Ever find yourself hungry in the middle of the afternoon looking for a quick bite of warm and delicious feel-good food? Look no further if you’re close to the scenic Yuyuan Road, because Fu Chun Xiao Long (富春小笼, not sure if they have an English name) has got you covered! I discovered the place unexpectantly one afternoon when scavenging for food along Yuyuan Road and was surprised to find that the place was fairly packed even at 4 p.m. on a week day. After a quick search on Dianping, I found out why: they are rated the most popular snack/ fast Chinese food outlet in Jing’an! Without hesitation, I walked in, got in line (you order by the counter) and ordered their signature xiao longbao and wonton soup dish. On a side note, their menu is only in Chinese, but you can’t go wrong if you just order the signature dishes like I have.

Being a fast food joint, there is minimal service given. After you order, you are given a tab to carry with you to where ever you can find a seat at the crowded joint. They also have a second floor of seating if you can’t find any seats on the first floor. After you sit down, a waitress will come over, have a look at your tab and give you a number. In about 5 minutes, your food would arrive and you can dig in! The xiao longbao is probably the best I’ve had in Shanghai, with just the right amount of crispness on the covering and a warm gush of soup oozing out with your every bite. The wonton soup is not bad either, and is served in a fairly large portion, making me quite full after the combo meal.

The décor and vibe of the place is very much “old Shanghai,” a mix of Chinese and Western layout with pictures of Shanghai back in the days and grinning Shanghainese women smiling while holding a batch of freshly made xiao longbao. The crowd is very much local with a mix of young Chinese that look like they’re on a work break, and some elderly people simply chatting and enjoying their meals. I would not recommend this place for large group gatherings as it will be extremely hard to find adequate seating, and the place gets fairly noisy as mealtime draws close but do go check out the place and experience a very local Shanghainese dining experience if you’re alone or with a friend! The restaurant is very affordable as I was able to stuff myself full in under 30 kuai! 4 stars though because although the food is amazing, the dining experience is not so much as you often have to share tables with complete strangers and struggle to hear anything over the noise.

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