Friday, October 29, 2010

Shanghai Xiaolongpao

One day we were driving on Rama IV road and noticed a restaurant; it was not the physical aspect of the restaurant itself. It was the hanging chickens!!! They looked so good that we decided that we needed to try the place the next time were in the area.


We parked the car at Carrefour (we needed to do some shopping); and walked to the restaurant which was only one minute walk away. When we reached the restaurant; to our surprise, the chickens turned out to be FAKE, even the chicken fat dripping from the chicken was fake. Yes, we were fooled and we had to laugh about it. Like Japanese restaurants that entice customers to take notice, be hungry and lure them into the restaurant; they have the fake & plastic food in front of the window. So, Shanghai Xiaolongpao learned from the Japanese restaurants and it worked on us.

Shanghai Xiaolongpao has 11 branches scattered all over Bangkok; so when you are in the mood for Shanghai dumplings, I am sure there is one near you.


The restaurant was actually very small, it had only six tables and it had an open kitchen to watch the staff making the food. The decor is the most basic wood tables and stools. Not the most comfortable setting but for a quick bite to eat; it will do.


The medium sized Steam chicken, without skin (160 baht). The chicken to our delight was very tender & juicy.


The rice that accompanied the chicken (15 baht). The rice had a nice richness & flavour to it but I would have preferred more ginger. Another nice aspect of the rice was that it was not too oily (I really hate that).


The plain noodle (30 baht). We decided to try their plain noodles as well to accompany the chicken to see what it tasted like. At 30 baht; it seemed expensive, but they had a good texture and tasted quite nice.


The steamed Pork shaomai (65 baht). Not the best in town but they were plump, moist & juicy.


The Pork dumplings (45 baht). The house specialty and here is how they tell you to eat them: Ways to deliciousness...

1. Eat while it is hot.

2. Place Xiao Long Pao on a spoon.

3. Have a small bite to drink the soup inside.

4. Dine it with sauce along with chopped ginger.

Of course we followed their directions and they were indeed very good. Again; I would say they are not the best in town but at 45 baht, the quality/ price ratio is not bad at all. They did not over steam the dumplings, the skin was not too thick and the pork was very juicy & flavourful.


Overall; not a bad place for a quick & simple bite to eat. This is considered fast food; but when you compare this to a McDonalds or a KFC; give me Shanghai Xiaolongpao any day for the good food & price.

Rama 4
(Near Carrefour or the Viboon Thani Building)
Tel.: 02-661-5117

www.xiaolongpao.com

1 comment:

Unknown said...

looks like a delicious meal, I love that hainan chicken and rice dish... especially the ginger scallion sauce!