Welcome to DUMPLINGMANIA!
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Sichuan Cuisine
136-20 38 Ave #9
Flushing, NY 11354
One evening, I had dinner at the food court with Lillian, Andy Zheng, and Tony. We grabbed seats and took turns ordering food from wherever we wanted as someone would be left behind to save our precious seats. I believe I got my usual teriyaki chicken with Tony. Andy and Lillian, however, ordered the lobster fried rice. Apparently, he wasn't done ordering as he went to another place and brought over the dumplings. Like a good friend, he let me try one. I was instantly hooked. "Where is this from?" I asked immediately. He pointed over the Sichuan Cuisine and said it was number 33 on the menu. Ever since then, I expanded my food options from 1 to 2.
Right by a meat on a stick place and Kung Fu Tea, this spot is great. It was so great I would eventually take my good friend Jessica N. to try the dumplings as a return favor for introducing me to the street taco cart. She loved them! These dumplings were so good, J-Navs would introduce them to her brother, and he would also fall in love with them.
The generous tasty pork filling and crispiness of the dumpling skin makes it very savory. The sweet soy sauce that comes along with an order is the cherry on top. $5.00 will get you 6 pieces. Although it is a bit pricey, this isn't like the other cheaper priced dumplings that you can usually get 5 for ~$1.
With such a great fried option, I had to try these spicy hot oiled dumplings. In my opinion, the fried dumplings are still better, but the hot oil sauce dumplings is a great alternative. These dumplings are $5.50 for 10 pieces.
The Hole in the Wall Dumpling Spot
Same Block as Red Bowl
Across the Street from Starbucks
This is another dumpling spot I love. It's one Wenzhou's take on dumplings. It didn't want to dub it as all of Wenzhou's take since there is another place I love that's run by Wenzhounese people that is very different. This spot is between the parking lot behind Red Bowl and next to Monster KTV. No English name spotted. None needed. People who know about it know where to go.
I recall one summer where NYC had the black out, my mom couldn't cook anything. The whole family went out to this spot to order a whole batch of dumplings and small buns. They were one of very few businesses that had a generator to keep their business going. It's a great place and definitely one to hit up if you're ever in the area!
Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao
38-12 Prince Street
Flushing, NY 11354
The King of Soup Dumplings on Prince Street!
- Soup Dumplings/Steamed Buns (pork or crab and pork)
- Shanghai Pan Fried U-don
- Scallion Pancake with Beef
- Braised Bean Curd
- Turnip Puff
These dumplings are a must for all dumpling lovers. They are very different from the traditional dumpling as they are filled with soup on the inside. Be very careful on how you eat and handle them. You do not want to break the bottom and have its soupy deliciousness leak out! I have a method of eating them. I like to carefully place a dumpling on my soup spoon. The top is bitten and I carefully drink the soup. I scoop a bit of the vinegar that comes along with the order onto the filling and eat the rest of the dumpling.
Fried Dumpling Jie Jie Sheng
40-24 Union St.
Flushing, N.Y. 11355
Livia's
My pre-k class took a walking trip to the police station. The week prior to the trip, we took another walking trip to the fire station on Union Street. "My daddy restaurant is this way!" one child screamed. A lot of students will tell you things they are familiar with during trips. Many aren't able to give answers to followup questions, but this child is very bright. Since we didn't go passed the dumpling place, she never brought it up.
During the day of the police station, we would walk further down. "That my daddy restaurant!" I looked across the street to see Jie Jie Sheng. I asked if her daddy made dumplings and she responded, "YES! They are very yummy!" I made note of this place since I wanted to support businesses of my student's family.
Their dumplings are very yummy. Like any dumplings, they combination of Sriracha and soy sauce makes the taste even better. The major difference between these Wenzhou dumplings and the other place is the way it's cooked. The skin seems to be thinner here. The dumplings are not fried with a lot of oil, therefore they aren't greasy at all. Their tea eggs are definitely worth getting. To be honest, there hasn't been a small bun and spring roll from these type of places I did not like.
When I went back to school to share the goods with my friend, Lillian, she was very high on the Doufu Hua. When Lillian says something is delicious, take her word for it...it's delicious. She claimed it's the best Doufu Hua she's ever had.
There are days where pre-k would have non-attendance days for professional development. This year, these professional develop sessions have been held at the Macedonia church further down on Union Street across the street from the police department. My paraprofessional, Helen, look forward to these days since we would patron Fried Dumpling Jie Jie Sheng, for lunch. This is a great spot for some fried dumplings that aren't so greasy. Check it out!
Tianjin Dumpling House
Golden Mall
41-28 Main St.
Flushing, N.Y. 11355
Dumplings of the North
When you enter the mall, you may be a bit overwhelmed by the amount of people in such a small place, as well as the amount of food options. If you're looking for Tianjin, you cannot miss it...if you do miss it...look for this.
These dumplings are quite delicious. I will definitely come back to try some of the other fillings. For this order, I stuck with the traditional pork filling but with pickled vegetables. The soy sauce added great flavor to the dumpling skin.The pickled vegetables made the dumplings taste very different from the others. They are very yummy and worth trying if you're ever in the area. Be sure to look around the other foods available at the Golden-Mall. The place next to Tianjin has been visited by both Anthony Bourdain of No Reservations and Parts Unknown as well as Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods.