My xiaolongbao week tour (long)

[Gary Soup]

April 7 is Xiaolong Bao Day, by my own proclamation, commemorating my 1992 xiaolong bao epiphany at the very Shrine of Xiaolong Bao in Shanghai. A planned trip to Shanghai for early April to got postponed, so I decided to make a Xiaolong Bao Week out of it anyway here in the Bay Area. All told I hit seven places for XLB over nine days including two weekends, with a break for Opening Day (no XLB at AT&T Park yet) and one other day when some small emergencies took up my time. All of the seven were in San Francisco except for Shanghai Restaurant in Oakland. All were solo lunchtime visits, around 1:00 PM in approximately the same state of hunger, and featured only xiaolong bao accompanied by salty soymilk soup (xian doujiang) where available and one usually one other snack item. Four were places I had been in the past, and three were new.

I should explain I have an “idée fixe” about xiaolong bao that might correspond to what others are looking for in XLB, particularly those who have cut their XLB teeth at Joe’s Shanghai in New York and its growing legion of imitators. I usually go for conventional pork XLB, for which there is a Platonic Ideal and gold standard, IMHO. What I look for are:

Size and shape – Compact, with a base between a quarter and 50-cent piece in diameter, tautly stuffed, and teminating in a pointed peak on top, not a spout. The larger, looser variety with a “foreskin” closure (which I’ll dub “Type II”) are sometimes found in crab XLB in Shanghai, with the spout stuffed with crab roe, but are almost never found in the regular pork variety, though that seems to have caught on outside of China, even at righteously Shagnhainese restaurants like Old Shanghai.

Flavor – Difficulty to describe, but it should be deep and rich from the soup stock (properly made from pork skin, lean pork, chicken and ham) as well as the aspic delivery medium. The soup should also be salty and have a bit of sesame oil “snap.”

Texture – The filling should be firm but neither overly chewy or mushy, and the wrappers seemingly impossibly melt-in-the mouth delicate for their role.

Here are my observations, in order of visitation:

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Go Go Café (Duo Duo Meishi)
830 Irving St
San Francisco, CA 94122
[phone]

I was drawn to this place by the sight of a good-looking thousand-layer pancake someone had gotten for takeout from Go Go, and by their impressive Shanghainese “dim sum” menu listing. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to have a clue as to XLB, coming up with a filling that was bland, flavorless, mealy in texture and almost soupless in an flabby but chewy wrapper. The savory soy milk I had with my meal was also a timid version, with the soymilk barely curdled and lacking in both saltiness and spiciness, but became edible with some salt and white pepper added. The onion pancake was the best of the three thins I ordered, though it was a thin single layer well studded with scallions, rather than the thicker layered version I prefer. Go Go Café has a broad menu and seems popular for the $5.95 whole soft-shell crab, so it might be worth checking our for some of the other items.
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Old Shanghai (Lao Shanghai)
5145 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94118
[phone]

I was happy to make my first visit to Old Shanghai in 10 years the second stop on my XLB tour, fully expecting a better XLB experience. I’m also a softie for places where the music of the crispy Shanghainese language fills the air. The XLB didn’t disappoint me, but didn’t entirely thrill me either. I was somewhat chagrined that Old Shanghai has gone over to the oversized “Type II” wrappers (the hip-hop pants of XLB-dom?) though they allowed for a greater quantity of excellently savory soup. The wrappers were overly tough, I felt (it actually enabled them to be steamed in an unlined basket) and the meat filling also seemed a bit too chewy. The xian doujiang I ordered as an accompaniment was an excellent version, though it lacked the usually complimentary small slices of you tiao in it. A whole you tiao at $2.25 would have been far more than I wanted. The scallion pancake here was also the best I had on the tour.
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Tian Sing (Tian Cheng)
138 Cyril Magnin St.
San Francisco CA 94102
[phone]

