Gloria H.
Yelp
I've been greatly looking forward to trying out this place. I don't think I've ever had a proper sheng jian bao, but I've heard the legends, and based on the videos we saw online, these looked legit. We arrived soon after 4pm on a Sunday, but the tables inside were already full and there were 10-15 orders ahead of us. Ordering is done through a single kiosk, and the menu is simple -- sheng jian bao (4 pieces for $9.25), wonton soup, and noodle soups. Soon after we ordered, we got to see the master at work, placing around 60 fresh buns seam side down on a large circular griddle. The first batch of buns were done around 4:15pm, and we were lucky to get the last pack of 4 buns.
We carefully followed the illustrated instructions for how to eat the buns, knowing full well we had thin-skinned buns filled with piping hot soup in front of us. The skin at the top (the half that wasn't pan-fried) is very thin, and the inside has so much delicious juice inside -- definitely more than your average soup dumpling. The bottom is more hardy, and quite crispy from the fry. The pork filling is plentiful and tasty. All of these textural contrasts make for quite a delightful eating experience.
While we were still making our way through the first 4 dumplings, we ordered 4 more in an attempt to get a share of the next batch, which was finished around 4:40pm (they took a break in between the batches). Having eaten 4 dumplings, I can say that is about the right amount of sheng jian bao for the average person. I can imagine that it would go quite well with a noodle or wonton soup.
I'm really glad that I finally got to try this place, and I'll definitely be back!