XLB: A soupy party in your mouth.
Day Three: Xiǎolóngbāo (aka "XLB" aka Shanghai Dumpling aka Soup Dumpling): Some of you might not realize this but we've have become XLB snobs, having traversed through the depths of San Francisco, braving Shanghai Dumpling King, Kingdom of Dumpling, Shanghai House, etc, etc. (NB: Out of towners, inquire now about reserving one of my SF Dumpling Tours for your next visit.)
XLB's at a local shop. Pay attention to the thickness and texture of the wrapper.
Our quest for the mythical, soupy pinnacle of dumpling excellence has taken us across the globe - well at least the inner sunset. Now, for the first time, we tried XLB's from the motherland - and they did not disappoint. This a primary objective of visiting Taiwan in the first place, and we would not leave empty handed.
It looks like these guys are working with same precision as what you'd expect at Intel.
Of course one cannot have a meaningful, intellectual conversation about XLB's without referring to Din Tai Fung. Indeed, this place has received cult status with rabid, fanatical fans spanning the globe. Some of the locals may scoff at the thought of these over-priced tourist traps, claiming the local shops offer the same quality for much lower prices.
Fish Dumplings, not to be confused with XLB's. No soup for you!
Cucumber Appetizer
Aside from XBL's we did some boring touristy stuff - but who cares about that ? We were just there for the food.
