XLB is my favorite acronym — well, at least when Chinese food is concerned. XLB is short for xiaolongbao, or soup dumplings. I’ve been an avid soup dumpling fan ever since childhood and I’m quite the regular at my favorite dumpling restaurant in New York City’s Chinatown. When I heard about the Ithaca Commons’ newly opened Steamy Dumpling, I couldn’t help but notice those three letters practically singing up at me from the menu. As soon as I realized that I could have my favorite delicacy from only a few minutes drive from campus, I found myself standing under the restaurant’s awning at 3 p.m. on a Saturday.
In hindsight, I am grateful that I did not go during peak lunch or dinner hours. Those that came even 30 minutes after me had to wait approximately 15 minutes for a table to become available. But large crowds are indicative of a great restaurant, and even though the restaurant was busy, service was fast and the waiters were patient and cheery.
I ordered pork soup dumplings, wontons, hot and sour soup, pork bao and pan-fried dumplings — the classics I believe everyone should sample at any dumpling restaurant. While waiting, I had the chance to look around at the restaurant’s interior design, which was modern, well-lit and neat. There was a glass window that allowed people to see into the kitchen, to observe one of Steamy Dumpling’s bragging points: the soup dumplings are folded by hand from start to finish, a feat that not only takes an extraordinary amount of time and skill, but also tends to result in a tastier and more authentic dumpling.
Steamy Dumpling chefs hand folding dumplings.
The hot and sour soup came first. It had a searing flavor and plethora of ingredients, including tofu, seaweed and mushrooms, which added to the aroma, flavoring and texture of the soup. Next, I had the wontons. Surprisingly, my favorite part about this dish was not the actual wontons but rather the broth that the wontons were in. Instead of being bland, like some other sub-optimal wonton broths, this broth had a distinct flavor that was oddly comforting. A broth like this would warm someone to the bone in the winter, offering the equivalent of an embrace to the soul. To my further delight, the pan-fried dumplings came paired with chili oil, which elevated the experience. The pan-fried dumplings had a thin, crispy outer layer, which encapsulated a tender filling made of pork and chives.
Unfortunately, I did not like the pork bao too much. Although the dough was the right texture, the meat filling did not take up enough of the space inside the dough. This resulted in some bites being purely dough, while the pork remained an untouched sphere in the middle. The filling was also too dense, causing the meat to be dry and compact, instead of being airy and juicy like a bao filling should be. Further, I had a gripe with the size of the soup dumplings as they were smaller than others I’ve had. These soup dumplings just felt like a miniature version of the real thing. The restaurant also ran out of them around 4 p.m., causing a small line of customers to have to order something else. I’m wary that if I arrive too late one day, Steamy Dumpling might fail to carry the one menu item I came for.
I also noted that Steamy Dumpling did not have any meatless dumpling options; every dumpling or wonton on their menu includes pork, which excludes people who eat vegan, vegetarian, or halal diets. However, after looking at the Steamy Dumpling website, they note that they have vegetable and chicken dumpling fillings coming soon, which is an exciting and inclusive addition.
In the end, my bill came out to be around $60, which I thought was a fair price point for the amount I ordered. However, I left slightly dissatisfied, probably because Steamy Dumpling is not the Chinatown soup dumpling dupe I had hoped for — though admittedly, this is an extremely high and almost unfair standard, especially since some places in Chinatown are neck-and-neck with some of the best soup dumplings in China.
Steamy Dumpling’s craft is tasty enough for it to be an authentic, pleasing experience. And, it gets the job done: it satisfies the XLB and dumpling craving. But next time, I will probably change some of the items I order. I will also be sure to arrive on the earlier side to avoid waits and menu item shortages. If they increased the size of their soup dumplings and fixed their pork bao ratios, I would probably even become a regular.
Angelina Lei is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Human Ecology. She is a staff writer for the Lifestyle department and can be reached at alei@cornellsun.com.