I posted previously on my visit here, which was out of curiosity and not really for the xiaolong bao. I’m in the “don’t order xiaolong bao at a Cantonese dim sum place” faction, and was going to exempt the XLB from rating, but since it didn’t finish last I will toss it into my rankings anyway. The main complaint (other than the blasted uncircumcised Type II wrapper) was the soup had little flavoring to it. Overall, however, I think Tian Sing fills an important niche, location-wise, and as an alternative to Yank Sing for visitors who want dim sum downtown (with carts yes).
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The Pot Sticker (Jing Hu)
50 Waverly Place
San Francisco, CA 94108
[phone]

The Pot Sticker is a place I want to like, given that it’s practically in my neighborhood and has an impressive lineup of northern-style “dim sum” on the menu. Its dim sum chef seems to specialize in making things that look great on the plate but are almost flavorless and characterless once you bite into them. About the only thing right about the XLB at The Pot Sticker is the size and orthodox wrapper; the filling was bland and chewy, and very little soup was delivered. In the past I wondered if they used the same filling for their pot stickers as for the XLB, and I found myself with the same thoughts. I avoided the soy milk soup, since the waiter advised me it was “no good” but had the scallion pancake. The scallion pancake is one of the few things they do really well, almost as well as Old Shanghai. Oh well, I’ll drop in again in another couple of years and hope things have improved.
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Xiao Loong (Xiao Long)
250 West Portal Ave.
San Francisco 94127
[phone]

Xiao Loong (other than the fact it was a total mystery to me) seduced me with its name, which seemed to be a challenge (never mind that the “long” means “dragon” and not “steamer”). It’s in West Portal, and I walked in with my eyes open, fully expecting a West Portal “gotcha!” (WP is like a small suburban town plunked down in the middle of San Francisco, and I never expect to find great food there.) The place and the creditable XLB were a pleasant surprise, however. They were quite similar to Old Shanghai’s version, though perhaps a bit less savory in the souping and if anything a bit larger in size. They also steamed them on a base of greens, but lost points for only having WHITE vinegar available to dip them in. They had no soybean milk soup or scallion pancakes, so I ordered a bowl of hot-sour soup which turned out to be excellent, chock-full of fresh shrimp, tofu and donggu mushrooms. It wasn’t as hot or as sour as I expected, though I didn’t expect that it would be (as Oliver Gogarty might have said), but H&S is infinitely adjustable via the condiments of the table). I expected something a little more fusion-y in Xiao Loong, but it’s really more upscale Chinese in intent, with a limited menu but some obvious talent in the kitchen. It’s probably worth a try for some main dishes.
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Shanghai Restaurant (Shanghai Xiao Chi)
930 Webster St
Oakland, CA 94607-4222
[phone]

I got to Shanghai Restaurant for the good stuff, after some fair-to-middling and almost-there versions of xiaolong bao and ordered two “longs” because they are small and come only 6 to a steamer. I wasn’t disappointed, and recent visits and recent reports by others left little of a mystery. Size and Shape? Check. Wrapper? Check. Filling? Check. Soup? Check. Roger, over and out, out the door purring with a belly full of xiaolong bao and xian doujiang. The world was not out of kilter.
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Shanghai Dumpling King (Bao Jiao Dian)
830 Irving St
San Francisco, CA 94122
[phone]

I had pretty much given up on Shanghai Dumpling King after discovering Shanghai (Oakland) and was not prepared for what greeted me there. On this day, everything that was good about Shanghai Oakland’s xiaolong bao was better at Shanghai Dumpling King (and when did they add the “King” to the name, anyway?) The wrappers were perfectly sized and perfectly tender. I’ve previously expounded my view that if one in eight wrappers doesn’t burst in transit between steamer and lips, they aren’t pushing the envelope on tenderness enough. As if on cue, the wrapper on dumpling #5 burst as I was lifting it. The soup was even more intensely savory at the “King’s” than at Shanghai Xiao Chi, and equally, if not more, plentiful, and the meat filling had just the right amount of bite. The fact that they are 10 to the steamer for $4.95 is frosting on the cake, er, vinegar on the baozi. It must be said that the accompanying dishes were less than satisfactory; the savory doujiang was not salty enough (and there was no salt shaker in the condiment tray) served lukewarm, and the pieces of you tiao in it were seriously stale. The mock goose I ordered was overly dry and chewy. But as for the xiaolong bao, I’d say the pendulum has swung back to this side of the bay.

