I expected that one of the most exciting things about lunch time in Pioneer Square would be the ability to get xiao long bao (soup-filled dumplings) in the International District. Unfortunately, I started with Ping's Dumpling House. TripAdvisor and Yelp warned me against it, but I still persisted and made it my first stop.The service was as expected, seating myself at a table with a dirty washrag. The steam basket of xiao long bao was well-used, held together with a few discolored metal plates. The dumplings themselves were deflated and leaky, without the scalding burst of soup I'd come to expect. Worse, the pork filling was slightly gritty. Not very good.
Somewhat in contrast, a few hours later I went out looking for an afternoon snack, and poked my head into Caffe Umbria. The drip coffee was good, and a scoop of chocolate chip gelato hit the spot, especially after the disappointing dumplings.
Ping's Dumpling House/Food Mart
508 S. King St.
Xiao long bao, hot tea, $11.50
Caffe Umbria
320 Occidental Ave. S.
Coffee, gelato, $6.21
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