I finally got my butt to
LJ Shanghai to try these soup dumplings they've been known for since they opened on Superior Avenue in AsiaTown (
next to #1 Pho).
A small menu, but filled with pictures to help you decide what to order. I settled on the
Shredded Pork and Pickle Noodle Soup ($8). The bowl was huge for the price, the noodles were a perfect texture, but the broth was a little too mild for my taste. So I just kicked it up with some spicy chili oil that was provided on the table.
Easy fix!
But, let's be honest...we were there to try the
Soup Dumplings ($5 for six).
From what I've read online, there is a trick to eating them properly. They are filled with a piping hot broth, so you poke a hole in the wrapper or bite the top of it off to let the broth out onto the spoon. It's suggested to dip in soy sauce and vinegar prior to opening the dumpling, and both were provided on the table.
Now, maybe we made a mistake by not eating them immediately, but the dumplings we got did not have "broth" inside of them. The meat filling was moist, but certainly no significant juices came out.
Is this normal?
Either way, they were delicious little nuggets, and that vinegar sauce provided was amazing. I could pour that on just about anything. Eating these just wasn't quite the experience I thought we were in for.
Was this exactly what it should have been, was this batch just off a bit, or did we do something wrong in how/when we ate them? Educate me if you know more about these famous soup dumplings!
LJ Shanghai
3142 Superior Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114
(216) 400-6936
4 comments:
They definitely should have broth inside. I think eating them immediately is crucial. Looks like you'll have to have a re-do - darn!
You have to eat them immediately. The soup can soak through the dumpling skin as it sits.
I haven't been to this spot, but the few times I've had soup dumplings they were, like, literally filled with soup. They had meat inside, of course, but the meat was in pouches of wet soup (which sounds gross when worded that way but is, in actuality, totally delicious). I wonder if you got an off batch, or if this place just does them differently? I feel like unsoupy soup dumplings are just dumplings!
Looks like I need to go get some more and eat them immediately.
Post a Comment