Dumpling la mian ($4) & Xiao long bao ($4.50)!
A Chinese noodle lunch: la mian tossed in chilli oil with prawn-and-pork dumplings, and a basket of six xiao long bao. $8.50.
A comforting Chinese noodle lunch with BB: dumpling la mian ($4) and a basket of xiao long bao ($4.50). 🥟😋
What we had ($8.50 total):
- Dumpling la mian: hand-pulled noodles tossed in chilli oil with big prawn-and-pork dumplings and a leafy green, with a bowl of clear soup
- Xiao long bao: a steamer of six soup dumplings
The dumpling la mian was the savoury, slurpy one: springy hand-pulled la mian tossed in a fragrant chilli oil that gives a gentle warmth without being too fierce, topped with a few plump dumplings filled with prawn and pork, and a stalk of greens. The clear soup on the side keeps it from feeling heavy. Lovely chewy noodles soaking up the chilli oil.
The xiao long bao were the treat: six little soup dumplings pleated shut and steamed, each one holding hot, savoury broth inside the thin skin. The trick is to nip a small hole, sip the soup first (carefully, it is hot), then eat the rest with a bit of the ginger and vinegar. At $4.50 for six these were a steal, not Din Tai Fung delicate but a happy, juicy mouthful all the same.
Noodles plus a basket of soup dumplings, simple and very satisfying for $8.50 between us.
Overall: 4.5 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Chewy chilli oil la mian with plump dumplings, plus juicy little xiao long bao. Would re-order.
