Tables for Two · #4 · Soup Dumpling Benchmark
莱莱小笼 · 乔艾 (Lai Lai Xiao Long)
The reigning benchmark for crab-roe soup dumplings (xiaolongbao) in central Shanghai: tissue-thin skins sagging with golden crab oil, paired with a Shanghai-style pork chop and Worcestershire sauce.
On Tianjin Road, a narrow lane two blocks off the pedestrian clamor of East Nanjing Road, bamboo steamers at Lai Lai stack to the ceiling. Korean, English, French, and Shanghainese overlap in the dining room for one reason: the crab roe is hand-picked daily, yielding a golden, intensely savory broth inside a gossamer wrapper.
Always add the crispy Shanghai pork chop splashed with spicy-sour Taikang Worcestershire sauce. Note the strict 2:00–3:00 P.M. afternoon break when the kitchen pauses to fold the evening batch.