Xiao Long Bao @ Pai Jia En, Motoshikkuimachi, Nagasaki

 

Although Nagasaki may be well known for its Chinese food, it is also something worth noting that you do not need to go to Chinatown for this. The city is filled with interesting shops and restaurants selling traditional classics and Japanese fusion dishes, that have been designed for the local palate. Bak Kut Teh anyone? 

Is that what I see over the yonder?

So after a bit of wandering around, I found the final point of my food checklist for the city: xiaolongbao. Directly translated to as "little dragon bun" but more commonly known as soup dumplings due to their juicy core, they are deemed to be on the more refined scale in terms of Chinese food. They are actually not buns, but rather dumplings. A great level of skill is required to create these bad boys, whereby the outer skin of the morsel is thin and delicate, while its base is sturdy to encase the meaty and juicy filling. And my port of call was Pai Jia En, which is located near some of the busiest streets of the city. 

A modest selection

Once I entered, I knew I was in good hands, as the chefs that are in charge are actually Chinese. In fact, the head chef has been around Japan for 30 years and has been doing it ever since. This shop only focuses on a handful of treats, as displayed in their modest menu. Although some may feel underwhelmed with just dumplings, buns, and glutinous rice balls, this is a good thing actually. This means the restaurant focuses on those few things and excels at them. Without little hesitation, I got myself a serving of regular xiaolongbao, a serving of yakixiaolongbao, and a bowl of glutinous rice balls. This was a gluttonous night indeed. 

Steamy!

It has been a few years since I had soup dumplings, so I was really looking forward to this. And they didn't disappoint. The dumplings came out raging hot, right from the steamer so I had to proceed with caution. But the extra care was necessary for the enjoyment that followed. And I did enjoy it. 

The first spooning

The outer skin was a bit too thick for my liking, but it did the job well in keeping the thing whole. The meat was fragrant and had a tinge of chive-like flavour. The soupy lava that came from its core was a bit of a mess to deal with. But nothing a well-placed spoon can't tackle. 

Definitely a bit tanned

The yakixiaolongpao came soon after. If you know your Japanese food terms by now, "yaki" would mean grilled or roasted. It is the Japanese name for the famed sheng jian bao, which somehow is not as popular as the steamed cousins.   The first glance doesn't seem to suggest any firework, but at the bottom, the sears of a hot griddle plate were obvious. 

Look at that filling! Also, you may notice its burnt bottom

This was also a great treat to just wolf down. The difference would be the texture of the skin, which is made of dough more similar to actual steam buns. If I had to choose which one, it would be the yakixiaolongpao. Not because one is better than the other, but the grilled version of these gems is more unique and obscure if you know what I mean, while the other is already universally well known. 

Here comes more food!

I was already loaded with so much food at this point but I just had to order that bowl of tangyuan. Its been too long I had glutinous rice balls and I am not going to let this opportunity slip by. It was relatively basic, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. The liquid that came with it was unfortunately just plain hot water, unlike ginger syrup which is what I am more accustomed to. Still, the black sesame filling was incredible.

Inner darkness never tasted so good. 

This is a simple shop between Hamamachi and Chinatown that is hard to miss. The food is relatively basic, but when the basic is literally called little dragons, you know you are in for a treat. The handiwork of the chefs is a bit rough around the edges but do not let this stop you. It is like comparing a 3-star sushi restaurant and a corner sushi bar in your neighborhood. Surely the refinement may differentiate the two, but that does not mean one is better than the other. So if you feel like dropping by, then Pai Jia En's address is as follows:

1-2 Motoshikkuimachi, Nagasaki, 850-0901

Front of the house.