The Place

When I was young, hongraymom would drag our family to this place on Granville called Shanghai Palace. She is someone who will refuse to eat anything that isn't some variation of Chinese cooking, so this was her way of "mixing it up"...

I guess it really didn't matter what I ate, because it probably wouldn't have interested me unless it was deep fried with a gift of lead-poisoned toy- but I do remember tolerating one dish from the place. It was the xiao long bao, or soup dumpling. Back then, I would say I enjoyed those dumplings more for the theatrics than the taste-I'd spear it with my chopstick and watch it explode, filling the bowl with oily meat juice.

Just to let you know, if you break a soup dumpling before it gets in your bowl/mouth/belly- it is one of the stupidest things you can do. Feel nothing but shame for your failure. You have to be gentle with these little packages of deliciousness- applying just enough force with the chopsticks in order to loosen it from the wax paper in the steamer. If you lose the juice through the steamer holes because you enjoy hurting yourself and those you're eating with, the soup dumpling's potential is ruined- it's the budget version of hacking away at a roast before it's rested. But I've really begun to digress. The whole reason I have been reminiscing about these childhood meals/soup dumpling transfer techniques is really to point out that the Shanghainese place was pretty crap- it's no surprise that it's not around anymore. The real "place" to eat these soup dumplings is at the hole-in-the-wall next door called....believe it or not...."The Place!"

After hearing my soup dumpling stories, I don't really know how you can't go to the Place.But then again I didn't describe their version of these soupy delights. The star of this place is really the xiao long pao- this establishment really understands the balance to be achieved between soup, meat, and dumpling (skin?). In my attempts to find a replacement for the Place on the East coast, I've encountered ridiculous ratios between these three elements. Montreal gives me too much skin, too many gimmicks/flavors. Toronto gives me too much bland soup. But my beloved Vancouver gives me a perfect little bundle- with a skin that gives enough texture to impart some bite/chewiness, a tender pork filling, and so much meaty, savoury soup that the sides of the dumpling sag with excess weight when you pick it up. They don't need to rely on switching up the combinations of filling to keep you interested; you're going to eat pork and you're going to like it.

I really dislike when I leave a meal unsatisfied and feeling like that money could have been better spent elsewhere. As a result, I've started to really limit my everyday dining experiences to the affordable- trying to seek out more hole-in-the-wall type places that are hidden gems. The Place definitely meets this criteria. The most expensive thing on the menu is <15$, and they consistently deliver the same quality of food each visit. Not to miss either are other gems on the menu of this establishment. A dish that consistently occupies the top "eat-as-soon-as-I-land-at-home" list is the chili won-ton (also pictured above...er $6.95?). Each time I've tasted it, I have my doubts as to the veracity of statements denying the use of MSG. There is no other way I can explain the crack-like properties it exerts on me. The menu also boasts traditional favourites such as taiwanese beef noodles errr ($7.95?), and for the more adventurous, salted egg with duck roll ($5.95).

8028 Granville Street, Vancouver BC

Ratings
Ambiance: Overall clean, comfortable- but no frills. Recent addition of orange paint to the walls really added some pizzazz to the place. Probably wouldn't want to go to their bathroom.
Crowd: Asians represent.
Price: My bills even whilst binge eating fail to surpass 30$/2 people.
Food: Success. Slight crack-like properties.
Portions: Generous, but not to the realm of the ridiculous. Predetermined numbers for dumplings.

And the million dollar question...
Hongray for the Place? it definitely has a "place" in my heart....HARhar