Nico B.
Yelp
Yummy, yum, yum, yummy, YUM! I checked out Hungry Dumpling on Hawthorne for the first time this evening, and I was impressed overall. I arrived at 6 PM on a Thursday and was promptly seated, but did notice the restaurant filled up rather quickly during my visit. In the fall and winter, seating may be an issue. However, I noticed there is ample outdoor seating available - so that will help when we have more agreeable weather.
The folks at the table next to me and my husband ordered scalion pancakes and soup dumplings, which they said were fantastic, so we followed suit. The scallion pancakes were a bit greasy, and the soup dumplings were a little too thick and doughy for my liking. However, the dumplings weren't overly salty and they were served piping hot!
We also ordered wontons in chili oil (the source of all the YUMs in my opening paragraph) which were so delicious I may dream about them tonight. The cucumber salad was super delish, but beware of the garlic breath that may follow. We also ordered chive dumplings which seemed a little bland, but dipping them in the liquid from the wonton dish made them more agreeable.
There seem to be a lot of dumpling houses opening in the Portland metro area, which is great. And each one seems to have it's own set of pros/cons. Hungry Dumpling House works great for me because it's near my home, has easy parking, and appears to be pretty straightforward without all of the fanfare found in some of the other restaurants. I'm too old, fat and tired to wait in line for an hour before I eat! (That line made me chuckle)
Everyone seemed to be ordering the fried salted egg chicken wings, but I wasn't in the mood for wings. I'll certainly put them at the top of my list next time I visit. I'll also try the shumai as it wasn't available this evening. All in all, this was a super enjoyable visit and I can't wait to come back and try more of their dishes.