Shanghai Dumpling King

Cuisine from Southeast and East Asia brings me joy whenever I have the opportunity to eat dishes originating  from that part of the world. I love Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Malay, and of course Chinese cuisine. The bold, powerful, spicy, addictive, and complex flavors that create the backbone of all these cuisines is what makes me come back for more and more. I love sushi, curries, stir fries, grilled skewers, tempura, soups, hot pot, noodles, and fried rice dishes. I have forgotten one ubiquitous dish that is found in the cuisine throughout Southeast and East Asia. The dumpling or wonton can be found on the streets from Singapore to Tokyo. While I have stated in my Minado post that if I had to eat one food for the rest of my life it would be sushi. I would be devastated to say the least if I could not eat dumplings or wontons the rest of my life. Nothing is better than ordering a bunch of shu mai or gyoza at a Chinese restaurant and stuffing your face. There is no wonder that I love dim sum as well. There is not a type of dumpling that I have not had. Up until my trip to San Francisco this past December, I had never had Shanghai dumplings. Shanghai dumplings, which are called xiaolongbao in Mandarin, are dumplings made with pork, seasonings, and when steamed the dumplings are filled with soup. Another name for them is Shanghai soup dumplings. A good friend of mine who is living in San Francisco had suggested trying Shanghai Dumpling King on Balboa St a few blocks north of Golden Gate Park. He said that the Shanghai dumplings were amazing and that they were priced very reasonably. For our dumpling feast, we decided to order the original pork Shanghai dumpling, the pork and crab Shanghai dumpling, and spicy pork and chive dumplings. Since the Shanghai dumpling has soup inside, there is a special way in which to eat them. First you must bite a small hole in the top of the dumpling. Once your have bitten the hole in the dumpling you suck the hot soup from the dumpling before eating the rest of it. Having Shanghai dumplings in a city known for having some of the best Chinese food in the country was an amazing experience. The dumplings were absolutely delicious. We made sure that there was not a dumpling left at the end of the meal. If you live or are visiting San Francisco and love Chinese food, give Shanghai Dumpling King a try. The ambiance is a bit divey, but the food is what really brings customers to Shanghai Dumpling King. For amazing dumplings at reasonable prices, Shanghai Dumpling King  has you covered.