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My overall rankings for the week’s tour:

1. Shanghai Dumpling King
2. Shanghai Restaurant
3. Old Shanghai
4. Xiao Loong
5. Tian Sing
6. The Pot Sticker
7. Go Go Cafe

Link: http://eatingchinese.org

Image: http://eatingchinese.org/bbspix/xlbpa...

[Gary Soup]

I obviously messed up the address for Shanghai Dumpling King. It should be:

Shanghai Dumpling King
3319 Balboa St
San Francisco, CA 94121-2703
[phone]

[Melanie Wong]

And the address for Go-Go Cafe is actually 1830 Irving.

[Gary Soup]

So much for my copy-and-paste skills. How about "next door to PPQ?"

[Chestnut]

Outstanding review. Now, my question is: have you ever tried any shengjian bao in the Bay Area worth eating? East Bay preferred, but really, anywhere you've found any that are up to par...

[Gary Soup]

Chestnut, I have tried the shengjiang bao (my second favorite Shanghainese specialty) at a number of places and have experienced various degrees of disappointment. I think that there's a widespread and misplaced reluctance to deliver the honest greasiness that goes with what I like to call "street-legal" SJB. Perhaps someone should go on an earnest hunt for them.

Link: http://eatingchinese.org

[Chestnut]

That is really too bad, Gary. Perhaps I will have to wait until I can make a trip to LA and environs for some decent shengjian bao. I also wonder if there would be better SJB in the South Bay...

[theSauce]

Not saying they're the best around, but China Tofu in Union City and 168 in 99 Ranch Mall Richmond has decent sheng jian bao.

[Peter Cherches]

Gary, your post couldn't have come at a more opportune time. I had a comment on Word of Mouth from a Bay Area person asking where to get xiaolongbao locally, and a day or two later along came your primer.

I was at the famous place in Shanghai in, I believe, 1994, but xiaolongbao were already pretty easy to find in NY by that time.

Link: http://petercherches.blogspot.com

[Gary Soup]

There are some places on the Peninsula and in the south bay that are reputed to have good XLB, but being happily committed to a carfree life I seldom get down there.

Link: http://eatingchinese.org

[Han Lukito]

Oakland's Shanghai: Maybe you just happened to accidentally hit it at the right time or something. I know what a good XLB is as I have it many times also.
Maybe it is better now that too many people complained. Don't know.

I also tried a number of dishes there and it was not that great. I remember the Shanghai noodles were not tasty and lack of meats, etc - just lots of noodles with bland flavor.

The only thing good was the Yang Chow fried rice. Probably on par with 369 restaurants with branches in the east and south bay area.

[Melanie Wong]

Mr. Soup's photo of the xlb at Shanghai in Oakland shows a dramatically different style than what I was served there last year. The ones I had were almost bready the wrappers were so thick, and certainly wouldn't have been able to sag/deflate the way the ones in his picture did.

Having tried those and reading reports here that Oakland and the new branch in San Mateo used the same source of frozen xlb, I didn't expect much when I tried Shanghai East last week. I had a pleasant surprise.

There have been downhill reports for Shanghain in Oakland since the new branch opened. I believe that Yimster reported that the owner is only in Oakland in Tuesdays. If that's still true, that might be the best day to go there.

Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

[andy]

I visited there about a year ago and their fried rice cakes (nian gao) and their wonton soup was delicious. besides their xlb, we also tried their pork/ leek dumplings (shue jia) and they were also very tasty- convinced me to buy the frozen bag of 50.

didn't get a chance to try their lion's head meatball. next time!

