110 replies to this topic

[slkinsey]

Not soup dumplings -- I'm talking about the fried or steamed Chinese dumplings filled with pork and/or vegetables. Who makes the best? I've got my favorites, but I want to hear from you.

[SobaAddict70]

Dim Sum Go-Go
Sweet N Tart
and of course China 46

China Fun (UES branch) gets a honorable mention for their crystal shrimp dumplings.

Soba

[slkinsey]

Well, China 46 is disqualified because it's in the Midwest, not NYC.

So, what is it that's so good about the dumplings at these places, Stan?

[SobaAddict70]

hmph

Dumpling fillings should have clear, discernible flavors and minimal grease. Traditional fillings are best (ground pork with chives, or a mix of vegetables), but sometimes seafood versions can be just as good. Dough shouldn't be thick, which is an indication that the dumplings were frozen and not hand-made. Dipping sauce should be kept as simple as possible -- soy, maybe a splash of black vinegar, chopped scallions or ginger.

The crystal shrimp dumplings at China Fun, while not pork/veg dumplings and more dim sum-like have really thin dumpling skin, and the filling is a whole sweet shrimp. Dipping sauce is a nice combo of black vinegar and soy. Very clean, neat flavors and an absolute pleasure to have. Not bad for a non-Chinatown place. China Fun has several locations in Manhattan. I'm familiar with the one in the east 60s.

As for the others, China 46 is the standard that I hold dumplings to, and Sweet N Tart/Dim Sum Go-Go match that closely. Sorry, even if it is deep in the heart of Fort Lee.

El Gordo might disagree though. (He lives in the general neighborhood.)

Soba

[Dryden]

Dumping Man, on St. Marks, is extremely good.

[gracelee]

HI:

I live near China Fun and yes, the crystal shrimp dumplings (har gow) are very good. I went to Jing Fong for the first time last Sunday and their range of dumplings, porky and otherwise, blew me away. And I'm a dumpling veteran.

[sabg]

used to live within walking diatance of china fun, loved'em

[slkinsey]

Some of my favorites include places I visit with some regularity with Fat Guy and Ellen:

• The two five-for-a-dollar places" -- Fried Dumpling at 99 Allen Street between Delancey and Broome; and, a little better IMO, Dumpling House at 118 Eldridge Street between Broome and Grand.
• New Green Bo

[SethG]

I'm not a dumpling expert, but I do love them, and last weekend I went to Ocean Port Seafood, which was featured in the $25 & Under column a few weeks ago. I was blown away by the variety and inventiveness (and good looks) of the dumplings, most of which contain seafood.

This place was packed for dim sum but the turnover is constant so we didn't have to wait long.

[Pan]

HI:

I live near China Fun and yes, the crystal shrimp dumplings (har gow) are very good. I went to Jing Fong for the first time last Sunday and their range of dumplings, porky and otherwise, blew me away. And I'm a dumpling veteran.

My first thought when reading the initial post of this thread was Jing Fong, but I held back on posting because I hope there's a better place for dumplings other than xiao long bao that I haven't tried yet.

Anyone have Flushing recommendations?

Also, there seem to be two locations of China Fun: 1221 2nd Ave. and 246 Columbus Ave. Which one are people talking about in this thread?

I've been to a branch of Fried Dumpling once, the one on Allen St. just south of Delancey. Their dumplings were tasty but I liked the little fried baozi best.

[Jason Perlow]

Well, China 46 is disqualified because it's in the Midwest, not NYC.

Yeah we're all so damned Midwestern in Jersey. I think I'll go to tend my wheat field.

[oakapple]

This isn't my field of expertise, but there are some amazing ones at 66.

[Brooklyn]

The fried pork dumplings at Momofuku are the best I have had - ever, anywhere. That restaurant is amazing.

[jogoode]

Some of my favorites include places I visit with some regularity with Fat Guy and Ellen:

• The two five-for-a-dollar places" -- Fried Dumpling at 99 Allen Street between Delancey and Broome; and, a little better IMO, Dumpling House at 118 Eldridge Street between Broome and Grand.
  
• New Green Bo

I second Dumpling House. What a place to take friends from the suburbs, who are used to paying $5 for five dumplings of the doughy steamed variety -- there's no way you can spend over $5 a person at this place!

