Having just returned from Shanghai, Geri recommended that we pay the chain responsible for creating the first Xiao Long Bao - Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant a visit. Better yet, she knew where to find this restaurant, sparing us the embarrassment of having to wield tourist maps, signifiers of our alienship (that is the English term the Chinese have picked to mean foreigners - not grammatically wrong, but still, why alien over foreigner?!).
This huge establishment is nestled in the old City and is itself located in one of the many refurbished pagoda-like temples spotting curved roofs; the Chinese believe that these ward off evil. Like the steaming baskets of xiao long baos stacked one upon the other, Nanxiang Restaurant is divided into three tiers, each one specializing in a particular 'grade' of xiao long bao, service and price.
In the true spirit of shoestring travel, we stopped by the first floor only to be greeted by a bland cardboard sign with the words "10am" scrawled on in pale black ink fronting huge opaque clouds of XLB smoke. Sitting by the kiosk two burly men kept careful watch. These xiao long baos had after all been deemed as Shanghai's protected "traditional treasures" by the government. Not wanting to make enemies after having traveled so far, we marched to the second floor.
To our dismay, the restaurant on the second floor sold only crab-flavored buns. Furthermore each visitor had to order an outrageous number of buns in order to qualify for a table, so we hiked to the third floor, a lavish dinning room filled with waitstaff in chinese costumes and neatly bundled hair. Here, there was no minimum order required, an extensive menu, no queues and of couse, higher prices - the price difference was rather negligible though by Western standards.
We placed our orders quickly - one basket of signature crab flavored XLB and one basket of the pork buns in their original flavor. In no time, one of the impeccably-styled waitresses placed two steaming baskets on our table before brusquely demanding for payment. The disparity between her tone, saccharine smile and her neatly pressed silk blouse startled me.
"must pay now?" I muttered in halting Chinese.
"yao" she nodded vigorously, as the sharp tips of her lips dived into a frown. The steam from the XLB was getting to me, reminding me of what was most important - tasting the xiao long bao before they turned cold. So I thrust a few Chinese notes into her outstretched palm, and returned to the dining table.
The skin was a little more chewy that I had liked it to be. But everything inside more than made up for it - a dense dollap of meat swimming in pork and chicken broth. The broth looked a little oily, but all was quickly forgiven and devoured upon the first bite. Sure, I have had buns that taste just slightly better in Singapore before, but never one that was so generous with its stuffing! We needed to stuff ourselves with more! So we hurried downstairs, joining the long queue that had already formed outside the kiosk on the first floor.
A styrofoam box of 16 meaty buns were selling for a mere 12 yuan! Who could resist such a deal? Not us! So we stood in the wintry air patiently waiting, and ferociously guarding our position in the queue. With four of us in a group, as well as Geri's bright pink jacket, our spot in the queue was secure. The rest of mainland China just had to jostle, push and shove the others if they wanted to get in front of the queue.
And push they did. Barely fifteen minutes into the experience, we heard a Chinese man from the back of the queue call out to a couple who had acceded to a man's request to buy buns for him and his family.
"Others have queue for so long! It's not fair" he howled. But his words fell on death ears and couple proceded with their order before scurrying away and disappearing into the thickening crowd. Perhaps they were paid extra to stand in line? Who knew? Whatever it was, buying meat buns in Shanghai was certainly serious business!
Fourty minutes and two boxes of styrofoam buns later, we were full and ready to leave Shanghai for Vancouver.
Nanxiang steamed Bun Restuarant
Yuyuan Bazaar, 378 Fuyou Rd
Shanghai, China
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