Xiang Yuen Xiao Long Bao — Restaurant in San Leandro

Great food and dumplings, a cut above the usual, made by mom herself, (and I'm not kidding. I spoke with her and watch her make them), along with traditional dishes, which are also cut above. For instance I ordered the compound chicken, normally a sweet and sugary affair when ordered at many Chinese and Chinese-American restaurants, even Chinese restaurants that like traditional recipes, often succumb to the whims of the American palate, and apparently Americans loved everything sweet. Not so for many reasons in China, and this particular compound had plenty of flavor, was fresh and vibrant, but wasn't floating in a pool of syrupy glowing orange radioactive sauce. Instead the sauce clung to the meat as it is supposed to, and everything was fresh and crunchy. Truly delicious. As for the dumplings done by a master. I asked the mother, who the mother of the owner, if I could take a picture of her as she made some of these dumplings, a wonderful older lady with a huge smile, only allowed me to take pictures of her hands and the dumplings for which I was very grateful. She had expert technique and was highly concentrated with each dumpling, and yet it seemed kind of effortless as she was chatting to her daughter the entire time. It was a wonderful spectacle to watch while I was eating my delicious food. They were out of a Shiu Mai (pork), but still had Har Gow (Shrimp), and so I ordered the shrimp and their signature Bao, "Xiao Long Bao", a dumpling twisted together at the top like a little treasure bag with a meaty center and a chewy meatball type of feeling, surrounded by warm savory broth that explodes when you bite into it. Excellent. And the shrimp dumpling, one of the best I've ever had, and far better than many that I've had in Chinatown in San Francisco. They didn't try to kill you with the dough, and relied more on stuffing it to the brim with flavorful shrimp, while keeping the shell relatively thin to the point where it was translucent. This place is a sleeper, because it just looks like an ordinary Chinese-American restaurant, but it is far more than that. It is a spot where some real traditional Chinese food becomes available to Lucky saps like me. I...

The Food When you try to get Xiao Long Bao from one location, but they are takeout only, so you look for alternatives. We were able to find Xiang Yuen Xiao Long Bao (香圓小籠包) and it seemed like a pretty nice place. The recommendation was to order Chinese Fried Dough (油條) and Sweet Soy Bean Milk (現磨甜豆漿) so my friend ordered it. We also ordered Shanghai Pork Xiao Long Bao (香圓上海小籠包), Pan-Fried Pork Bun (香圓生煎包), and Pork Wonton with Spicy & Peanut Sauce (紅油抄手). My friend said the Chinese Fried Dough and Sweet Soy Bean Milk was good. The Chinese Fried Dough was crispy on arrival, and it goes well with the Sweet Soy Bean Milk. The Shanghai Pork Xiao Long Bao had a good amount of soup and meat. Everything tasted good, and the presentation was also done well. I was also eyeing their noodle soup...but maybe next time.

The Miscellaneous Xiang Yuen Xiao Long Bao is on one of the main streets, with street parking close by. The interior is quite simple, yet quite spacious to accommodate many people. We got seated right away since there was no wait. The service and staff were good, no complaints. Their menu is quite extensive. From appetizers and dim sum, to rice and noodle, as well as specials. With all the options and reasonable pricing, it's recommended to check out this place if you want some soup dumplings. I would like to return to try their other selections...

Large space with lots of dining tables. I visited around 5:30 and saw about 4 tables being occupied. To go orders didn't cause delay with my prefe speed since it wasn't busy. I ordered 4 things: spicy wantons, Xiao long bao, braised fee beef soup noodle, and Pan fried pork bans to go which I didn't get to taste since they were all eaten by my husband. 小籠包 were delicious! Very soupy. Skins are on the thicker side and were filling. Wonton came with peanut sauce and weren't very spicy, but delicious. Kinda pricey. I still wonder why these costs $1/piece... The noodle was okay. The bowl had generous amount of tender beef slices and noodles. I didn't like how $10 noodles came all tangled up. It was a bit hard to eat. I couldn't separate them and had to bite off each mouthful. They weren't tough and felt kinda overdone, but that maybe because I grew up eating ramen and udon. They should be shorter or be served in bigger bowl or something. The total with tax (suggested on their receipt) came over $40. Kinda painful because I'm still hurt from the noodle and price pricey wonton, but I'd definitely come back for more Xiao long bao, and pan fried bun that I didn't get to taste. They looked good! Almost everyone there had them on their table so must...