Supreme Dumplings Opens at Ala Moana Center with Silky, Soupy Xiao Long Bao

Photo: Gregg Hoshida

I tasted my first xiao long bao more than 20 years ago in the sweltering heat of Taipei. It didn’t matter that I didn’t understand the language, or that blistering hot soup would shoot onto my naive tongue when I bit into an impossibly delicate dumpling. The soup was unctuous, the silken noodle wrapper dripping with vinegar, shoyu and ginger. What followed was a dogged pursuit of what my friend describes as the XLB life. Now, after more than 20 years of trying soup dumplings in Asia and the U.S. in search of that magic, I found it at the newly opened Supreme Dumplings in Ala Moana Center.

Photo: Gregg Hoshida

This is the eighth shop for the xiao long bao chain from Bellevue, Washington. It soft-opened between Longs Drugs and Shabuya on June 22 with eight kinds of soup dumplings and other Taiwanese and Chinese dishes. Xiao long bao choices include Szechuan Spicy ($13), crab and pork ($15), black truffle and chicken ($19), shrimp and pork ($14), wagyu beef ($16), chicken ($12) and an assortment of favorites ($20), each order of which includes six pillows of soupy goodness in a steamer basket.

Supreme Pork dumplings. Photo: Gregg Hoshida

Of these, the Supreme Pork ($13) certainly reigns supreme for my taste. The filling is lusciously soft and a good match for the heady soup that envelops my palate. I appreciate the handmade wrapper, which is smooth and silky without being too chewy at the fold. Supreme Pork is the bite I keep coming back to.

Pan-fried dumplings. Photo: Gregg Hoshida

The rest of the menu yields some surprises as well as Chinese standards that go nicely with your dumplings. The mini pan-fried pork dumplings ($15) give the same porky goodness as the XLB, but in a doughy, fried version. Other noteworthy items are the Szechuan chile oil chicken ($14), truffle mushroom roll ($12) and pork chop fried rice ($19), which I enjoy for the pork’s heavy five-spice flavor, though the rice needs some assistance from a good dash of white pepper and sesame oil.

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Truffle mushroom roll. Photo: Gregg Hoshida

Aside from these, there are won tons; appetizers of braised beef shank, pork belly or tofu; dishes of honey walnut shrimp and Szechuan chile oil chicken; vegetarian stir-fries and assorted fried rice and hot and cold noodle dishes.

Photo: Gregg Hoshida

Overall, the prices are reasonable for a pleasant setting in the middle of Ala Moana Center. I also thoroughly enjoy the sincerity of the staff, who, while still new, show efforts toward improvement and genuine hospitality. As Supreme Dumplings will be in its soft-opening phase until July, know that there will probably be some early bumps in the road. They are worth a taste of the XLB life.

Photo: Gregg Hoshida

Open Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., 1450 Ala Moana Blvd., Ala Moana, supreme-dumplings.com, @supremedumplings

Gregg Hoshida is a longtime regular contributor to Frolic Hawai‘i. @oldmanfood