Xiao Long Bao Pt. II, where to get them locally

1) Gloria Maris – My family usually dines in the Greenhills branch, but I know there are other branches in Manila (the original branch), SM North Edsa, Gateway, etc. There is a difference of taste when it comes to the older branches as compared to the newer ones. Older, more established places like Gloria Maris Manila and Greenhills seem to taste better.

There used to be a time when Gloria Maris’s Xiao Long Bao didn’t break so easily, now the wrapping seems a little more easy to break. They serve it with the usual black vinegar and ginger, but what I love about their serving is the quality you’ll get for what you pay. For about Php110, you get a dish with more dumplings than any other place. Other places would usually serve just 4 pieces for Php80, while GM serves twice the amount for just a little more.

Taste-wise, it doesn’t really compromise palatability for quantity. Soup’s tasty, the meat doesn’t taste undercooked, nor is too gristly (in fact, it was richly savory, evidence that good pork was used). My only gripe would be that the wrapping is dry and unpleasantly sticky outside, quite unnoticeable once dipped in sauce. Overall, I really like it for the value, and how well it goes with my usual order of lean meat congee. Not the best, but still awesome enough to order everytime we visit.

2) Mr. Choi’s Kitchen – Mr. Choi’s Kitchen has branches in Robinson’s Galleria, Pioneer, WalterMart North Edsa, etc. We used to eat here all the time when it first opened it’s first branch in Galleria. I got my take-out order of their Xiao Long Bao from the WalterMart branch.  

I don’t know if it was because I got it for take-out, but it was not satisfying at all. There was barely any soup inside, and the meat tasted like fat. I don’t know about everyone else, but I like my XLB lean and mean. Although there were more pieces than the usual serving (I think there were 6), it took me some effort to finish the order (with a little help from some family members who only wanted one piece)

3)  Summer Palace – One of the best Chinese restaurants in the metro, it’s inside a freaking hotel (Edsa Shangri-la), so it should be 😀 I made sure that we ate here for my high school graduation back in 2007, because apart from serving good, albeit pricey food, they served the best jasmine tea in beautiful cups. (I’ll make a separate review on our visit here)

Summer Palace’s Xiao Long Bao

It came in a pricey serving of 4, but it was okay, as long as we knew we were paying for potentially, one of the best. It tasted good, very satisfactory. Surprisingly, it was not as good as we expected. The wrapping was delicate, you had to cleverly work your way under the dumpling and use the the thin carrot slices for cushion. Taste-wise, it tasted a lot like Gloria Maris’s dumplings, only a tad better because of the hint of spice in the meat.  

4) Choi Garden (not to be confused with Mr. Choi’s Kitchen) – Found in Annapolis Rd. near Greenhills, the place boasts of an impressive entranceway architecture and signature red/black furnishings. Don’t sit in the area where the lighting is a strong, painful red. Nakakahilo kumain, and everything you see becomes tinged with red. 

I vaguely remember trying out their Xiao Long Bao, but what I do remember is that it tasted exactly like Gloria Maris’s, only with a lesser number of pieces in their serving. Probably because both restaurants came from the same owner, I’ve heard. 

The verdict: Well-roundedness

For now, I’d recommend Gloria Maris for the satisfactory taste, hefty serving, and excellent value. Also try their Lean Meat Congee (with Century Egg). But if you’re eating alone, and you have money to spend, try Summer Palace, and while you’re at it, try their Mango Spring Rolls 😀

I still have to try XLB at the following places: Peking Garden (Trinoma), Su Zhou (in Mabini).

Pretty soon, I’ll be trying out the world’s  best XLB in Singapore, in Din Tai Fung. I cannot wait, yun talaga ang una kong gagawin 8D