Shanghai Dumpling King

   

Sugar Egg Puff at Shanghai Dumpling King-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

When the 7x7's 2013 Big Eat came out, I was a little perturbed that a part of the list included previous restaurants with different dishes.  With an exasperated "again", I hauled myself to Shanghai Dumpling King.  Shanghai Dumpling King made it appearance on the 7x7's 2011 Big Eat, but for its soup dumplings (see post HERE).  It was a big fail on that dish, but the one dish I was looking forward to was the sugar egg puffs, which I loved as a kid.  The only problem with the first time around here was that they ran out and the next batch would take another 30 minutes to fry up.  I filed it under my things to possibly eat later and thought I actually might not come back since the rest of the food was subpar.
Fast forward two lists later and I'm back.  With quick maneuvering around the huge crowd of people, that must never have had good dumplings before, and quick to go order of one sugar egg puff dish, I was in and out in less than 5 minutes.

When I was a kid, these fried egg puffs were really common on dim sum carts, but now they seem hard to find or at least freshly made ones.  My order was still warm when I got home.  Hollow, eggy, and fluffy with heavy dusting of sugar, they are almost like I remember them.  Still missing a crispier outside, but better than the greasy ones that have been sitting out all day in the Chinatown bakeries.  

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

Address:                       Shanghai Dumpling King
                                      3319 Balbao St.
                                      San Francisco, CA
 

 Type:                            Chinese

Popular chomps:           Xiu Long Bao (XLB) (#4)
                                       Green onion pancake (#21)
                                       Sugar egg puff (#141)

Chomp worthy:              Tianjin steamed dumplings (#6)
                                        Lion Head Meatballs (#37)
                                        Sugar Egg puff (#141)