rank the XLB's in this order (#1 = best):
1) Vancouver
2) Joe Shanghai (NYC)
3) Din Tai Fung (Arcadia/LA)
4) everything else is mediocre or crappy
One of my friends fully admitted that Joe Shanghai is as good as the best places in HK and Shanghai. I really don't understand how you can say it's not good.
Posted by: nyc xlb at January 17, 2006 2:17 PM
I am a Shanghai native. I have to say the 南翔饅頭店 in Old Town God's Temple (城隍廟) is not the original one. The original 南翔XL店 is literally located in NanXiang (南翔), in the suburb of Shanghai. There is a street in NanXiang dedicated to selling XLBs, but in my opinion, the best XLB can be found in Gu Qi Yuan (古琦园). I have not had a chance to try Ding Tai Fung's XLB, so I cannot make a comparsion, but by far, the best XLB I've ever had is definifetly in NanXiang. Here's a random link that turned up when I searched for 古琦园. It has several pictures of 古琦园 and its XLB.
http://polo.vwschool.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=75744&sid=8b757db8381889d037c79d0c12c5a2f0
Posted by: mike at March 3, 2006 1:47 AM
I also went to Shanghai looking for the Holy Grail of XLBs. The "real original" XLBs (if there is such a term) came from a small town 30 minutes outside Shanghai. (Can't remember the name of the place now.) In all, I was disappointed with those at the center of origin, but it was a fun experience to drive out there and eat them at the original hole in the wall that was freezing in January with no heat.
The best ones I've ever tasted were in Shanghai at the Central Hotel 5th Floor restaurant--made with Shanghai crabs, which is this place's specialty during the season. I'll definitely pass on the actual crabs themselves for such dinky things at $35--BUT I could die for more XLBs there. Other places in Shanghai were a disappoinment.
Living in Tokyo I've experienced Ding Tai Fung, and the Nanxin outlets. I enjoyed these very much--much more than the ones in Shaghai in general. However, the prices and lines keep me away. A real hidden treasure are the XLBs served in the basement of the Odakyu Halc at a place called Madame China. Outstanding taste and prices--and with hardly any crowd, one of the best kept secrets in Tokyo, as far as I'm concerned.
A disappointment is that none of these places in Tokyo will sell them to go, cooked or otherwise.
I'm gong to Hong KOng in a week, and while XLBs are not typical Hong Kong/Cantonese food, I want to try one of these XLB chain restuarants with outlets in Hong Kong also.
Posted by: Ron at April 7, 2006 12:30 PM
Such a long tread of discussing XLB even the made-up term started to sound acceptable. I wonder if the original writer still hold any interests in further discussing the subject... First I thought most of the posters are food snobs, but than again I found all the saying about XLB on this page to be quite helpful for my own quest of searching decent (or half decent) XLB in the US.
I have had some when I was visiting Flushing 6 years ago and it was not too impressive. But consider the fact that you are not in China, I get by. Though I thought even this tiny dirty ghetto restaurant in China Town (don't remember the name but was pointed by a street cop :) ) was slightly better. I saw the girls busy making XLBs behind the glass window, reminded me how it's like back home. Of course the skin was not paper thin. Currently I can only count on those home visiting trips I take to China every once a long while to fulfill my XLB craving. And believe me, there are a hand full of good places there other than just one to none some snobs are saying here.
Biased or not, I accept all the opinion people have left here! Hopefully someday when I am sitting down at one of those establishments people have mentioned, sampling the wonderful XLB, I can say "Zhang San was right" or "Li Si was way off, what was he smoking...?"
Posted by: Mr. Noodle at April 10, 2006 3:29 PM
Right on target! Am the biggest fan of Jia Jia Tang Bao too! Nothing beats the delicate texture and devine juice! Some ginger slices in rice vinegar and a bottled coke are pleasant add-ons! (I actually just got back from the place for lunch and stumbled across this site when I was trying to search some some Xiaolongbao pictures to justify my crazy addiction to a friend)
YUM!
Posted by: June at July 28, 2006 2:47 AM
Dear friend:
Would you pls let me know the address of the Din Tai feng's branch in LA.
tks a lot
Jimmy Yang
Posted by: jimmy yang at September 17, 2006 4:59 PM
1108 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 574-7068
Posted by: Yusheng at September 18, 2006 2:51 PM
http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/eng/
Din Tai Feng's website.
After posting here almost a year ago, it's strange to be linked back here from Slate.
Posted by: Shane at September 27, 2006 7:18 PM
As an American living in Shanghhai, I really enjoyed your post. Personjally i prefer "jianzhao" to "xiaolongbao", but ... there all great!
One nitpick:"We don't call every Western dish a 'burger'".
Hey wait a minute! Step inside any KFC or McDonalds (which will be overflowing with locals) and you will hear lots of talk of about "chicken hamburgers"! :-)
Great post, thanks!
Posted by: Shanghai Slim at October 6, 2006 8:53 PM
I must warn everyone who wants Jia Jia Tang Bao that the place is gone. The building has been demolished and it's not around any longer!
I found this out tonight after a taxi ride all the way there... don't make my mistake.
Posted by: aaron at November 13, 2006 8:32 AM
Jia Jia Tang Bao has been moved. According to www.dianping.com (in chinese only), there are 2 other locations, they're both in Huangpu district. I will try them later this week.
佳家汤包:
地址: 上海黄浦区黄河路90号(近凤阳路)
电话: 021-63276878
地址: 上海黄浦区中山南路777号(近董家渡路)
电话: 021-63783285
Posted by: Shane at December 1, 2006 2:50 AM
I like xiaolong too.
Posted by: jim at June 13, 2007 10:31 PM