21598 Wed Oct 09 12:41:23 -0700 2002 13 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 78252 I'm looking for a place that serves Shanghai soup dumplings (xiao long bao). These are the dumplings that have a sip of soup inside the wrapper. Shanghai Joe's in Manhattan is famous for them. Are they available in the Bay Area, especially in the East Bay? Wed Oct 09 12:41:23 -0700 2002 0 Michael Rodriguez 1 78258 Welcome to Chowhound, Michael. The pursuit of xiao long bao is a never-ending quest on this board. Linked below is the latest report, although not not a terribly satisfactory one. However, if you follow the embedded links in that thread, it will take you to an earlier thread, and from that one to the previous, etc. which detail the many places 'hounds have reported on so far in this hunt. We welcome your reports too on what you find. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/21558#77975 Wed Oct 09 13:09:07 -0700 2002 78252 0 Melanie Wong 1 78261 Go to the post linked below. I tried them long ago and found them to be great. My dad claimed it's the best he ever had. We will be having several chowhound get togethers in the near future for outstanding & authentic Chinese places in the South bay area - keep checking the board for them. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/21587#78155 Wed Oct 09 13:25:13 -0700 2002 78252 0 Han Lukito 1 78286 Michael--I, too, am a huge fan of Shanghai Joe's soup dumplings (just had them a few weeks ago). Local chowhounds are on a never ending quest to find the best SF version. Stay posted. Wed Oct 09 16:28:35 -0700 2002 78252 0 jenniferfishwilson 1 78287 Having recently moved back from New York, I too have been on a quest to find soup dumplings. So far, using San Francisco magazines March 2002 issue as my guide, I came across Shanghai Noodles on Balboa in the Outer Richmond District of San Francisco. While they are not as "soupy" as Joe's Shanghai or my personal favorite, Evergreen SHanghai on Mott St, I definitely found it to be a good start. I believe there is also a Shanghai restaurant on Judah in the Inner Sunset, but have not had a chance to venture out. Wed Oct 09 16:37:53 -0700 2002 78252 0 Maureen W 1 78288 Be aware that the xiaolong bao you'll find around SF are not directly comparable to the "soup dumplings" that are the rage in New York. Generally speaking, they are truer to the Shanghai model (smaller, firmer and somewhat less soupy). I've indulged in the soup dumplings at Joe's Shanghai and at the (Mid-town) Evergreen and found them, while juicy and tasty enough, a somewhat different experience. It seems the only way to eat then is prop them on a spoon and nibble carefully at them. With the Shanghai XLB, I've adopted what I call the "cherry tomato" approach -- pop the whole thing in your mouth and let the flavors explode (risking, of course, an occasional burnt tongue). Link: http://www.shanghaisoup.com Wed Oct 09 16:45:02 -0700 2002 78252 0 Gary Soup 1 78300 I believe this to be the same or close to the Chow Zhou Dumpling served in Fukian. I fell in love with this speciality on trips to this area. I found a wonderful one at the Harbor View in SF. I am not sure if they are still there, as I know they closed their HK/Kowloon branch several years back. These are the size of a softball: noodle dough outside and wonderful hot broth and soup stuff inside! Love them! Mary-Anne Wed Oct 09 18:15:00 -0700 2002 78252 0 Mary-Anne 2 78345 What you're describing is something different. In Cantonese it's called boon tong gau. I love them too, but the two dim sum teams don't share my enthusiasm, so have not focused on this item in the current challenge. Thu Oct 10 02:38:45 -0700 2002 78300 0 Melanie Wong 3 2471641 The Cantonese version is not only bigger, but I think usually contains some high end ingredients such as sharks fin. Of course XLB can also contain high end ingredients such as hairy crab. Wed Apr 11 14:07:30 -0700 2007 78345 12082 PeterL 1 2470618 visiting san francisco in june, and wanted to see if any of these places are still open, who recommends what, etc. etc. Wed Apr 11 10:06:44 -0700 2007 78252 42189 ccqueen 2 2471175 One place that's well-regarded for XLB that's still around is Shanghai in Oakland Chinatown. If you're visiting and staying downtown, it's probably easier to get to than the places in the Outer Richmond district: hop on BART, hop off at 12th Street and walk a couple of blocks to 10th and Webster. Wed Apr 11 12:18:20 -0700 2007 2470618 10159 Ruth Lafler 3 2472564 Yeah, I was there less than a week ago and the XLB were as good as ever. I would add Shanghai House on Balboa in SF to the list. Three of the four times I've had the XLB they neared perfection. The one time they didn't was New Year's Day, which might have been a day off (or an off day) for the chef/owner. Wed Apr 11 18:38:56 -0700 2007 2471175 10255 Gary Soup 1 2471851 Try Shanghai Dumplings on Balboa in the Richmond District. Yummy dumplings; horrible service. Wed Apr 11 15:06:15 -0700 2007 78252 82741 kresge86 1 2471856 Here's a link to a brief review of Shanghai Dumpling Shop - http://www.sfweekly.com/search/restaurants.php?oid=21263 Wed Apr 11 15:07:52 -0700 2007 78252 82741 kresge86