Dumplings can be tricky balancing act

After watching the explosive acrobatics, delicate saucer twirling and mighty feats of strength by “Cirque Shanghai” performers, I developed a deep craving for Shanghai’s other explosive, delicate and mighty export: soup dumplings called xiao long tang bao. When done right, these beauties offer an explosive meat- and broth-filled package in a noodle wrapper–that is at once deliciously delicate and strong enough to hold that hot burst of consomme.

Like many of the attractions at “Cirque,” it’s no easy balancing act.

I went digging around Chicago for anyone who claimed to make this famous treat.

Tamarind, 614 S. Wabash Ave.; 312-379-0970: A Chinese friend who recently dined at this pan-Asian eatery raved to me about the elegant bamboo-centric decor, impeccable service and breathtaking Peking Duck in tamarind sauce. He was absolutely right on all counts. Sadly, when it comes to making soup dumplings, this place still has a bit of work to do. A standard order here comes with four dumplings ($5) wrapped in a fairly thick and tough dough and broth that is a little fattier and less soupish than we prefer. To be fair, the restaurant has only been open for a couple of months, and says manager Paul Ko, “We are always working on improving everything.” He adds that Tamarind also serves vegetarian soup dumplings, something we’ve never heard of. Dumplings worth watching.

Moon Palace, 216 W. Cermak Rd.; 312-225-4081: This longtime Shanghainese outpost in Chicago has got a fresh new look with its cantaloupe tones and artsy, old Shanghai photographs on the walls. But the menu remains largely the same, with the region’s specialties including soup dumplings (both pork and crab) at the fore. We loved that before the dumplings come out, diners are given a tiny sauce of finely jullienned fresh ginger along with a cruet of red vinegar. And things also looked promising when the big metal steamer basket of 10 dumplings ($6.50) arrived hot and lined with cabbage leaves to prevent sticking. Sadly, the wrapper was still a little thick, the pork nugget a little dominant and the broth a little scarce–although plentiful in some. That didn’t stop us from polishing off the whole steamer with plenty of vinegar and ginger, though.

Yu Ton Dumpling House in the Di Ho Mall, 665 Pasquinelli Drive, Westmont; 630-323-2329: When Chinese transplants are looking for authentic chow beyond Chicago’s dominant Cantonese fare, many swarm to this food court in a Westmont Asian mall where the hot soy milk and giant savory fritters can’t be beat. The inexpensive Shanghai soup dumplings ($3.95 for 10) are also not bad. Though tasty and nicely porky, they suffer from a thick skin and a complete lack of that pork consomme we love so much.

Phoenix, 2131 S. Archer Ave.; 312-328-0848: A couple of years ago, Phoenix hosted a Shanghai style noodle and dumpling house on its first floor, but cruelly closed its doors just as it had perfected its xiao long tang bao recipe. So when we heard that they took that recipe upstairs, but only served it on weekends as a special order ($3.90 for four), we figured it might be worth a try. Not really. Though attractively presented (with little carrot coins tucked under each), and clearly made to order, this undercooked loose-meat affair was not like the old recipe.