Since establishing in 2003, they’ve become a huge hit with the locals as their traditional style dumplings frequently come up in recommendations as one of the best dumpling places in Beijing.
They eventually opened up a couple of locations in Taipei after a lot of preparation involving sending Taiwanese chefs to their Beijing headquarters for training.
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1. About the Restaurant |
We visited their Zhongshan branch which is only a 4-minute walk from Songjiang Nanjing Station. We arrived around 1pm on a Saturday which was already fully packed at the time.
Appreciating that it’s very popular here, we were politely asked to wait for a table which didn’t end up being too long – about 10 to 15 minutes at most.
It soon calmed down as the restaurant closes for a break each day in the afternoon from 2:30pm, and they re-open at 5:30pm for the evening.
The restaurant is fairly big inside. It goes to the back and into other rooms with variously sized tables that can cater to anyone up to large groups and families.
If you do check the place out, you’ll spot this beautiful decoration of traditional Chinese clothing of the Qing Dynasty.
Lao Man Dumplings ($130)
We ordered the ‘Shrimp, Pork, Chives, and Egg Dumplings‘ from their signature Lao Man dumplings section of the menu.
They soon arrived at our table as a plate of ten huge and protruding dumplings. We noticed the skin on these dumplings is thicker than normal due to being so packed full of meat, seasoning, and meat broth that the mixture needs to be nicely encapsulated.
After biting into them, the inside ingredients almost spew out due to being all so tightly packed within each dumpling.
These are the most flavorful and juiciest dumplings we’ve ever tasted. This is why you don’t need to dip these dumplings in a sauce because they already bursting with flavor and contain enough sauce inside them.
Other Beijing-style Dishes
Besides exquisite dumplings, they have a large, delicious array of authentic Lao Beijing-style dishes that we were also eager to try.
Special cold-mixed Chinese Salad ($100)
This is a cold appetizer dish seasoned with shredded cabbage, peanuts, carrots, and parsley. We believe it came straight from the refrigerator as it was very cold but also fresh and crunchy.
It tasted a little sour but that only enhanced the taste as it wasn’t your typical bland salad. We enjoyed picking at the strands of cabbage and nuts with chopsticks as we worked up our appetites.
We were impressed to find their small portion size (they have a bigger option) was more than enough for the two of us as it came in a deep bowl. It could’ve easily gone around a large group of people for sure.
Green Squash and Shrimp Steamed Dumplings ($260)
This was a set of eight steamed dumplings that had a shrimp and fresh green loofah inside.
Unlike the Lao Man dumplings, we felt these steamed dumplings could do better with a dipping sauce to get the best taste out of them.
If you do prepare a sauce, be aware that the soy sauce is quite sour as it contains a lot of vinegar.
These dumplings were very delicious and juicy, and not too heavy on the stomach. Each bite of these dumplings was amazing because of how well the sweetness of the loofah and shrimp went so well together.
The only downside to these steamed dumplings is they’re not exactly cheap. That said, if you’re with others to share the food and bill, then they’re more worth it.
Beijing-style Braised Pork in a Crockpot ($380)
The braised pork came sizzling in a closed pot to which the waiter lifted off as they placed it on our table.
They lock it under a lid to wait for the wine (which is cooked with it) to absorb into the meat to make the pork sweet and soft.
The dish also contained two hard-boiled eggs that were mixed in with the sweet juices of the pot.
Being priced at almost $400, the braised pork also wasn’t cheap. However, unlike the loofah and shrimp steamed dumplings, this dish was very filling and very satisfying to enjoy.
Our Drinks
Special Plum Juice ($50)
The plum juice was cold, sweet, and refreshing. It had a very pure and a slight thickness to so it didn’t seem watered down at all.
They even had a larger beverage option priced at $90, although we felt this drink size at just $50 was decent enough.
Chinese Tea ($80)
They had three options for the Chinese tea, oolong, Jasmine, and puerch teas – we went for the oolong tea.
The tea comes in a refillable teapot which you can ask them to refill with hot water at any time. We got about three to four refills out of it before the taste started to fade.
The Menu
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Worth visiting?
For sure! We visited for their signature Lao Man dumplings which were only $130, and you get a decent amount!
However, many of the other Beijing-style dishes are quite pricey, so it’s better to go as a group to be able to try out different options while sharing the experience and costs with friends. On top of that, the place is well designed for large groups as they can even accommodate families and events.
Will we go back?
Absolutely! We’ve already made plans with a few others so we can try their other dishes that we had no room for on this occasion.
We realized that many of our friends live a lot closer to their other branch in Nangang, so we’ll probably be trying out that location when we go back.
Xianlaoman (Zhongshan)Hours: Telephone: 02 2567 2028 Social Media: Facebook: xianlaoman Instagram: xianlaoman.tw English address: No. 23, Lane 90, Songjiang Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, 10491 Chinese address: 10491台北市中山區松江路90巷23號 Closest MRT: Songjiang Nanjing Station |
Xianlaoman (Nangang)Hours: Telephone: 02 2789 3423 English address: Fl. 2, No. 66, Jingmao 2nd Rd., Nangang Dist., Taipei City 115 Chinese address: 台北市南港區經貿二路66號2樓 Closest MRT: Nangang Station |
🗓️ Updated: April 2021 – Taipei.Expats
