Lugang Cafe for xiao long bao cravings

I'm happy to report I finally got to eat at Lugang Cafe after months of staring helplessly at the always jampacked Connecticut branch and resolving my xiao long bao cravings at Crystal Jade.

We treated mom to a Mother's day lunch so we can also try the best-sellers. On a side note, I am in love with the classy lamps and sophisticated interiors.

And of course, the xiao long bao did not disappoint!

Being the noob that I was, I ordered the chicken topped with scallion ginger oil straight from the best-seller list. I thought it would be a more awesome version of hainanese but it was best served cold and clammy--as the waiter pointed out when I asked why they served it straight from the ref. I wasn't too crazy about this dish. I like my chicken served hot, thank you very much.

Of course, no Chinese meal for me is complete without hot sour soup. I liked their version but Discovery Suites' take on this soup is still the best for me. I prefer it very sour and spicy. Lugang's was kind of bland. Crystal Jade's hot sour soup is way better, for me.

And look at this! Mom loved how they served the pineapple fried rice literally inside a pineapple. She loved it, we loved it. I don't think you can go wrong with fried rice.

We also ordered the Taiwanese Minced Pork, which was another house special. We were torn between this and the three-cup chicken but ended up liking the dish. It reminds me of asado, but with minced pork. Duh. I really need to attend a food blogging seminar one of these days. My trips to restaurants are wasted on my limited culinary vocabulary.

Anyhoots, would I eat here again? Yes, primarily for the xiao long bao and maybe try their other specialities. I would steer clear away from the scallion ginger oil chicken, though. The memory of eating that thing still haunts me.