Dim Sum Library to launch trio of new xiao long bao inspired by Thai, Singaporean and Sichuan flavours

Dim Sum Library, the Hong Kong-born restaurant on Long Acre in Covent Garden, will introduce a collection of three new xiao long bao from 7^th September 2026, running until 8^th November, with each dumpling drawing on a different Asian culinary tradition and served in a naturally coloured wrapper. The limited-run collection is the work of chef Jian Jia, formerly executive chef at Din Tai Fung, and is intended to reflect the restaurant’s international remit, with references to Thailand, Singapore, Sichuan and Hong Kong.

The three additions are Tom Yum Seafood Xiao Long Bao, Wagyu Beef with Black Pepper Xiao Long Bao and Bak Kut Teh with Pork Rib Xiao Long Bao. Each is folded by hand and served in baskets of four, with a thin wrapper containing both a filling and a quantity of broth.

The Tom Yum Seafood version is red in colour and takes its cue from the Thai soup of the same name, combining chilli heat with citrus notes and a seafood filling. The golden-yellow Wagyu Beef with Black Pepper dumpling is a reworking of an existing Dim Sum Library dish, the Wagyu Beef Puff with Black Pepper, transferring the pairing of wagyu and black pepper into soup dumpling format.

The green Bak Kut Teh with Pork Rib Xiao Long Bao references the Singaporean heritage of Aqua Restaurant Group founder David Yeo. Bak kut teh is a Southeast Asian soup made with pork ribs, spices and herbs; its name translates as “meat bone tea”, although the dish does not typically contain tea, taking its name instead from the tea-drinking custom that traditionally accompanies it. The restaurant’s version aims to reproduce the soup’s peppery character within the dumpling wrapper.

Alongside the individual baskets, the restaurant will offer a Xiao Long Bao Tasting Platter bringing the three new flavours together with its existing Dan Dan Xiao Long Bao, which adapts the flavours of Sichuan dan dan noodles – spicy, nutty and savoury – into soup dumpling form.

Dim Sum Library forms part of Aqua Restaurant Group, which operates venues in Hong Kong, London, New York, Miami and elsewhere. The Covent Garden site, at 136 Long Acre, positions itself as a modern interpretation of the dim sum format, applying traditional techniques to ingredients and presentations that fall outside the conventional repertoire. Under Jia, the kitchen has focused on hand-folded dumplings and variations on established Cantonese formats.

The collection will be available for a two-month period only, after which the three new varieties will be withdrawn from the menu.

Food Desk

For further information and reservations, visit Dim Sum Library’s website here.