Nanxiang Mantou Dian, Shanghai

This is the place for xiao long bao (delicious Shanghainese dumpings), though I didn't think it was the very best xiao long bao I've had. Still, it is extremely popular. You can't miss it in Yu Bazaar - there are loads of people queue-ing either to get in or to take away dumplings. It can seem a bit showy - you can watch the chefs at work behind glass panels. The dumplings themselves are v large and quite delicious...

Favorite Dish: Xiao long bao - that's all they do, largely.

This restaurant was so popular that many had wrote about it in their own travel pages. I had read mixed opinions about it. Too pricey, long queue, taste so good, definitely must go etc.

My opinion: It really taste quite good! It's an experience drinking the soup in the steamed bun with a straw and the Xiao Long Bao taste fresh and good. Indeed, there's a long queue but the queue is fast moving, at least on my day of visit. Service is okay, but waiting time after ordering is quite long.

Overall, I feel that it's worth the experience.

Favorite Dish: I didn't order much so I can only recommend the Steamed bun w crab roe stuffing and Steamed bun w fresh meat.

Steamed bun w roe stuffing: It's a big bun. But, don't expect it to be able to fill your stomach bcos it has nothing but roe soup wrapped in the bun. No meat inside! Just soup! So, you stick a straw they specially provide into the centre of the bun and then...suck very slowly. :) Bcos, it's steamingly HOT. Don't burn your tongue, Ouch!

Steamed bun w fresh meat or what we call the Xiao Long Bao. Typical Xiao Long Bun, nice.

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This restaurant is so famous that it wouldn't do any justice if you don't visit it while you are there. You can always find long queue outside the restaurant no matter which level you are at. The first level is for take-away. You can find many people sitting or standing near the restaurant eating there hot dumplings. We chose to go to the 2nd level and ordered their set menu so that we can try a bit of everything. The price is very reasonable and we really enjoyed our meal.

In Shanghai you must try its famous snacks, especially the Nanxiang Xiao Long Bao, which is absolutely delicious. It is a kind of bao zi or steamed dumpling filled with ground pork and soup. The soup is the special part about these dumplings -- you have to first bite a small hole in the dumpling and sip the soup out. Then you can dip the dumpling in vinegar and enjoy it. I like to put the whole dumpling on a soup spoon to avoid spilling anything.

There's also a kind of dumpling that contains only the soup and you put a straw into the dumpling to sip it out. I personally don't like this kind... I still want the meat inside.

Read many reviews on this restaurant before I went to Shanghai and badly wanted to try the Xiao Long Bao. However, it is near impossible to get seats. Lots of pushing and shoving. No systematic way of allocating seats/tables. Everyone just stood behind a seat and waited like vultures.
Gave up in the end. A family in the same tour group managed to eat some Xiao Long Bao, but felt that they prefered what they found in Singapore.

A 3-level restaurant in ancient architecture. Very chinese interior. Food are categorised by the level. Level 1 serves dumpling of normal quality at very affordable price. Queue is long and take-away style. Level 2 serves higher quality at slightly higher price and are served by waitresses. Level 3 serves the best quality at a quater serving of what level 1 is selling at 4 times the price. It is said that the skin of the dumpling gets thinner as we go up 1 level of the restaurant.

Favorite Dish: Dumpling is delicious. Some other snack is good too esp a deep fried squid ball also filled with juicy sauce.
Comes in set meal.

Nan Xiang Man Tou Dian (inside YuYuan). Best place for Xialongbao.
The girls are carefully taking the meat out from crabs. A team from Japanese TV filming a travel program were sitting next to our table inside the resturant.

Favorite Dish: Crab Meat Xialongbao. Yummy........

This is the most famous restaurant located in Yu Yuan Garden, Shanghai.

Favorite Dish: The little dumplings filled with crab meat/powder are the most sought after dish in this restaurant. You can literally suck the juice out of the dumpling.