Chinese Buffet – Part 13: Darling Dumplings

by Kelly Amabile on

Chinese Buffet is a month-long series that chronicles the travels of an American woman who visited China for the first time in July 2007.

Going out to eat dumplings was a highlight of my visit to Shanghai. Although my pal Beth has been unable to stomach the taste of most Chinese cuisine during her pregnancy, the aversion has not affected her ability to toss back some steamed dumplings every few days. So that’s exactly what we did.

The first place we went for dumplings was Nan Xiang, a center-city shrine to the doughy little wonders. This restaurant is THE place to go to sample typical Shanghainese steamed buns. There are three floors, and the menu prices go up with each level. There’s also a take out window on the ground floor. We walked up one flight to the dining room that serves the cheapest menu.

Since this is a touristy spot, there can sometimes be a bit of a line, but we got lucky both times we visited, waiting no more than ten minutes for a table. Seating is done family style, to keep the hungry crowds moving through the place. We watched the restaurant staff making buns while we waited, and tried to chat with our neighbors at the table.

The dumplings usually come in pork and crab. But what makes this baozi particularly unique is that the meat is swimming in a little pool of liquid. Folks usually take a small bite out of the dumpling (known as xiaolongbao), suck the broth out, then eat the rest of the bun.

Beth taught me an alternative dumpling-eating strategy with one extra step. After taking the first bite to release the liquid…

…it can be easier (and less messy!) to first pour the broth into a spoon…
(which you will probably have to ask them to bring to your table)

…then sip the tasty soup up…

…before finishing the yummy dough ball — all at once or with a few bites. The dough is sticky so it usually stays fixed in the chopsticks quite well:

A trip to Nan Xiang is best paired with a walk across the Bridge of Nine Turnings and a visit to the neighboring Yu Gardens. A stroll through the beautiful grounds is a great way to work off your dumpling meal:

On another dumpling day excursion we also combined dining with sightseeing. We visited Din Tai Fung, a famous chain of dumpling restaurants that originated in Taiwan and now has outposts in several Asian cities and in Los Angeles.

This place is pricier and the wait longer (about 40 minutes), but the dumplings were still delicious. (I’m guessing it’s pretty hard to mess these things up?!) We were seated at a corner table for two — no folks to chat with this time:

I was happy to have the option to dip my dumplings in soy sauce and ginger at this restaurant. The traditional combination is vinegar and ginger, but I prefer the soy sauce, which you won’t find on the table at Nan Xiang. I also ordered a bit of fried rice and one larger bun, just to try something different. But it was basically just a ton more dough to chew through:

To walk off this meal, we strolled through the central stretch of Xintiandi, an open-air public space lined with a mixture of shops and restaurants. The area is well-known because of the shikumens that were renovated to create this old-meets-new development. We took a short spin through the Shikumen Open House, a recreation of a 1920’s era shikumen home. Like the hutongs in Beijing, efforts have been made to preserve the architectural history of these structures:

A history lesson on a full and happy tummy. Not a bad way to see the city.

Of course, I’m really craving a true Shanghainese dumpling as I write this…It is such a simple and perfect culinary creation:

Never again will I look at a Chinese dumpling the same way.

(Ya here that Mom and Dad?! When I get back home we’ve got to go in search of REAL dumplings, okay? No more of those fried ones from the take out menu. I’ve been converted and will attempt to convert you as well :)

Mixologists, Start Your Cocktail Shakers

by Brett Atkinson on

Most American readers of Gadling probably can’t get too excited about the upcoming Rugby Wold Cup, but in New Zealand’s adventure sports capital of Queenstown, an event that should inspire interest from around the globe is just weeks away. Most travellers head to Queenstown to throw themselves off bridges on Bungy cords or zip about lookalike Lord of the Rings riverscapes on jet boats, but after the daytime excitement the bars and clubs of the lakeside town really take off. It’s kinda fitting then that the 2007 Cocktail World Cup is being held in Queenstown from September 9 to September 16.