[Gary Soup]

You're entitled to your assessment, but I think I'm fairly well attuned to Shanghainese food for a "da bizi." I've had home-cooked Shanghainese cuisine fed to me nearly 365 days a year for the past 10 years, and have eaten at 40 or 50 restaurants in Shanghai, usually with the locals doing the selecting and ordering. Most of what Shanghai Oakland does is quite good. The XLB I had there on Saturday was no better, and possibly not quite as good, as in the past. If anything, it's Shanghai Dumpling King that I may have hit on a good day (for the XLB, that is).

Link: http://eatingchinese.org

[Mike Lee]

Is Shanghai Dumpling King the old Shanghai Dumpling which was previously called Sweet Temptations?

Second, I am also in the opinion that you might have to bring some Chowhounds to Shanghai in Oakland. I have been there before and the food was less than average. The XLBs were oversteamed and the Shanghai Rice Cakes lacked flavor and wasn't chewy but hard. I sent my friend from Shanghai to try when she was in the neighborhood and was equally disappointed in her experience as well. Her recollection was the same as mines if not worst. She also thought the XLBs were oversteamed and while she did not order the rice cakes, she wasn't enthusiatic about the two male chefs(?) getting into a fight in the restaurant.

[Melanie Wong]

Mike, when were you at Shanghai in Oakland after the new branch opened in San Mateo? I ask because the reports on Oakland were good for quite a while, then they fell off when San Mateo opened including my own. Maybe Gary's recent visit is a sign that they've come back up again.

[Mike Lee]

Hmm, when did the new branch open in San Mateo and what is the new branch name? Sorry, its a bit tough keeping track of all the restaurants in other cities that I visit now that I am in NYC.

I was there the first week of November, 2005 and my friend shortly after.

[Ruth Lafler]

I don't remember exactly when the San Mateo branch opened, but it was definitely well before November, 2005.

[Mike Lee]

Thanks a lot for the information. I will keep that in mind if I ever venture to Oakland and try the place again.

[Gary Soup]

Wes (Killer Robot) who keeps tabs on Shanghainese restaurants on the Peninsula, reports going there in January, 2005, shortly after it opened.

Link: http://www.killerrobot.com/wes/eats_c...

[Melanie Wong]

It's called Shanghai East, and I posted on the xlb and nian gao a couple days ago. The earliest posts I can find on it were more than 13 months ago.

If you need to make amends with your friend, send her to Lily's House in Lafayette. Stay away from the xlb and cong you bing, and try some of the other dishes like the glorious pork dish below. We had a blissful beggar's chicken there in December for the solstice. More information in these threads.
http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards/sanfrancisco/messages/169504.html
http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards/sanfrancisco/messages/157933.html

Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/42227#204736

Image: http://static.flickr.com/27/53291294_...

[theSauce]

Is Shanghai Dumpling King the old Shanghai Dumpling which was previously called Sweet Temptations? Yes.

I didn't think DK's XLB were all that great. Perhaps because my basket came with a nice dirty mop smell which killed the mood. I will give it another try when I'm in the 'hood.

[Gary Soup]

Oversteaming does not represent a systemic flaw; lack of attentiveness can happen on anybody's shift. As far as the two chefs fighting, hey, you can't get any more authentic than that! (Maybe they were fighting over the oversteamed XLB.) The niangao at Shanghai Xiao Chi were never as as good as Shanghai Dumpling (Shop, not King) but dinner items like the red-cooked pork joint, ma lan tou, kaofu and the cold dishes generally were good in the past.

As far as the current state, I only sampled the XLB and the xian doujiang last Saturday. But the place was jumping with Shanghainese customers.

Link: http://eatingchinese.org

[Mike Lee]

As we have talked about, I have had the "young man" who makes the XLBs for Shanghai in Oakland outside of that restaurant and I honestly don't think it does the XLBs justice when it is oversteamed. I don't disagree with you that the XLBs made by him are good, but it can definitely hurt the XLBs when restaurants that buy them off him aren't as attentive when steaming them.

