Golden Steamer Red Bean Bun: Here's a classic Chinese bao favorite from Golden Steamer in NYC, filled with sweet red bean paste that is surprisingly mild in sweetness, especially compared to the typical sugar bomb you get elsewhere. Surrounded by soft and plump steamed white bread. This one is not bad, but it isn't especially interesting. If you like red bean buns, you will enjoy it, but it will taste like you expect it will. Costs under $1. 3.0/5.0
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Golden Steamer Big Bun with chicken, vegetables, and egg: Served in a scaldingly hot waxed bakery takeaway bag, the big bun from NYC Chinatown’s Golden Steamer takes several minutes to cool down before before consumption. Inside a fluffy and supple steamed white bun is a mixture of savory chicken, pickled mustard greens, and sliced hard-boiled egg. The lightly sweetened bun mixed with the meaty hearty filling, which steam has congealed into an almost meatball-like texture, is hard to beat at $1.25. 4.5/5.0
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Steap Lychee Love Tea: I’ve been searching for a quality bubble tea shop in Chinatown, San Francisco and tried this modern bubble tea spot on my most recent visit. Steap prides themselves on highly customizable fruit and herbal teas. The lychee love drink is a jasmine and green tea mix containing lychee jelly (I also ordered boba as an add-in). You could taste the ambition, as the tea was not as sugary as what you might find at a nearby chain, but it taste a bit diluted, and the boba was too soft. The search conti... (read more) 2.5/5.0
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Meisum Bakery Asian Pastries: I previously reviewed this bakery's mochi peanut dessert, which remains my favorite product. During my last visit to this small Chinatown bakery, I tried the egg tart and pineapple bun, both of which were fairly standard as far as Asian bakeries go. The egg tart was firm and cold, a sign that it had been sitting out for some time. Still, the flavor was not bad but ordinary. The pineapple bun was a bit better, with a nice crispy crumble that was just the right level of sweetness. Overall... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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Golden Gate Bakery egg tart: Back in 2010, I came across this legendary Chinatown institution notable for its long lines of Chinese patrons. I ordered a single egg tart and sat on the curb on Grant street savoring the best egg tart I'd ever had. Unlike most I had previously tasted, which tend to sit out in display cabinets, this tart came out hot, giving the custard a glistening glow and a silky texture that was almost pudding-like. Ever since that day, I've gone out of my way to buy another on almost every trip back to... (read more) 4.5/5.0
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163 Vietnamese Sandwich milk tea with boba: When I end up in Chinatown, I always attempt to find a decent bubble tea shop. Did I find it in this highly rated spot? Alas, no. The tea was diluted, the sugar crystals not fully dissolved such that every few sips, I'd get a crunch. The boba was even worse, with a mushy texture that was far too soft. Which leaves me with the question: is there any decent bubble tea to be found in Boston's "Chinatown"? 1.5/5.0
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