“Mixologists” (an official term apparently…) from 15 countries will descend on Queenstown to wow the array of international judges. A special bar is even being constructed high in the snow on the peak of the Remarkables mountain range. And of course you just know there’ll be plenty of time for partaking in adventure sports (sounds like a dangerous combination…)

Chances are quite a few of the concoctions may not be suitable for blokes, but as long as there’s a few caipirinhas on offer I’ll be happy.

Thanks to darrell goodman on Flickr for his pic of sunrise over the Remarkables.

Ice Bar in Dubai

by Neil Woodburn on


Is it just me, or has the city of Dubai gone completely crazy?

We’ve posted a number of times here on Gadling about the wild construction frenzy enveloping this city and the wacko projects which have been popping up around town, such as a ski resort in the frickin’ desert, for example.

Well, not to be outdone by their friends to the (way) north, Dubai is now host to the Middle East’s very first ice bar. Yep, an actual bar made out of ice.

We’ve posted about ice bars here on Gadling as well, but they’ve been located in places like Montreal and Stockholm. I never thought we’d be posting about an ice bar in the middle of the frickin’ desert, however.

And yet, all that oil money has brought ice to the desert.

According to recent an AP article, the $3 million bar was craved out of ice in Canada and then shipped to Dubai where patrons enjoy “walls, tables and chairs; cups, glasses and plates; … art, sculptures, beaded curtains, a chandelier and the bar” all made entirely of ice.

And you wonder why the price of gas is so high?

Tourist and Rude-Tourist Prices

by Martha Edwards on

One thing that I never get used to about travelling is the ever-changing prices. Here in North America, prices are clearly outlined everywhere — on signs, price tags, ads. They typically stay the same throughout the year. But almost everyone I’ve travelled to outside of North America has a special kind of pricing — I call it “I charge what I feel like charging” pricing.”

Vendors often don’t post their pricing; they eye you up before they figure out what they’re going to charge. This is both good and bad — on one hand, it allows you to barter with the vendor, but on the other hand, it usually means you’re getting ripped off, just by virtue of being a foreigner. Prices also vary by season. Summer prices can be double what you would be paying if you went a few months before or after.

Truth be told, it’s quite common for prices of food, accommodation and souvenirs to be raised drastically according to not only the season but where you’re from. But here’s an instance of seasonal prices being taken to whole new level — Merchants in Venice are charging 3 different prices: Low (for locals), High (for tourists) and super-high (for rude tourists.)

I think this is amusing (certainly nobody in Canada would have the gall to charge rude people more) but actually, I kind of like the idea. There’s nothing more annoying than the ignorant tourist who goes to another country to do little more than act like a jerk and insist that everyone speak English to him. He makes everyone else look bad. Word to the wise: when you’re a guest in someone else’s country, the least you can do is maintain some sort of polite dignity for the language and customs, and if you can’t do that much, perhaps you deserve to get treated less hospitably.

(via Intelligent Traveler)

Caffeinated in Seattle

by Iva Skoch on

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest! Man, is this a beautiful piece of the planet or what. On that perfect sunny day in Seattle–like today–you’d be hard-pressed to find a more picturesque city (sorry, Prague).

Although I lived here a few years ago, I forgot how many coffee shops there are! Literally one on every block and they keep multiplying. And it’s not just Starbucks, although the original location (picture) in the Pike Place Market still attracts tourists.

I remember walking to work in that “morning march of the claws” (MMC) every day. MMC are all the people bundled up in Columbia Sportswear rain gear, marching to work with their right arm extended, their hand (mutated into a cup-holding claw) tightly gripping a cup of java. Their expression suggested: “Don’t talk to me before I have a chance to caffeinate.”

Everyone here seems to have a favorite coffee place, too. While favorite places used to be chains, such as Starbucks, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Tully’s, Peet’s…, now people seem to appreciate and cherish their independent coffee shops, as the latest Best of Citysearch survey indicates. When I lived here, my favorite local place used to be Uptown Coffee. Although they now have a few locations now, they still make possibly the best cappuccino foam West of Italy.