小笼包 (5 pcs: $3)!
A steamer of five xiao long bao: thin-skinned pork soup dumplings served with ginger and black vinegar. $3.
A little hawker treat, a steamer of 小笼包 (xiao long bao), 5 pieces for $3. 🥟😋
What we had:
- Xiao long bao (5 pcs): pork soup dumplings, with ginger shreds and black vinegar on the side
You cannot really go wrong with a hot basket of soup dumplings. These came neatly pleated and steamed in a bamboo basket, the skins thin enough to see the filling but holding together, each one full of seasoned pork and a mouthful of hot soup inside.
The trick is the little ritual: lift one gently onto your spoon (don’t tear it), top it with some of the shredded ginger soaked in black vinegar, nip a small hole to let the steam out, sip the savoury broth first, then eat the rest. The ginger and vinegar cut through the richness and add a lovely sharp lift.
At $3 for five these were a bargain. Not the delicate, paper-thin Din Tai Fung kind, but juicy, satisfying and properly comforting, exactly what you want from a quick hawker basket.
Overall: 4.5 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Juicy little pork soup dumplings with ginger and black vinegar, a steal at $3. Would re-order.
