I was having a conversation the other day with someone about the glorious Xiao Long Bao (XLB for short). For those who don’t know, they are native to Shanghai and are basically dumplings filled with soup. The soup results from a gelatinous broth that liquifies during steaming. It is one of the greatest dining pleasures on earth.
The best way to eat them is to dip in vinegar, bite off a small piece of the skin and let the soup fall into your spoon. Drink the soup, dip the dumpling in vinegar again, and then eat the dumpling.
The thinner the skin, the better – usually. Also, lots of places will try to serve XLB, but its hard to do well. The biggest flaws are usually having no soup (usually because the skin breaks during steaming) or skin that is too thick. Look for places where you can see the person hand making them in the window. That’s usually a good sign.
My favorite place for XLB is Top Shanghai in Richmond. Here is a video. Enjoy.
Where are your favorite places for XLB in the Vancouver area? Comment down below. (by the way, their other food is just ok, I usually go just for the XLB)