Xiaolongbao (often listed as XLB on menus; and called soup dumplings by English speakers) are the crown jewel of the dumpling kingdom. The name literally translates to “small basket buns”. They are not particularly easy to prepare and finding high quality ones can be a challenge. 

The dumpling consists of delicate steamed dough holding delicious, flavourful soup and a little ball of seasoned pork. There’s nothing more disappointing than thick, tasteless dough – or more exhilarating than light as air and nearly translucent packets of deliciousness. 

So far the best XLB we’ve found in our home city of Toronto are at Yummy Yummy Dumpling. What makes these so special is the generous amount of soup in each dumpling. The flavourful broth erupts on your tongue after you pop the whole dumpling into your mouth.

But be careful: fresh XLB really can erupt in your mouth like lava if you are impatient.  Yummy Yummy Dumplings cooks everything to order, so they arrive mouth-scaldingly hot.  Make sure you order something else to keep you busy while these delectable treats cool to a safe temperature before popping one into your mouth.

We wait until there’s no visible steam coming off them and then usually one person agrees to take one for the team, as we eagerly wait to be given the green light. Once that happens the dumplings disappear fast!