NYC Quick Chop - Joe's Shanghai - In search for NYC's best Xiao Long Bao

Joe's Shanghai - 9 Pell Street, New York City, 10013

Having lived in Hong Kong for a while, I (Mirko) became obsessed with Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao (XLB)). So whenever I come across a spot which is known for these bite size morsels of goodness I will always take the opportunity to try.

When I was living in Adelaide (Australia), to say that we were limited for good choices was an understatement. A few places opened up but nothing could live up to the expectations that I had. Then I travelled to Sydney and came across the famous Din Tai Fung - thank god....we had a winner!

So when I moved to New York City (NYC) and met up with a fellow foodie friend of mine and asked them about XLB, he suggested Joe's Shanghai.

Xiao Long Bao!

When you ask any New Yorker about XLB, Joe's Shanghai comes to mind... and that is a good thing! Upon being seated we order a serving of the pork XLB and within minutes they arrive at our table. The XLB have all the criteria that I am looking for and we finish these and a few more serves in no time satisfying my XLB craving!

My criteria:

1) They aren't too big that they don't fit on your spoon,

2) They have a thin skin - so be careful when trying to lift these with your chopsticks, they may split,

3) The soup is flavoursome.

Joe's Shanghai has a lot more dishes on offer which we did try, but today my focus is these little delights. If you are a New Yorker or have been to NYC and can tell me of any other places that serve XLB please leave a comment so I can try them out!