Not-so-small dragon dumplings

We were near Chinatown last week around lunch, and decided to check out what may be a relatively new restaurant, called Gourmet Dumplings. No secret how they're trying to position themselves.

We think it's new, but because we haven't exactly been very observant when it comes to Boston's tiny Chinatown, we can't really be sure. Anyway, the place is run by Taiwanese, so we don't have to feel inadequate that we don't speak Cantonese.

Their xiao long bao is actually pretty decent. The dumpling skin is a little on the thick side, but there's plenty of soup in there and Lynette thought it was less oily than Joe Shanghai in New York. The dumplings are pretty big, though. Each one is like the size of an ang ku kueh.

We started discussing xiao long bao eating methods. Kenneth first takes a small bite from the top, then sucks out some of the soup inside, then turns the dumpling on its side. He then eats the dumpling from what is now the top. He thinks that by turning the dumpling on its side, it fits inside the spoon better, allowing it to hold more soup. Lynette does it a little simpler. She deftly pours soup out of the dumpling and onto the spoon, drinks it from the spoon, then eats the dumpling.

If you know a better way, let us know.