Dumplings

Shanghai Taste: Authentic xiao long bao in Las Vegas

The colorful Xiao Long Bao

Over the last decade, I have been lucky enough to have traveled to China many times. On these trips, I have experienced new flavors and foods including authentic xiao long bao. Unfortunately, traveling internationally is all but impossible these days. This means if I want to taste the flavors and foods from my travels, I have to search for them closer to home. If you are looking for Asian food in Las Vegas, you go to one place: Chinatown. Though …

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Milkbar Tomasza: Modern Polish Milk Bar in Kraków, Poland

If you are hungry, go for the Irish Breakfast

Located in the heart of Kraków’s Old Town is Milkbar Tomasza, a modern interpretation of a Soviet-style milk bar. A milk bar or bar mleczny is a Polish cafeteria ubiquitous across Poland. The main purpose of a milk bar was to serve cheap meals to poor citizens. Dishes included dairy products, traditional Polish dishes, and pierogi (dumplings). After World War I, these self-service milk bars started to pop up all across the country. Many opened after World War 2 and …

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Original Din Tai Fung location on Xinyi Road in Taipei, Taiwan

Busy workers making thousands of dumplings a day, Din Tai Fung, Taipei, Taiwan

I have an obsession with Din Tai Fung. Visiting the original location of Din Tai Fung was at the top of my list of must do things in Taipei. Founded in 1972, the dim sum restaurant today has branches in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and eleven other countries including the United States, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, China, Malaysia, and Thailand. The restaurant has become an international phenomenon for their Taiwanese soup dumplings known as xiao long bao. Many claim that …

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Harajuku Gyoza Lou for some of the best dumplings in Tokyo

Pan Fried Dumplings with Garlic and Leek, Harajuku Gyoza Lou, Tokyo, Japan

Harajuku Gyoza Lou is a popular and casual restaurant located in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo that has perfected the art of Chinese-style dumplings (gyoza). If you often have trouble deciding what to order at restaurants, have no fear. The affordable menu is simple: pan fried dumplings or steamed dumplings with your choice of original or garlic and leek (chives). The restaurant was located a stone’s throw away from Meiji-jingumae Station on a side street just off busy Omotesandō street. …

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