Xiao Long Pao at Su Zhou

Su Zhou's Xiao Long Pao

February 21, 2012: More than four years after my first Xiao Long Pao (Xiao Long Bao on other Chinese menus), I finally learned how to eat one properly, i.e., without soup dripping on my chin! :]

Xiao Long Pao is a dumpling with soup inside, so eating it involves gently teasing a dumpling onto a spoon without breaking, poking a hole at the side, and draining the soup onto the spoon or into your mouth, before actually taking a bite. I wish I had learned this sooner, it would have saved me from a lot of messy dinners! 

There are several places in Manila where you can get this, but I've only been to Su Zhou in Malate (they have another one in Binondo). It's a small, nondescript place along Mabini Street, but the place is always filled with groups of Chinese diners, which I take as a sign that it serves good Chinese food. (Actually, this was the exact reason why my friends and I entered this place way back in 2007!)

Oh, and Su Zhou serves the best tasting soy milk I've tried anywhere, too! :]