[SobaAddict70]

Also, there seem to be two locations of China Fun: 1221 2nd Ave. and 246 Columbus Ave. Which one are people talking about in this thread?

The crystal shrimp dumplings at China Fun, while not pork/veg dumplings and more dim sum-like have really thin dumpling skin, and the filling is a whole sweet shrimp.  Dipping sauce is a nice combo of black vinegar and soy.  Very clean, neat flavors and an absolute pleasure to have.  Not bad for a non-Chinatown place.  China Fun has several locations in Manhattan.  I'm familiar with the one in the east 60s.

El Gordo might disagree though.  (He lives in the general neighborhood.)

[zimonsays]

Some of my favorites include places I visit with some regularity with Fat Guy and Ellen:

• The two five-for-a-dollar places" -- Fried Dumpling at 99 Allen Street between Delancey and Broome; and, a little better IMO, Dumpling House at 118 Eldridge Street between Broome and Grand.
  
• New Green Bo

Both great!!
How about Excellent Dumpling House 111 Lafayette St
very good

[sakana]

Someone upthread mentioned Dumpling Man-- are others fond of that one as well? It's hard to get through the press and hype and find out how good it really is.

[zimonsays]

Someone upthread mentioned Dumpling Man-- are others fond of that one as well?  It's hard to get through the press and hype and find out how good it really is.

they make a good dumpling just expensive for what it is...a dumpling

[wesza]

I am responding to this post about your, "NYC" best Chinese Dumplings.

Having the privilege of enjoying the offerings of "Jade 46" with Jason and Rachel I went on several excursions into a wonderful special neighborhood of Asian goodness that has evolved in "Flushing, Queens, NYC" where I enjoyed superlative Chinese Regional Dumplings at 11 different nameless Restaurants that I feel were comparable to the Dumplings offered in Vancouver, BC and Hong Kong.

It is amazing how in a comparably short time there have evolved a community where almost every type of Asian Foods are represented as well as Indian, Mexican, South American, Spanish and many European Ethnic Foods of every type are available within a relatively close radius.

Just grazing we enjoyed snacking on Muslim Kabobs [waiting on line street side], Korean Mon Doo, Malay, Hakka, Cantonese, Shanghai, Peking, Indian, Vegan, Taiwan, Szchewan, Vietnam and Manchurian Treats only touching the surface of all available in only a few blocks.

The only comparable area I have experienced was at night in Hong Kong at Temple and Shanghai Streets in Kowloon but never before anywhere in the States. Wiggling Room only at 11:30 PM on the streets any weekend ?

Vancouver BC may offer some of the finest Chinese Food anywhere, but I feel that is mostly due to Canada's more reasonable Customs and imports allowing many items to be used not available in the States. San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle are no longer comparable to NYC especially if you include Brooklyn and China Town.

It would be interesting if eGullet could somehow find a way to make us all more aware of this special place in Queens.

Irwin

[Fat Guy]

New Green Bo has the best soup dumplings I've had in the city. The wrappers are thin and delicate, the broth is rich and the fillings are of high quality. There's a significant step down from New Green Bo to the next best few soup-dumpling places in town. I also think the fried pork dumplings at New Green Bo are very special. They are stylistically different from the ones served at the five-for-a-dollar places: they're longer, bigger and have a firm filling that is sweet and separate from the crispy skin.

I also like the five-for-a-dollar places, and wouldn't necessarily say that the dumplings at Dumpling House on Eldridge are better than at Fried Dumpling on Allen. The issue at both places is that you need to get them right out of the wok; otherwise they deteriorate rapidly. If you order fried dumplings at a regular restaurant, like New Green Bo or most anyplace, they cook your dumplings to order. At the five-for-a-dollar places they cook a hundred or so dumplings at a shot in a big wok and they sit around until they're all sold. Going at a high-volume time would seem the solution, but I think they slam them through the cooking process too hard during the lunch rush. I think the dumplings at these as well as a couple of other five-for-a-dollar places (like Tasty Dumpling on Mulberry next to Columbus Park) are all delicious and best-of-their-kind for hole-in-the-wall/street-food dumplings.

In terms of the dim sum dumpling scene, I've never found a consistent winner over time among the big, high-volume places. Maybe Ping's has on occasion been bigger than the larger spots. Dim Sum Go Go is categorically different, although not a favorite. Ordering dim sum off a menu and having it made to order does have its advantages, but the style at Dim Sum Go Go is too precious for me.

