8 FLAVOURS XIAO LONG PAO

I am intrigued when I read about the 8 Flavours Xiao Long Bao.  Foie gras, truffle, cheese in these little dumplings- how would they taste ?

Xiao Long Bao -tiny dumplings of  minced pork in a broth wrapped and beautifully pleated  with a almost transparent skin/dough. Ever wonder how the broth got inside the dumplings? Yes, it is pork skin, bones and fat- all boiled down and  gelatinised.  

 We went to the Paradise Dynasty at the  Paradigm Shopping Mall for their special 8 Flavours Xiao Long Bao to celebrate Sarah's birthday.

The chefs busy at work in the open kitchen.

 As we entered the restaurant, we were greeted with this beautiful Buddha statute- and immediately we felt the stress of the traffic jam and rush hour melting away.   The peaceful ambience make it a serene haven for dining.

The trinkling water fountain provided the background music.  

 We each had a tray of their 8 flavours xiao long bao.  The orders came in just about 15 minutes.

It was a feast for the eyes - almost too pretty to be eaten!  But the camera got to "eat" first! haha.

Happy Birthday,  Sarah. 

Gave the girls a lesson how to eat the xiao long bao-  use the chopstick to pick up the dumpling at the thickest point (ie the top of the pleats).  Put it in your spoon and just poke a hole in the skin so that you can slurp the soup first (be careful, it is hot) before savouring  the whole dumpling!  

We have been informed by the staff that we should follow the sequence of partaking these little morsels for the optimum taste/flavour.   The original flavour (ie plain pork) goes down first.

The Truffle xiao long bao - this was very delicious- I think anything "mushroomy" goes well with the pork. 

 This Szechuan dumpling is the last on the list - it really packed a powerful punch! The chili (or is it the szechuan peppercorns) leaves a spicy and a bit of numbing effect.

We were also told that the best  way of savour  the xiao long bao is without any dipping sauce (normally vinegar and julienned ginger) so that the intended flavours can come through.  From left: Original (white), ginseng (green), foie gras (beige) truffle (black), Cheese (yellow) crab roe (orange),  garlic (brown) and lastly szechuan (pink). 

My favourite would be the ginseng and truffle.  The crab roe was a bit "fishy" and the cheese was rather queer tasting.  I did not find the foie gras outstanding as it tasted more like the original flavour. 

 We ordered a bowl of their signature La Mein with pork soup base and this was delicious too. It came with  deep fried chicken chop and an  egg with its runny yolk.

But we could not finished this Le Mein in Hot Chili sauce with large pieces of wantons- it was again too hot/spicy for us. We definitely enjoyed the interesting meal. 

Sarah and Esther.

Our dessert was taken at the Tong Pak Fu, one level down. 

Shaved Matcha Ice with red beans, grass jelly and sago.  Sweet and refreshing ending.