Shanghai Cafe Deluxe: Xiao Long Bao, Get Some

Xiao Long Bao, in Chinese, roughly translates to "IF YOU DON'T BATHE ME IN VINEGAR I WILL GIVE YOU THIRD DEGREE BURNS!" These little soup dumplings originate from Shanghai, and while there are many restaurants that offer soup dumpling, only Shanghainese shops can do them justice.

I've been to the infamous Joe's Shanghai for brunch a few times, but that place is always crowded. Recently I caught wind of a place that made better dumplings than Joe's so I put it on the Hype List. Today I ventured to Shanghai Cafe Deluxe to check it out.

Here's a picture of the exterior. Everyone knows if you put deluxe in the name, it has to be good.

Whoa, what is this? Are those booths I see? No crowds? No being seated with strangers at the same table? Is this even Chinatown? Anyone who's been to Chinatown for lunch knows that it is common practice to be seated with other people if you are a party of 2-4. The other odd thing I noticed was the lighting. The walls and ceilings all have neon florescent lights that create this strange neon night club/sketchy massage parlor feel.

Scallion pancakes. Dough fried in seasoned oil with a pinch of salt and scallions. This is one of the most basic, yet scrumptious dishes to order at any Chinese restaurant. This particular dish came out a bit oily, though that's nothing a few napkins can't remedy. Taste and texture was spot on. Crispy, thin, flaky, salty.

The main dish, soup dumplings. They come out in a bamboo steamer that's lined with cabbage leaves on the bottom. I wouldn't expect anything less. The texture of the skin is soft, but firm and elastic enough to not sag when picked up. This means it won't easily tear and spoil those precious juices. Also the dough is cooked all the way through. I've noticed that Joe's will have under-cooked dough at the tips, where the skin overlaps and is generally thicker.

We ordered a tray of pork and a tray of crab dumplings. Both were delicious. The pork was salty and flavorful, and the broth was ERHMEHGERD. I'm usually not a fan of crab soup dumplings, but these were amazing, perhaps even better than the pork, and that's saying something since I grew up eating pork. The crab filling was delicious and tender, but that broth. There's something about the seafood broth. It carries the salty, but slightly sweet flavors of the crab and is refreshing when contrasted to the oily fatty broth that is in the pork dumpling. The crab soup dumplings at Joe's doesn't even compare to the quality seen here.

Prior to eating, you should take a spoonful of vinegar. This sets up the vinegar bath. Next hold the chopsticks in your primary hand, and hold the spoon of vinegar in the other. With the chopsticks, strategically lift the dumpling by the tip and place it into the spoon of vinegar. Let it sit there for 30 seconds. The heat of the interior broth will diffuse into the exterior vinegar. Proceed to place entire dumpling in mouth.

Alternatively, if you don't like vinegar, you can nibble a bit of the skin and allow the broth to flow into your spoon. Then drink the broth and eat the dumpling. This allows you to eat without worrying that the rest of the restaurant is laughing at you.

I've heard complaints about this place's service. I felt that it was fine, but I also ordered without looking at the menu. They seem a bit rushed, but most Asian places are pretty pushy when it comes to taking orders. Also there is a minimum purchase requirement per person. This wasn't an issue with us, but it should be noted that you can't just get by splitting one order of soup dumplings. I've also been told they expect generous tipping, and by that I mean 2x the tax of your check. I'd gladly come here again, especially since there was no 30 minute wait.