Marc L.
Yelp
Yelp Reviews: Quarantine Edition #20
Gimme them thicc ass dumpling skins!
This place has that dumpling house dive/hole in the wall feel you see all over China and much of SGV, but it's even more minimalist now with the Quarantimes! Whereas there was at least a table or two inside to dine in uncomfortably before, now you can't eat inside and you have to pantomime your order if you can't speak any Chinese. If you can overcome these barriers, this place is a dependable option for Northern-style Chinese dumplings.
One side of my family's ancestral roots are in Shandong Province, where the owners of Qingdao Bread Food originally hail from, so I'm used to the taciturn, stoic demeanors of Shandong people... like Tennessee, the Volunteer State, Shandong is known for bangers and brawlers. Don't be put off by the gruff folks that operate this place; they're like that no matter who you are and whether or not you speak Mandarin.
It's been a while since I've been here but I stopped by as I drove through the area because the Bibigo and Ling Ling dumplings you get at Costco just aren't doing it for me right now. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of interrupting the old uncle manning the place as he was reading his newspaper, so his terse response probably should have been expected. The following conversation happened in Mandarin:
"Hello, what are your most popular dumplings?"
He scowls, "They're all good. They all sell well."
I peer at the menu, "You mean to say that everything here sells well?"
He scrunches up his face even more, "I make these dumplings all day. I wouldn't make them if they didn't sell."
Okay then. I decided to order a bag of frozen cabbage and pork dumplings (classic) and call it a day.
Dumplings and noodles are hearty foods and there's perhaps no place that does it better than Shandong, I'm big on thick dumpling skins and the skins here are THICC, with some slight chew... good dough work. The cabbage and pork filling is juicy and flavorful, although they might pop out if you don't keep your eye on them as they cook.
Whether as potstickers or boiled, the dumplings here are quality goods for home cooking. At about 40 dumplings for $22, it's a decent price too: word to the wise, if you're paying more than fifty cents a pop for frozen dumplings, they better have premium fillings or you sir/ma'am are getting bamboozled!
Some reviews say they take credit card now, but apparently not today: BRING CASH. If you're a veteran dumpling fiend and live out of the area, make sure you bring a cooler or other temperature insulated solution; they give you the frozen dumplings in a Ziploc bag and then wrap the bag in a bundle of Chinese newspapers... as far as I know newspaper doesn't have special insulating properties, even if it's in Chinese, so if you're driving from afar plan accordingly.