DUMPLING REVIEW: Pacificana

My search for the best dumplings in New York continues….

SADLY, PACIFICANA IS NOW CLOSED.

It was very strange coming to Pacificana and saying no to all the women who stopped by with carts. This massive banquet hall is most known for their authentic dim sum. If you’ve never experienced dim sum, Pacificana is the place to start. Women come around with an endless option of dishes and you say yes to those you want. Before you know it, you’ve had a giant meal of little Chinese bites and usually the bill is a lot lower than you expect.

But I wasn’t here for dim sum. It’s best done in a large group and I was on a mission to try their soup dumplings. These xiao long bao need to be ordered separately from the regular menu. Yes, they actually have a menu for off-hours and those not participating in the dim sum festivities.

I ended up with a bowl of only four, which surprised me. They usually come in a greater quantity than that. I guess they’re sticking to the dim sum theme of small bites. While they looked a little longer and more wrinkly than others I’ve had, they ended up being great.

Plenty of soup hid inside each nicely composed bun. It was gingery and porky and complemented the dough nicely. That dough tended to be a bit thicker than others, but not overly so and it was easy to break and chew.

This was a more refined take on the soup dumplings and they were really quite good. These were very appropriate since dim sum translates to “little treasures” and that’s exactly how I’d describe these.

Does Pacificana make the best dumplings in NY? They are loaded with refined and rich soup and is a little taste of both how good soup dumplings can be and how good the small bites at Pacificana can be. 8 out of 10.