Bukchon Mandoo, Seoul Korea

Posted on October 6, 2012 by rundlea

Bukchon Dumplings is in the Insadong neighborhood of Seoul, which is well worth going to even if this spot wasn’t there.  The deep fried pork mandoo at Bukchon are excellent and make Insadong even more of a destination neighborhood.  Bukchon is in a narrow alley off the main drag in Insadong and serves three types of soup, three types of dumpling and kimchi.  The place is tiny with seating for about 12 people across two counters, and the fryer station is actually out in front of the restaurant in the alley under an awning. Apparently several Korean dramas have filmed scenes at this spot.

The menu and the fryer station out front

The Dumplings.  They serve steamed shrimp, steamed pork and deep fried pork mandoo and the fried dumplings are huge.  The pork dumplings are a combination of pork, scallions, tofu and glass noodles.  I got so distracted eating the pork dumplings I didn’t get around to trying the shrimp dumplings.  Three huge fried dumplings for 3,000 won, which is about three dollars.

Deep Fried Giant Mandoo

The Dipping Sauce.  They provide bottles of soy sauce and thin mustard sauce that you mix together to your taste.

Location.  It is difficult to find this place using Google maps because the streets in Insadong are mislabeled on their maps.

For orientation, along the main street through Insadong the side streets off the main street are sign posted as Insadong Gil 1 to about 15.  So to get to Bukchon, head north on the main street, which is called Insadong ru.  Look for a narrow alley marked Insadong Gil 9 on your right, next to a pharmacy. The alley runs along the side of the pharmacy (marked with a blue pin on the map).  Bukchon is mid-way down the alley.  Note that Google maps does not label this alley at all, and labels another street as Insadong Gil 9.

Also there are a couple of other locations in Seoul, one is in Hongdae

Posted in Korea, Mandoo, Steamed | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Nan Xiang Xiaolong Mantou, Shanghai, Soup Dumplings

Posted on September 30, 2012 by rundlea

Nan Xiang Xiolong Mantou sells delicious Xiaolongbao or traditional Shanghai steamed buns, commonly known as soup dumplings in the U.S.  Nan Xiang has been featured on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations and in Qiu Xiaolong’s Inspector Chen murder mystery series.  However, real Shanghainese turn their noses up a little at this place for being a tourist spot.  Sure 90% of the customers you see eating at the second and third floor dining rooms are Chinese, but apparently they are all from out of town.

The Dumplings:  The xiaolongbao are the traditional Shanghai style steamed soup dumplings that need to be carefully eaten, so the scalding soup inside the dumpling does not explode out of the dumpling into your mouth or onto your face.  You need to eat it simultaneously using the chopsticks and the soup spoon to catch the soup. The crab roe dumping is excellent and combines the traditional pork filling with hairy crab meat and roe. The dumplings come in bamboo steamers that look like they have seen thousands of steamings.

Soup Dumplings at Nan Xiang

Crab Roe Soup Dumplings

They also sell the “giant xiaolongbao’ which is giant dumpling skin filled with fatty pork broth – almost a Tonkotsu ramen broth – that you suck out of the dumpling wrapper with a straw.  The dumpling deflates as you drink the soup and you leave the wrapper uneaten at the end.

A deflated Giant Soup Dumpling

The Dipping Sauce:  Rice vinegar with slivered ginger.

Location:  Nan Xiang is located near the City God Temple and the Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai’s old town.  It is in the middle of a recreated old town plaza that is comprised mainly of restaurants and stores selling tourist goods – make sure you haggle at these stores.  Outside the plaza area you can walk along Shanghai Old Street and see some of what remains of the real old Shanghai.

Nan Xiang Xiaolong Mantou, 85 Yuyuan Lao Lu, Shanghai

Posted in Shanghai, Soup Dumpling | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Hello world!

Posted on September 29, 2012 by rundlea

Welcome to WordPress.com! This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.

Happy blogging!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment