Some of you know I have this thing for dim sum and xiao long baos.
I've oft made mention about it.
But I have my own preferences when it comes to which place of xiao long baos I like, and (honestly) it's not necessarily the more popular ones.
I know how we tend to think of a particular place as being the go-to for restaurant style xiao long baos.
But apparently, there're other places with just as good restaurant-style xiao long baos too.
I didn't know.
Until I got introduced to these little babies from Canton Paradise.
Shall I say that I was surprised, but also not very surprised?
Canton Paradise has done pretty well for itself over the last couple of years. I'm not sure how they used to be when they first started but they've grown more popular in recent years and now it's not unusual to see families and/or business associates turning up at their outlets for a casual meal there.
Of course, like many other Chinese cuisine restaurant franchises, there're different categories for different occasions.
I don't know how many categories Canton Paradise has, or what their names even are, but we have had some of the best xiao long baos in the outlets at Changi Airport Terminal 3, Paya Lebar Square, and Suntec City.
I like the Suntec City and the Changi Airport outlets.
Maybe it's got something to do with the mall in which the outlet sits in, but I've found myself anticipating my meal a wee bit more whenever I'm at these places compared to, say, the outlet at a suburban mall.
So much so that it doesn't matter if the xiao long bao comes out looking a little poofy.
Just so long as the skin's the same, the soup's the same, and the meat's the same- it doesn't matter.
What I love about xiao long baos is how you begin each bite with a bit of chew, after which there's this burst of warm, (sometimes scalding) soup that explodes in your mouth, and then after that you're back to the chew with the soft, moist round little ball of meat.
It's an amalgamation of flavors and textures wrapped in one tiny little dumpling, and because no one can actually want to just eat one xiao long bao and have enough, the joy's multiplied by two or ten or five.
There's another dish at Canton Paradise that I've come to love.
Their soup.
Now, you might think this bowl of dumplings in pork bone broth not any fantastic, but can I assure you that it's so delicious that two bowls (each) aren't enough- we always wish they had more- and then there's the smooth silky dumplings of delicate skin filled to the brim with meat, chives and tiny little vegetables too.
To be honest I don't really know how to write about this dish (I haven't done my research into just how many hours they boil the pork bones or what other ingredients they place in the pot) but there's that rounded, comforting warmth whenever I take spoonfuls of the soup, especially on nice, rainy days.
It's like a blanket that envelops you entirely.
And it's so comforting, so assuring, so satisfying that I often wish we had room to order one bowl more.