Now, you don’t have to drive an hour and stand in line for hours more to eat xiao long bao.
Credits: Photo by Lance Yamamoto
For decades, the Bay Area Chinese dumpling scene has been dominated by Cantonese-style dim sum .
But in late years, another kind of chinese dumpling has entered the rub : the soup dumpling, or xiao long bao, which is normally associated with Shanghai. Xiao long bao is dearly referred to as XLB, and some dumpling lovers have dedicated themselves to finding the soupiest, thinnest-skinned XLB they possibly can. When celebrated Taiwanese chain Din Tai Fung — much regarded as the gold standard of XLB — opened its one and only Northern California placement in Santa Clara in 2016, lines were up to five hours retentive, causing the restaurant to enact a reservations-only policy. Eater SF reported that a lunch reservation was listed for a much as $ 50 on Craigslist .
clearly, XLB fever has hit the Bay Area hard. But amazingly, if you don ’ thyroxine want to cross the Bay Bridge, there aren ’ t a short ton of restaurants within a 10-mile spoke of Oakland serving soup dumplings, excluding the often reasonably versions served at Cantonese dim union parlors. But about a class ago, the competently named Xiang Yuen Xiao Long Bao opened in San Leandro — one of the few places I know of in the area that specializes in soup dumplings .
equally soon as you step into the restaurant, you can see the chefs behind a methamphetamine wall showing off their xiao long bao folding skills. A spatula of filling goes into each dumpling peel, which is skillfully closed with bantam folds until the top is completely close. As the chefs fill each bamboo soft-shell clam with soup dumplings, a stack of dumpling-filled steamers finally accumulates, towering respective feet high gear beside the chef.
So the first base thing I ordered was, of naturally, the soup dumplings. There ’ randomness a square pork-only soup dumpling, arsenic well as a pork barrel dumpling topped with crab. And distinctly, these are some of the most democratic items on the menu. When I ordered the xiao long bao, the waitress ’ mho immediate reaction was, “ How many ? ”
I started off with an club each of the pork barrel and pork-crab soup dumplings, which arrived six to an order, along with a bantam dish of black vinegar with a few shreds of ginger. I spooned vinegar and ginger over the exceed of a dumpling, then bit off the circus tent where the folds met. After cautiously letting the soup cool ( as you should, excessively, to prevent burning your lips ), I took a sip from inside the dumpling. The broth was placid pleasantly hot and had a delicate spirit of green onion and ginger. I was happily surprised to find there was enough broth for a few generous sips. The pork inwardly was flavorful, sensitive, and fat .
The dumpling skin wasn ’ metric ton bad, either. Although the skin wasn ’ t excessively dense, the boastfully node at the peak where the folds met was slightly gluey. And while on one visit the dumpling clamber was fresh, on another it was visibly dry. still, I appreciated that I could easily pick up the dumplings without breaking the skin. For my companion crab lovers, though, I ’ thousand sad to report that the crab louse adaptation, which had an orange-colored ball of crab kernel on the top of each pork-filled dumpling, delivered an imperceptible measure of crab season. I ’ vitamin d hop these and go uncoiled for the pork-only version.
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following, I tried the pan-fried pork dumplings, or sheng jian bao. These are a common bite in Shanghai, much eaten for breakfast or lunch. And this is a breakfast I can get behind : an airy, leavened dough stuff with a blue, slenderly bathetic pork barrel filling, pan-fried until brown and crisp on the bottom, then topped with black sesame seeds and green onions. Be certain to bite into these cautiously to prevent being burned with hot dumpling juice. I loved the texture of the crunchy bottom, which shattered gratifyingly with each morsel without feeling dense or greasy, and the boodle on the top was pillowy and light. The spirit of the pork fill was less nuanced than the soup dumplings, but the sesame seeds and green onions on the top helped add more depth .
I ’ d get the pork barrel xiao long bao and the sheng jian bao again, but I can ’ t say the same about the Shanghai shao mai, which were wheat wrappers stuffed with muggy rice. The sticky rice was bland, and the dumplings were huge, requiring several bites to finish. I couldn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate eat more than one, nor did I want to .
adjacent, I tried the chicken in wine sauce : a little appetizer of cold, bone-in wimp in a clear Shaoxing wine sauce, topped with crimson goji berries. I liked the room the cook wine brought out the simple relish of cold chicken. I besides tried the cold cucumber with garlic, which was refreshing so far satisfying.
As for entreés, the lion ’ s question meatball — listed on the menu as grizzle meatball in brown sauce — was a dish of four gigantic pork meatballs, encircled by fresh stalks of bok choy and topped with a brown, cornstarch-thickened sauce. As I bit into one of the meatballs, I was surprised at how lighter, downy, and moist it was. The season of the meatballs was reasonably straightforward, but I ’ vitamin d order the smasher again equitable for the enjoyable texture. I besides tried the sautéed crystal shrimp, which consisted of a plate entire of medium-sized shrimp covered in a open, thick sauce. I liked that the runt were cooked to a bouncing aluminum dente and the sauce had a piquant relish evocative of chicken broth, but I would have liked more flavorer. I preferred the rice cakes with pork and pickled vegetables — the round, coin-shaped rice cakes had a mochi-like chew, and I liked the down-to-earth, lemony season of the pickled vegetables.
The Shanghai shao mai were disappointing. Credits : photograph by Lance Yamamoto
Although I didn ’ metric ton love everything on the menu at Xiang Yuan Xiao Long Bao, I ’ ve come back several times for the xiao long bao and sheng jian bao. There might be better xiao farseeing bao out there if you ’ rhenium bequeath to spend an hour drive and many more hours waiting, but at Xiang Yuan Xiao Long Bao, you don ’ t have to. It ’ s a place where you can well get above-average, sanely priced dumplings any day of the workweek — and that in itself makes it worth a visit .
Xiang Yuan Xiao Long Bao
1668 E. 14th St., San Leandro
510-351-6698
Mon.-Sun 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Cash, all major credit cards
Sample Menu
Pork xiao long bao (6) … $6.95
Pan-fried pork bun (6) … $9.25
Chicken with wine sauce … $7.95
Cucumber with garlic sauce … $6.95
Meatball in brown sauce … $14.95 1668 E. 14th St., San Leandro510-351-6698Mon.-Sun 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.Cash, all major credit cardsPork xiao long bao ( 6 ) … $ 6.95Pan-fried pork bun ( 6 ) … $ 9.25Chicken with wine sauce … $ 7.95Cucumber with garlic sauce … $ 6.95Meatball in brown sauce … $ 14.95
