XLB + hong you chao shou (小笼包 + 红油抄手) ($10)!
Lunch at an Alexandra hawker — xiao long bao + Sichuan red-oil wantons, $5 each. Soup-leaking dumplings + tongue-numbing chilli oil for ten bucks total.
Day two of the new year and we found ourselves at an Alexandra-area hawker stall for some serious 小笼包 and 红油抄手 action.
We ordered:
- 小笼包 (xiao long bao) — $5
- 红油抄手 (hong you chao shou) — $5
The XLB skins were on the thin side without tearing — that fine line where a good steamer hand earns their reputation. Each one came loaded with hot soup, so the chopsticks-to-spoon-to-mouth choreography mattered. The pork filling was juicy and clean-tasting, no off-notes.
The hong you chao shou were the surprise of the meal. The Sichuan chilli oil had real depth — sesame, garlic, that slow numbing build from ma la peppercorns that you only get when someone’s actually rendered the oil from scratch instead of pouring from a jar. Wantons were plump and silky.
Hawker pricing for stall-made dumplings at this level is rare. Most places either charge restaurant prices or serve frozen factory versions — this stall does neither, and it shows. Seating outside was packed by the time we finished.
Overall: 4.5 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Strong stall, definitely a revisit when we’re in the area.