You are right in that lack of attentiveness can happen in any shift BUT it seems rather persistent amongst non-regulars and I am not sure whether this is an accident when it happens twice in a matter of a few weeks between my friend and I.

Lastly, maybe we just have different gold standards in XLBs. Though, Nanxing Mantou Dian created XLBs, I much prefer DTF in Taipei's precise assembly-line style XLBs that produces the same perfect, delicate, yet flavorful XLBs steamer after steamer. Maybe I am just opinionated but my gripe is much higher when it comes to restaurants' lack of attention to details when timing is probably the key controling factor in cooking.

[Gary Soup]

I've never had DTF's baozi (and I hear that they vary in quality from location to location). I do feel sometimes that I am chasing ghosts, since I have heard a number of credible reports, including a recent one from my sister-in-law (the person who first took me there in 1992) that the Nanxiang Xiaolong Mantou Dian cuts corners nowadays and the quality of their XLB has gone a long way downhill. I may never get to really recalibrate, though I am confident that there are still plenty of XLB makers who learned their craft at the Nanxiang who are keeping the flame at small shops of their own around Shanghai, and hopefully abroad as well.

Link: http://eatingchinese.org

[Melanie Wong]

Thanks for checking out the xlb at Xiao Loong and answering the nagging question that's been in the back of my mind. Hope you found the small eats at Old Shanghai good enough to bring the extended Soupster clan there for dinner. I'll be interested to hear if you find the xlb just a bit better at night time than lunch. When I had them there, the basket was lined with a layer of what looked almost like pine needles.

Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

[Gary Soup]

I've always had the confidence that Old Shanghai was good enought to meet the approval of the Gang of Four. The problem is getting past the "It's too expensive!" objections from the chorus.

[rworange]

Great post, Gary. I learned a lot.

>>> They also steamed them on a base of greens, but lost points for only having WHITE vinegar available to dip them in <<<

You are supposed to DIP them in something? What?

Also I have another question that I'll post about separately not wanting to hijack this thread.

BTW, don't dragons have steam coming out of their mouths?

[Ruth Lafler]

Yup -- vinegar -- preferrably black vinegar -- with finely shredded ginger. You can dip them (always a risky proposition, since you want to minimize handling), or as Melanie once described, you can pick up a few shreds of ginger with your chopsticks and use them to "mop" some vinegar onto your XLB. Sometimes I also poke the vinegary ginger into the little hole I've nibbled on the top of a very hot XLB to vent the steam.

[KK]

Black vinegar is the best. Some places use either white and/or red only. :-( Thinly shredded ginger is a key condiment too.

[jschyun]

I often use the vinegar in the hole technique to get maximum black vinegar in there and maybe a shred of ginger. Oh and minimum spillage. Works v. well with Shanghai Dumpling King's larger size dumplings.

[Nathan P.]

Thanks for the great report, Gary. I first ate at Shanghai Dumpling Shop on Balboa a few years ago when you and others had posted that it was a good represntation of Shanghai food. About a month ago, I took my brother and his wife there for as they had moved in to the neighborhood. There had been a bunch of very negative reports on the food at the new Shanghai Dumpling King but I figured it was worth a try and my Bro not being a Chowhound would not care. I thought the XLB were good but with my recent outcast status as a supporter of Tong Dumpling Pot I figured my tastes must be out of line with other hounds. Glad to hear I'm not crazy or at least not the only crazy one. Other dishes we tried were a veg dumpling, a simple shrimp dish, braised green beans, and shanghai noodles.

[Jim Leff]

Question. Shanghai Dumpling King (which you loved) and Go Go Cafe (which you hated) have same address and phone number.

Can you explain?

[Melanie Wong]

Gary provides the correct address for Shanghai Dumpling further down in the thread, and I corrected the address for Go Go.