[with apologies to Barry Manilow]
I spent part of the weekend in Nanxiang, best known as the source of the famed Nanxiang xiaolongbao, or soup dumplings, found all over Shanghai (and the world). In fact, had there not been xiaolongbao in their native environment, there is little chance that I would have let my friends convince to me travel to Nanxiang’s Guqi Garden, an overgrown and crowded urban park dating back to the Ming Dynasty (could have fooled me!).
Anyway, the walls of the Guqi Garden are lined by xialongbao shops, and we tried several. My friends – who have made this visit before – assured me that even the cheapest Nanxiang xiaolongbao shops in Nanxiang are superior to the most expensive shops in Shanghai and elsewhere. And, after eating my fill (in four shops), I must agree: they are. Here, for hungry eyes, are the best that I tried, in the process of being stuffed and folded:
And about to be eaten:
