2010 May 05 Upmarket Dumplings: J. Lucky Opens in Solana

If restaurant chains like Crystal Jade and Din Tai Fung succeeded by taking Cantonese shaomai and Shanghainese xialongbao upmarket, why not try the same with Tianjin-style jiaozi?
Sprawling in our vast booth, we marveled at a decorative scheme of faux brushed-steel floors, beaded curtains and violet chairs, as plates of dumplings (RMB 8-26 per plate of ten) arrived in procession.
Fresh and texturally stimulating, the standouts were the wonderful minced beef and crunchy carrot in paper-thin “skins” and the airy egg, cucumber and glass noodle combination.
By contrast, the shrimp and pumpkin ravioli suggested not the catch of the day so much as the thawed catch of last Tuesday. And shaomai blossoming with pork and shrimp were beautiful on the eye but bland on the taste buds.
After our uneven meal, we noted that many tables around us were full. Clearly, upwardly mobile Beijingers are answering the question, “Do I feel J. Lucky?” in the affirmative.
Also try: Baoyuan Jiaozi Wu, Din Tai Fung
J. Lucky
Daily 10.30am-2pm, 5-10pm. DS-17, Solana (north side), 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang District (5905 1708)
饺好运, 朝阳区朝阳公园路6号蓝色港湾国际商区内
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peach12
Re: Upmarket Dumplings: J. Lucky Opens in Solana
I though it was "Xiao" long bao? Or have I been mistaken for a long time?
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