Yesterday afternoon, I spotted this new Xiao Long Bao 小笼包 shop near my home and promised myself breakfast there this morning. It was a beautiful sunny morning and I chose to sit at one of the tables on the sidewalk. The "shop" next door with the red lettering on a yellow background is actually the entrance to my local cinema. The road leads to a residential compound inhabited by the local communist party workers. This is of great benefit to me.
China suffers from a lot of power shortages and electricity is rationed. Each day, the local newspapers list those districts which will be powerless for much of the day (they usually turn it back on at lunch time and in the evening.
Of course, the Party people never suffer such indignities. And, living almost next door, I am on the same power loop as them! Anyway, that is an aside. Back to breakfast.
The buns (bāo 包) were, as usual, served in the bamboo steamer basket (lóng 笼) in which they were cooked. xiǎo 小 means 'small'. The price for ten buns was ¥5 (75 cents US, 58 pence UK) which included a bowl of simple soup (which I declined) and a dip of your choice.
The buns weren't pretty at all. which loses them marks, but they tasted great. I think I have a new regular haunt. It was fairly busy when I visited (8:30am) , so I am hopeful that it will last.
