Here’s a user’s guide to Xiao long bao. At this normcore restaurant dedicated to Huaiyang cuisine (a coastal province bordering Shanghai), eating these pork or crab dumplings is an art form: after dipping them in vinegar, delicately pierce the exterior with your teeth before sucking up the flavorful broth. It’s almost impossible not to burn your tongue, but it’s so darn good! The day we went for lunch, we tested some of the other delicacies on the menu, such as tender caramelized dongpo pork belly over a bed of Chinese cabbage, and the grilled chicken with dried chilies that definitely wasn’t lacking spice – only in sauce… The desserts are less crazy: mango sorbet over black rice or classic coconut tapioca pearls. // O.D.
FEELING THIRSTY? Tsingtao beer (€4.80 for 330 ml), herbal drinks (€4) or lemon and honey tea (€4.50).
PRICE: Set menus €12.50 to €18.80 (lunch), mains €8.80 to €21.80, desserts €3.80 to €6.80.
