Sichuan xiao long bao at Paradise Dynasty
Why, yes it is.
If you're an early reader of the Arriviste, you may know that I am a devotee of Chinese dumplings, but you're probably not aware of my deep love for spicy Sichuan cuisine, formed in Chengdu in 2009 on a panda-hugging excursion with Mr Arriviste. We thought it was exceedingly amusing, and useless, that the local tourist map listed among its useful Chinese restaurant phrases "no mouth-numbing peppercorns, please." Let's just say that at our first lunch the joke was on us. But once we had recovered the feeling in our mouths, we actually developed a real appreciation for the tangy pique of Sichuan chili.
This pink dumpling, my friends, is the sublime marriage of two things I love, sichuan spice and xiao long bao. Brimming with soupy, porcine, spicy peppercorn goodness, Paradise Dynasty's sichuan XLB is more than a gimmick, an accusation I leveled at it when the restaurant debuted its rainbow colored XLB in 2010--purple truffle! yellow cheese! green ginseng! I was highly skeptical of any tampering with the XLB, which was already in my pantheon of perfect foods.
But it turns out all of the flavored XLB are quite good, and the sichuan XLB is so good that I eat it once a week. Head on over to Paradise Dynasty in Ion Orchard to try it for yourself, but expect to wait 30 minutes for a table at busy times.
2 Orchard Turn
#04-12A ION Orchard
Singapore 238801
Tel: 6509 9118
11.00am – 10.00pm (Mon – Fri)
10.00am – 10.00pm (Sat, Sun & PH)
Last order 9.30pm



