The menu
美食鉴定团又出发咯！This time, TheHungryCow and I joined 933FM DJs Jiafa and Weibin at Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant 南翔馒头店. The original restaurant in Shanghai (in Cheng Huang Temple 城隍庙 area) is more than 100 years old, and has a perpetual queue eager for a taste of authentic xiao long bao 小笼包 (soup dumplings).
Modern Chinese decor
Our tasting session was held at Nanxiang’s newest outlet in City Square Mall. This is Nanxiang’s second branch in Singapore; they have another outlet in Bugis Junction.
Wall of steamer baskets
We were all fascinated by the wall partitions and hanging lamps made out of real bamboo baskets. Nanxiang’s PR spokesperson told us that they were once the cause of a bamboo steamer shortage. That’s because they had bought out ALL the bamboo steamers in Singapore to decorate their restaurants!
Lots of food porn coming up!
Nanxiang Drunken Chicken
Chicken steeped in rice wine. Chilled, succulent, with a hint of booze. Mmm…a nice but naughty teaser for the rest of the feast!
Salted Egg Yolk Prawn
We smelled the aroma of salted egg yolk even before this dish was plonked on the table. Gone in flash!
Braised "Lion's Head"
No lions were harmed in the making of this dish! But some pigs were. 
Stir-fried String Bean
How about some crunchy greens to take some guilt off the meat fest?
King Sized Nanxiang Crab Roe Steamed Soup Bun
Here’s Nanxiang’s signature dish. It’s like a giant xiao long bao…with a straw!
We learned that the bun skin is not meant to be consumed. It’s very thick, and is used as a vessel for stock within. First, they wrap gelatinous stock in dough. After steaming, it melts into concentrated, scalding hot soup. In the meantime, the dough skin maintains the soup’s heat.
Have you ever consumed soup with a straw? It’s so fun! The stock is super rich with crab meat.
Signature Gyoza
The pan-fried dumplings are artfully presented in a delicate, lattice-like crust.
Shanghai Pan Fried Pork Bun
Besides xiao long bao, pan-fried pork bun or 生煎包 is another Shanghai specialty. These buns are cooked using the steam-fry method. They’re full of hot meat juices, careful when you bite into one!
Crab Roe & Pork Filling Steamed Bun
Nanxiang has 8 varieties of xiao long bao to choose from. Besides crab roe, we also tried the spicy version. It was full of kick!
Apparently, the xiao long bao served in Singapore has been modified to suit local palates. The authentic Shanghai version has much thicker dough skin, which Singaporeans didn’t take to. So the chefs at Nanxiang experimented to produce a skin that’s half as thin as the original version, but resilient enough to retain the same amount of filling.
Sweet Bean Paste Pastry
We thought we couldn’t manage any more food. But we just couldn’t resist these sweet, dainty pastries!
Yam Pastry with Sesame
These cigar-like bread rolls filled with yam paste were very more-ish.
Weibin devours Golden Pumpkin Cake!
But my favorite sweet was the golden pumpkin cake. They were hollow puffs of soft, chewy pumpkin. Reminds me of my favorite hum soei kok!
Jiafa interviews Felix
Felix, the operations manager, was a most gracious and knowledgeable host.
The Queen of Bling shows Weibin how to "zhng" her iPhone!
We were joined by four 933FM listeners, who were winners of last week’s program. Unlike the previous outing which was more rambunctious (thanks to Auntie Lucy and her fans), this dinner was more intimate and cosy.
If you’d like to join Jiafa and Weibin on their next foodie outing, tune in to this evening’s segment on YES 93.3FM from 6pm to 7pm. Join the contest to win invites to the next outing!
Click here to read Jiafa’s blog post!
Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant
180 Kitchener Road
#04-15/16 City Square Mall (Farrer Park MRT station)
Singapore 208539
Tel: (65) 6509 9134
URL: www.nanxiang.com.sg
Hear Julia on radio every Thursday at 11:10am & 12:10pm as she shares a Foodie Lunch Pick on 938LIVE's Lunch Box with hosts Howie Lim and Desmond Wong. 
Julia.
They do not eat the Big Steam Bun just the soup in it? When I was in Beijing having a steamboat lunch notice people at every tables just ate the food in hotpot and never drank the soup. Which to me was wasted but I watched and still wonder about. Here in San Francisco and Hong Kong and Taiwan they do not leave soup but have after done with food.
Yes, I tried eating the dough of the steamed soup bun, but it’s just too thick and tough.
Here in Singapore, we do drink the soup when eating hotpot. It’s really rich and flavorful especially towards the end of the meal!
Nice photos! The coaster-like menu is so unusual, and the ambiance looks great!
They put a lot of thought into creating a classy ambiance while paying homage to the theme of the restaurant. The menu reminds me of a steamer basket lid!