Joseph and My-Tran are back with another food review. Close your eyes. Take a breath. Humor us, and let us pose a scenario for you.
It’s a beautiful Friday afternoon and you’ve just gotten out of class. The sun’s rays bristle playfully across your face as you take in the air for the first time in a week. You definitely failed that Chemistry quiz, but who cares? It’s Friday. The world is yours. Your moment of contemplation is broken by the sound of baboons. They hoot and wail and scream violently, each whoop more frantic than the last.
Wait, never mind, it’s just your friends arguing over where to eat.
Boseph wants to get a “sweet treat,” Bluto wants boba, Bustin is fighting for McDonald’s, By-Bran just wants quality time with her friends, and Bick wants to do anything but spend money.
With each argument, you can feel the delicate bonds of friendship bend and break. But what to do?
Never fear. Xiao Long Dumpling is here.
Tucked just around the corner of Taft Street, Xiao Long Dumpling offers a modern yet warm and welcoming dining experience that will cater perfectly to the needs of even the most discerning Carnegie Vanguard High School students. For all its merits, however, the first thing that struck us about Xiao Long was the service.
Upon entering the restaurant, we were immediately greeted by the owner, an older lady with a bright, friendly smile who was eager to seat us and offer us drinks and menus. As we ordered, she asked us about our badges and was delighted to discover we were students from the nearby school. This was a refreshing departure from the usually begrudging and condescending service we’ve received at other restaurants that are less than happy to have high schoolers overrun their establishments. She was very kind; she asked about how school was, where we were headed for college, what our majors were, and how our families were doing.
Before we get into the meat of this article, (get it?), it’s important to note that we went to Xiao Long on two separate occasions and this review will reflect both experiences. We disclose this to you, dear readers, not only to uphold the integrity of the Upstream News but also to ensure that you don’t find us to be incredibly big. Thank you.
When we were there, we decided we had to get the Xiaolongbao, (AKA a soup dumpling), the namesake of the restaurant. It was really fun to eat but it was devastating when all the soup poured out of it because we picked it up wrong. But like our moms always say, ‘Never cry over spilled Xiaolongbao soup,’ and we had tears of joy. The broth inside the dumpling was heated to perfection with a good balance of flavor and spice that left us feeling warm on the inside out. The meat inside the dumpling was a tiny ball of joy that went very well with the dumpling and the soup.
Another appetizer we highly recommend would be the “Pork Hong Kong BBQ Bao.” It came in 3 servings perfect for splitting among friends. The bao was soft, steamy, and fluffy, while the pork on the inside was cooked in a Chinese BBQ sauce which was a beautifully familiar of the barbeque we so love as dedicated Texans; the sweet and sour tinge of BBQ was well infused with the tender pork and balanced the delicate sugariness of the bao.
What we recommend would be anything on a hot plate, such as the Sizzling Black Pepper Szechuan Chicken. The hot plates came out hot (yea…) and included bowls of rice. The hot plate would be a meat or veggie (mainly eggplant) of your choice that was stir-fried with onions and red and green bell peppers (which are our personal favorites). One hot plate was $19.99 and could be split among 2 people. Pairing up a hot plate with an appetizer is a STEAL in terms of cost and yummiliciousness.
We ordered lots of food including the Beef Black Pepper Szechuan Sizzling Plate, Chicken Potstickers, Mongolian Beef, Kung Pao Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Scallion Pancakes, General Tso Chicken, and Hot and Sour Soup. Every meal here was made with care and time, but was very on point with the description and how it was supposed to be made. (If the General Tso chicken didn’t taste like General Tso’s chicken, we’d tell y’all to run).
But in all seriousness, we loved Xiao Long Dumpling. From its sleek yet homey scenery and decor to the soul-warming food, to the excellent service, our experience there was nothing short of therapeutic and the perfect spot to hang out with friends for a meal.
