NEW OPENING: Colorful Fusion Dumplings on Changle Lu
There's a totally unique new dumpling house that just opened up on Changle Lu. Xijiao is more than just your average hole-in-the-wall though, they've combined the traditional Chinese dumpling with western flavors to create the perfect fusion!
Not Your Usual Dumpling House
“Western” tavern with open kitchen and bar
With a clean contemporary look and some bright neon signs, you’d likely never guess that this is a dumpling house. And not only are there delicious dumplings for you to enjoy, but also some tasty booze to wash them down with!
In the middle is a huge open kitchen, which is constantly busy. The best part about the kitchen location (besides looking cool) is that the mouthwatering aroma of dumplings fills the entire space!
On the other side of the kitchen is a neat row of tables and chairs with minimalist decorations of just a few flowers.
There’s also a bar! It’s still in the trial phase, so not all the drinks are available yet. In the future, there’ll be a variety of craft beers. According to the boss, there will also be a happy hour from 5-7pm everyday, with all drinks buy-one-get-one-free!
Western-style Chinese Dumplings
New ingredients for an old favorite
But the decor isn't the reason you'd visit this place, it's the food. The shop menu offers 6 different flavor dumplings, and when you see your dumplings, you’ll realize there's something a little bit different about these ones.
You may notice that they look more like macaroons because they’re dyed all sorts of crazy colors!
Each different filling is a different color, so green is pork, shrimp and cabbage; yellow is pork and celery, the red ones are shepherd’s purse mushroom dumplings, and so on.
Not only are there different colors, but some are made into crazy shapes too! Take the Nanyang beef curry dumplings as an example, which are rolled into cute little balls.
According to the boss, it’s not the color nor the shape that’s important, but the selection of good quality ingredients and the fact that they’re handmade. For example, all the pork comes from free-range pigs at Taihu Lake, the shrimp are fresh from Dalian, and the eggs are all free-range.
You’re bound to notice how delicious and fresh all the ingredients are as soon as you put one in your mouth. Each dumpling is packed full of goodness. The jiu cai shrimp & egg dumplings are practically overflowing they’re so full!
They also do wontons, their mushroom and cheese dumplings come in a delicious chicken soup.
The cheese is imported from New Zealand, so again you can expect the highest quality. Then there are four different types of mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
Don’t think it ends there. Even the seasoning on the table is top quality. You’ve got soy sauce, vinegar and chili oil. The soy sauce was brewed using traditional ancient methods, the vinegar comes from Shanxi and is three years old, and the chili oil was made using a variety of chili peppers, so it’s especially fragrant!
The boss of this quirky little shop is Tony, a chef who has been working in Shanghai for over 10 years now. His Zhazha chocolate bistro is super popular, and now he’s branching out into dumplings.
The store also offers a variety of other fushion-esque snacks for you to feast on. We tried them all and are happy to report that they taste totally amazing and are well worth a trip to Xijiao.
Xijiao
Where: No103, 462 Changle Lu, near Shanxi Nan Lu, Jing’an district
Tel: 021-60197198
How much: RMB 50
When: Mon-Sun 10:00-22:30
Related Articles
22 New Shopping Malls Coming to Shanghai Before 2017 Ends