Most people travelling to Taipei will go to Din Tai Fung for Xiaolongbao, but there seem to be many good Xiaolongbao restaurants scattered around the city. Other than the one I tried on my personal trip here, this one I visited during my recent business trip was also pretty decent
Located near Minsheng Road, the restaurant stands out from the rest of the older buildings with its bright red signboard and decorations. Named Hangzhou Xiaolongbao, it carries a big expectation of being great since Xiaolongbao originated from Shanghai, which is very near Hangzhou
While the outside of the restaurant looks like a dated building, the inside was quite modern and new. There was a large open kitchen area with clear windows so everyone could see the chef working on the food. The layout reminds me of Din Tai Fung, and even the use of light wood furnishings reminded me of the famous restaurant
The offerings on the menu are highly similar to what is being offered over at Din Tai Fung
For starters, we had the drunken chicken and garlic chilli pork belly. The chicken and pork belly dishes were cold and were savoury to whet our appetite. The chicken flavour was mild and did not really have a strong alcohol taste; the meat was tender and smooth with a slight gelatinous skin. The pork sauce was quite different from the ones sold at DTF, with a heavier miso flavour. I prefer the DTF version of the garlic pork belly
The pork xiaolongbao arrived after 10 minutes into our order, as they were steamed upon order only. There was a good amount of soup in the dumplings, and the meat was fresh and juicy, and there was a good ratio of meat and skin in each dumpling. The quality was pretty close to the ones from DTF, but I personally liked the ones I had at GoodBeitao
For sides, we ordered the blanched cabbage with fried sakura shrimp and the mapo tofu. The cabbage gave me a pleasant delight. It was lightly blanched with very minimal seasoning, but the natural sweetness of the cabbage carried the dish so well. The light, savoury umami flavour of the shrimps added depth to the dish, and this was a dish everyone ended up reaching for constantly. The fact that Taiwanese cabbage tastes differently is what made this dish a success. The mala tofu was on point with the spiciness, and the savoury sauce was perfect to be eaten with plain rice. As we only ordered fried rice, it was also good to mix the dish with the rice. Having the dish on its own is too heavy and greasy, but rice balances out the saltiness. The flavour of the fermented bean was strong and had a salivating effect, which makes you crave rice. The tofu itself is soft and smooth, and this was a well-executed dish
For mains, we ordered the fried rice, chicken soup noodles, as well as the beef noodles, which I did not take a photo of as my colleague dug into it the moment it was served. The fried rice was good with decent wok hei, and the rice was nicely separated grain by grain. The flavours were also nicely coated with ample ingredients. The chicken soup noodles were a bit more bland, with a light soup and floury noodles. There was no strong chicken broth flavour, and the chicken meat was also slightly tough to bite into
Overall, I think the restaurant has pretty decent dishes to satisfy a lunch meal, but does it warrant a special trip if you do not stay around the area? I will say no. There was nothing too special about the food here, and some dishes were just mediocre
Address: No. 118號, Section 3, Minsheng E Rd, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105
Opening hours: 11 am to 9 pm
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