Ben K.
Yelp
There's a dearth of dumpling places in this town. It's all too easy to just go to your old dependable Qin Hua or Mai Xiang Yuan, and roll your eyes as "yet another" restaurant opens in your neighbourhood. Biking down Clark towards Sherbrooke, just past Prince-Arthur, I don't even recall if there was anything in this space before Dumpling Hut. What the hell?
My biggest criticism of dumpling restaurants in the city comes down to the filling. It all tastes the same to me (with the exception of vegetarian fillings which are consistently disappointing. Steamed, watery egg? No thanks.) When you pack enough sodium and MSG into a pork or beef base, you're going to get the same hit of delicious grease and sodium, but as my lunch companion on this day remarked, you won't be able to make rhyme from reason, resulting in the vague taste of "beast".
I'm happy to report that the dumplings here at Dumpling Hut are *almost* underseasoned. Almost. Meaning, they're of a perfect saltiness. Combined with soy sauce, vinegar, and/or chili oil, it's just right. And between the dill/pork and beef/coriander, you could actually taste individual ingredients. *Imagine that*. Only downside is that there's no option to have your dumplings fried, but personally I don't mind so much.
The cucumber salad also provided a nice, flavorful starter.
Once you overcome the feeling that you're eating inside a stranger's apartment with a totally random dormant traffic light as a prop, you're all set.
4.5/5