Supreme Xiao Long Bao – Handmade XLBs from an Ex-Crystal Jade Chef

When we caught wind of an ex-crystal jade chef opening up a stall in Holland drive, we knew we had to pay him a visit! Run by Chef Li and his wife, Supreme Xiao Long Bao serves delectable Shanghainese delights such as xiao long bao, guo tie and la mian. While their menu isn’t anything out of the ordinary, Supreme Xiao Long Bao takes pride in their food. Made from scratch, both the xiao long bao and la mian are made by hand by Chef Li and his wife daily.

Chef Li has a pretty impressive resume — he’s worked as a dim sum chef at Tung Lok and Crystal Jade restaurants for a few years. Despite his quiet disposition, Chef Li is pretty friendly and will happily recommend you a dish if you ask nicely. I wasn’t quite sure what to get but ultimately decided to go for a cage of their signature Xiao Long Bao ($4.50 for 6 what a steal!) and their Pork Ribs Lamian ($4).

What I appreciated most was the amount of effort that the duo put into their food, ensuring that we get the most out of our buck. While some might be displeased to know that they take an average of 10 minutes to prepare your food, I think I was more than happy to wait a little longer for freshly prepared food. However, I do wish that they invested in an electronic buzzer system, so that I wouldn’t have had to peer up every minute to check if my food was ready.

You can’t go wrong with the Pork Ribs Lamian. It sees 4 pieces of pork ribs seated atop a creamy broth and handmade lamian. The lightly-flavoured broth was reminiscent of Banmian broth (just less sweet), and complemented the rest of the ingredients rather well. You’ll also get a few large stems of vegetables so you can actually eat this even if you’re on a diet! The pork ribs were a little small and inconsistent in size. However, they were rather juicy and tasty overall. For those with a bigger appetite, you’ll be glad to note that they are really generous with the portion of noodles, and broth.

I also ordered a cage of their signature Xiao Long Bao which was a pretty good steal if you ask me. $4.50 for 6 plump xiao long baos means each one only costs $0.75! Remember to help yourself to the ginger and vinegar when you collect your xiao long baos. At first glance, the xiao long baos almost looked too pretty to eat. If you look closely, you’ll notice the meticulous folds on the crown of each xiao long bao. I didn’t count them but I think the thickness of the folds looked very consistent.

Each xiao long bao had a delicate, but resilient, skin which kept the contents safe until it reached my mouth. The meat had a good bite and I especially liked the meat-to-skin ratio. I felt that the broth was rather light, and I would have preferred it to be more flavorful. For a mere 75 cents per piece, I’m not complaining.

I really enjoyed the food, and was happy that my meal did not burn a hole in my pocket. If you’re looking for legit xiao long bao, this is one place that you have to check out.

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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