Both China 46 and Silver Pond in New Jersey are exemplary on the dumpling front.

[Fresser]

Well, China 46 is disqualified because it's in the Midwest, not NYC.

Yeah we're all so damned Midwestern in Jersey. I think I'll go to tend my wheat field.

Don't forget to button your bib overalls, Jason!

Billy-Bob Fresser
Heartland Expatriate

[lambretta76]

In Flushing I remember there being two very good dumpling places and, at the time, both were 7 for $1. (This was about two years ago.)

Anyways, the first had only 5-6 kinds and was down a side street of a Main, directly across from a Chinese Shabu Shabu place. The second had nearly 30 kinds of dumplings and was in a kind of food court area with balcony seating overlooking the LIRR tracks. I remember that the pork, mustard green, and chive dumplings there were amazing. My friend, an expat from Beijing, ordered something will jellyfish in it that, although not to my liking, I could see that many people would be really into it.

I wish I had names or more definitive locations, but I usually just ended up at these places by chance.

In the City I love Dumpling House on Eldridge. I also love getting the scallion pancake with vegetables (no beef).

[Pan]

The place under the LIRR tracks in Flushing sells pork dumplings at four to the dollar now. They're fine and certainly cheap, but I prefer the Fuzhounese sesame cakes I get down the road just south of Roosevelt.

Irwin, it's too bad you can't name any of the places you like or give more exact locations for same.

Fat Guy, have you tried the soup dumplings at Yeah? I'd be curious to get your comparison between those and the ones at New Green Bo.

[Mistinguett]

I'd love to read Fat Guy's opinion as I also rate NGB as the best for both soup dumplings and fried dumplings.
As I tried Yeah SD, I find Fat Guy's statement: "There's a significant step down from New Green Bo to the next best few soup-dumpling places in town" to be most accurate. IMO Yeah's soup dumplings are on par with Joe's and both are way inferior in both skin and flavor.

I've enjoyed the fried dumplings at Dumpling House until I "discovered" the NGB ones.

[jogoode]

I've enjoyed the fried dumplings at Dumpling House until I "discovered" the NGB ones.

Really? I was appalled when last year at my first and only time at New Green Bo I had rather standard soup and fried dumplings. I've also tried both at Yeah Shanghai, and preferred Yeah's to NGB's. Dumpling House can not be beat, in my opinion, but I'll have to hit NGB again and perform a more systematic comparison. And then I need to go to Flushing!

[Fat Guy]

Fat Guy, have you tried the soup dumplings at Yeah?

Nah.

[JennyUptown]

<green with envy>

I hope you all know how good you have it in NYC re: dumplings (and Chinese food overall). We have virtually no good options here in DC.

[Pan]

Come up and visit us some time, Jenny!

Fat Guy, I do recommend the soup dumplings at Yeah, though I think China 46 -- out there in the Midwestern corn fields -- has better ones.

[slkinsey]

Well... it's mixing species to compare soup dumplings with the kind of (usually) fried dunplings to which this thread is dedicated.

What do we think are the characteristics that make a really good Chinese dumpling? For me, the filling should be fine and flavorful, but a lot of the action is in the wrapper. It needs to be thin and, if fried, it should be crisp rather than simply browned. Nothing is worse than a thick, gummy, filling wrapper on a Chinese dumpling -- something that seems especially common with steamed vegetable dumplings. What's the deal with that? Does anyone make a truly outstanding vegetable dumpling? And for God's sake, why aren't they fried?!

I think the New Green Bo fried dumplings are particularly outstanding. The wrapper is nicely thin, so it isn't too filling (you would underdstand why this is important if you ever saw how much food Fat Guy and I order when we go there together). The dumplings are deliciously crisp on the bottom, and yet not greasy. And I also like their long-and-skinny approach in contrast to the more common short-and-lumpy shape -- it maximizes the ratio of crispy wrapper to filling, much like the baguette's shape maximizes the ratio oif crust to crumb. This shape would be a disaster with a thicker wrapper, but works just right at NGB.

[jogoode]

One great thing about Dumpling House's fried dumplings, and this might also apply to NGB's, but I don't remember, is that they have some of the juiciness of soup dumplings. I imagine that they use the same technique of adding frozen or solidified stock to the filling.