Here’s the low-down on the latest action-

The Beef: Pork soup dumplings. A real Shanghai treat for locals, expats, and tourists alike. Yes, I always have fun eating my xiaolongbao. My method (which I’m pretty convinced is the correct one) consists of gingerly removing it from the bamboo basket and placing it on my spoon, then nipping a hole off the top and slurping out some the soup before placing a few strands of vinegar-soaked ginger on the xiaolongbao, and finally placing the entire contents of the spoon into my drooling mouth.

If you are in for even more adventurous xiaolongbao fun, Paradise Dynasty is a must-try. Mostly located in higher-end malls like iapm, Reel, Raffles, Shanghai Tower, the chain has around 10 locations in Shanghai. We were at the one in the Shanghai Tower after going up to the JinMao and doing the outdoor Skywalk (a bit pricey, but you are literally walking outside the building…breathtaking bc the view is amazing and your legs are about to give out). The upside is after all that adrenaline, you’re starving.

The main draw here was of course the skittles-funtastic basket which comprised of the signature (original), garlic, luffa gourd, foie gras, black truffle, cheese, crab roe, garlic, and Szechuan xiaolongbao. In that order. Follow the instructions. And contrary to most other places, they do not recommend the vinegar/ginger combo here as to fully savor the flavors. Each xiaolongbao was a fun surprise and were all bursting with the flavor they were supposed to taste like. We decided our favorite was the cheese and least favorite was the Szechuan but even then it was a tough call to make. Next time – an all-cheese flavored basket! Everything with cheese just tastes better. The rest of the menu here consists of typical Shanghaiese food – sheng jian, wontons, cold and hot dishes. Average.

The Gang: Lots of tourists (probably also bc of the location we were at) and local Chinese.

The Motive: For a quick casual meal when you get tired of all the shopping (or sightseeing).

The Damage: 8-pc “flight” basket – 62RMB, also can order individual flavors by the basket ranging from 48-86RMB for 8 depending on the flavor.

The Down n’ Dirty: Mostly located in the malls, so you have to venture out a bit. Caution: you might get distracted by stores along the way.

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