Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Xiao Long Bao

Hey hey. More food for thought. I love xiao long baos. For those of you who do not know this, it is also known as soup dumplings and it is well known in Shanghai. It is steamed in a traditional method using bamboo baskets. It must go with vinegar and ginger to bring out the heavenly taste. There are many places in Singapore that sells them, including food courts nowadays. However, I have tried some in the more well-known places like Din Tai Fung (Paragon and Raffles City) and Asian Kitchen (Vivocity).

Here's my take on each of them. I am very particular about the skin though and form after you pick them up from the chopsticks. The ones at Din Tai Fung are great... the skin is soft and it does not stick to the chopsticks once you pick them up. In addition, it will sag to show its soft skin without the soup within spilling. However, those who have poor chopstick skills like myself, you need to be extra careful. The meat is rather fresh and the soup is tasty so thumbs up for Din Tai Fung. The one at Asian Kitchen is quite the opposite. The skin sticks to the chopsticks and hence, sticks to your lips and teeth once you put them in your mouth. So it is quite a turn off although the only redemption is the meat within which is quite fresh. I haven't tried those in Geylang or food court which is relatively cheaper but I will one day so that I can rid myself of the stereotype that only restaurants serve good dian xins. More of this in my subsequent updates.

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