One of the hallmarks of Shanghai cuisine is the xiao long bao, or 'little soup dumpling'. XLB are delicious little bite-sized buns, filled and steamed so that their fatty contents yield a slurp of soup along with whatever filling has been enrobed inside. They're a Shanghainese invention and established tradition, but nowadays, the restaurant chains Din Tai Fung and Paradise Dynasty (from Taiwan and Singapore, respectively) battle it out for the title of best XLB in this city. Naturally, we made it an early goal for the semester to judge for ourselves which one reigns supreme.
Taiwanese stalwart Din Tai Fung makes a great impression from the start with their legion of white-clad servers catering to your every need. Their soup dumplings are notable for incredibly soft and delicate skins which yield a clear, smooth broth and delicious bite of pork. We had their pork soup dumplings, pork+crab soup dumplings, shrimp+pork shaomai, and some veggie dumplings as well. They were all delicious, and we left entirely sated and already planning a return visit.
Din Tai Fung's pork soup dumplings
Singaporean challenger Paradise Dynasty put up a good fight with their multi-colored, multi-flavored soup dumpling sampler steamers. I was impressed by the intensity and vividness of the flavors in each dumpling. However, their preparation and execution of the soup dumplings was severely lacking-- many of our dumplings had dry, hard little bumps where the dough was gathered at the top of the bun and many of them ripped as you transferred them from the bamboo steamer to your spoon. This was a big problem, for it let a lot of the soup contained within the dumplings spill out into the bamboo basket before we could drink it!! My favorite flavor was the black truffle bao: it yielded a really complex, intense truffle flavor that lingered on my palate for a long time.
Paradise Dynasty's XLB sampler (clockwise from bottom): original pork (center), ginseng, foie gras, black truffle, cheese, crab roe, garlic, Szechuan pepper).
The results: Din Tai Fung is an unparalleled experience, what with its superior dumpling skin, and impeccable service. However, Paradise Dynasty's inventive range of flavors made a definite impression, although I felt like they were stretching the envelope a little too far with some of the more out-there ideas (Cheese-filled soup dumplings?) I disliked the fact that PD's dumpling skins were unevenly cooked and, most importantly, that the soup was sometimes lost in the eating process. While Din Tai Fung's overall flavor came out supreme, Paradise Dynasty was more flavorful, so it's really a matter of personal preference.
If only the two chains would combine forces to create a super XLB experience that cherry-picks each of their strengths. What with these two restaurant giants dominating the Shanghai landscape, I know that I will always be able to find some quality soup dumplings to satisfy those late-night cravings. Just don't tell the locals that foreigners do it better.
tangentwithtanner
gamechangershow
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
yousharknotpass
2087
amandla
areudirty