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| - Yes, 5 friggin' stars...I love this place!
Dumpling King is a hidden gem in every sense. Nearly every time we've been here, their huge supposed to be lit sign out front is either off or broken, and the place nearly looks deserted besides a car or two in the parking lot. It probably doesn't help either, that if you're heading West on Spring Mountain, it's almost impossible to see with it being tucked behind a large plaza building. Plus, I don't see advertisements for them anywhere, and for whatever reason, the amount of reviews on this place is crazy low. It's like people just don't they are there...but why? It's so good!
Our first trip to Dumpling King was admittedly a little nerve-wrecking. Besides not having a clue where it was, or really having never heard about it at all, it was strange walking into a place that was pretty much empty of other diners, but full of bright floral designs...and Christmas decorations. Yup, Christmas decorations. Which as of now, July, are still up in subtle spots across the restaurant. But really, it's all part of the charm for me now. I like the decor, decorations and all, and the place is always clean.
The menu is large, and has plenty of things to choose from. Some things that I can't even read. Luckily we've been here a couple times with regulars who have pointed us in the right direction on what to order. I'm pretty sure we've barely even put a dent in the list of items, but now that we've been here a handful of times, there are some things I can confidently recommend.
For smaller items that you can start with while you're deciding on what to eat, order the String Beans. A large plate of fresh beans with dried peppers and tons of flavor, it's likely to be a hit with anyone who has working tastebuds. And of course, as the name would imply, they have excellent dumplings. We've tried a couple different types here, but we always seem to go back to the Juicy Beef Soup Dumplings. Even my 6 year old can't get enough of these things. A little vinegar and/or chili paste just sets them off even more. How they can pack that much flavor and juice into those little things is beyond me. But, if you want to get some idea, you can watch them being hand made in a little room to the right of the kitchen. That's also where they make one of other favorites, the Vegetable Fried Noodles. Thick, handmade noodles served perfectly cooked and piled high with veggies.
There's probably not enough room with the character limit for me to get to everything, but for larger "main course" type stuff, some must try dishes are the Fried Lamb w/ Cumin, and our new found item added to the favorites list, Black Pepper Beef. Both of these dishes are packed with tons of flavor, fresh and perfectly cooked meat that's piled high for plenty of sharing.
I've also had a number of items that I likely wouldn't have ordered myself, due to sheer skepticism, but ended up really liking. One of which is the Teppan Tofu, mainly because I don't normally get tofu anywhere. But it, just like pretty much everything else on their menu is packed with flavor and comes in a huge portion. The other thing I really enjoyed, but probably wouldn't have ordered was the Baked Yoked Coated Pumpkin. Don't get me wrong, I like pumpkin, but it just doesn't have a ring to it. Flavorwise though, it doesn't disappoint. It's almost like a dessert french fry, even more so because there's no way you can eat just one.
When it comes to the food, there really hasn't been a single thing at Dumpling King that I haven't liked. And if there was any negatives to this place whatsoever, it's the hit and miss service. Usually the biggest issue is getting refills here. For whatever reason, they like to take their time with getting you water. We also had a weird little interaction on our last visit, which was our 4th time here, where the main waitress (I think owner) asked if we needed forks. I mean...c'mon, I know I'm a white boy, but you've seen me here before...I know how to use some dang chop sticks lady. Well, sort of. Good enough to eat at least.
Overall, DK is easily one of, if not my favorite restaurant in the area. Every time we come here, the food is excellent, and large groups can split tons of food that really isn't that expensive. Like I said...hidden gem, check it out!
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