Yipin Xiaolong is a metaphor for Sanlitun Bar Street.
Back in the heyday of 2016, Sanlitun’s ‘Dirty Bar Street’ was home to such unsavory establishments as Youth Club and Pure Girl Bar. (By ‘unsavory,’ we also mean ‘cheap and lovable.’ RIP.) Then came the bulldozers. Gone were the 10-kuai shots, throngs of study abroad students and the Mojito Man. In their stead, bricks.
There also used to be a xiaolongbao joint – a hole-in-the-wall between Moka Bros and some place called “Miss Hai Cake” (these were messier times). The decor there was garish – fluorescent lights and plastic tabletops – but the bao were good. And after a night partying on the nearby strip, they were more than good – they were lifesavers.
The quick and dirty XLB are gone now. Fittingly, however, the former Bar Street welcomed a new Shanghai-style joint more suited to its new look: Yipin Xiaolong.
Yipin Xiaolong is a citywide chain (though this Sanlitun one marks their first in central Beijing), and their vibes are more corporate, accordingly. Everything is clean. A cutesy mural on how to slurp a soup dumpling adorns one wall. As they lunch, customers watch the chefs pinch dumplings wrappers from behind plexiglass.
Fortunately, this xiaolongbao joint’s upgrade in style does not come at the sacrifice of price. Bundles of three XLB come as cheap as RMB20 – though the ones with crab are, of course, pricier, at RMB48. Some lack the flavor of your trusted local dumplery. But the best variety, to our surprise, is the kimchi-pork kind – while not exactly authentic, they are tangy and flavorful.
Also on offer are a series of tried-and-true Shanghai side dishes. In true Shanghainese fashion, they are sweet and soggy (this is a good thing). They’re largely dependable, if at times bland – which, ultimately, is a metaphor for this entire street. Bar Street is now safer. You’re less likely to leave having made regrettable decisions.
Yipin Xiaolong is a safe choice. It’s just that some of you, maybe, don’t want to make safe choices.
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