So I’m starting a new series where I test out a certain dish from several different restaurants and rank them, and I’m starting with SOUP DUMPLINGS!!
#5- Homemade:
I used a basic (lol it’s actually probably one of the most complex things I’ve ever made) recipe online and made them a few months ago. I have to say, they turned out pretty amazing. Everything from the dough to the sauce was made from scratch, and it took about 5 hours between getting the ingredients, cooking the soup, adding gelatin, and letting it set. Plus it took another hour just to cook, since we had to hand roll each ball of dough and fold them tightly with the meat/jelly soup concoction. I ranked it 5 because while it was super tedious and time consuming, it was really fun to make myself and made me appreciate eating them a TON more, plus they were actually really delicious.
#4 JADE:
Jade is located in Davenport Ranch and has been one (of my many) go-tos for a while now. While it isn’t the best Chinese restaurant in Austin, they do make a pretty good soup dumpling. I’ve had them at both dim sum as well as take out, and always enjoy it. Their use of a tinfoil base makes them not as aesthetically pleasing, but is a nice guarantee that they’ll never break, and allows you to order for take-out (which most other restaurants don’t do)! I have to say that the size is irritating–they’re tiny!!–and they don’t have the best flavor and don’t come with sauce. Otherwise, they are a really solid dumpling, and I definitely recommend!
#3 Wu Chow
I’m not gonna lie, Wu Chow has an amazing soup dumpling. The meat is super tender on the inside, there’s a good proportion of soup to meat, and the sauce is pretty killer. So why is it only at #3? The top 2 have even more flavor and soup packed in. Plus, for $2 a dumpling, they better be perfect, and these are a little bit too dough-y and bland for my liking…
#2 Fat Dragon
Fat Dragon is such a hidden gem in Austin. Check out my actual post specifically reviewing the restaurant, but their dumplings in general are so delicious. I fully believe that their dumplings are better than Wu Chow’s, and they have a couple different types with 3 different sauces. They also get brownie points for their chocolate coconut dumplings that explode in your mouth- I’ve had nothing like them, and they’re addicting.
#1 Lin Asian Bar and Dim Sum
I finally got the chance to go to Lin last week and it wasn’t the best Chinese meal I’ve ever had, they for sure won my title of best soup dumplings. They are extremely similar to Fat Dragon’s and Wu Chow’s, but they have a much stronger, dynamic flavor. They come with the same Wu Chow sauce I love, and I have to give bonus points for their adorable serving utensils and plates. The proportion of meat to soup to dumpling dough was perfect, and somehow it felt like there was far more soup in these than in any other dumpling I’ve eaten before.
Well there you have it: My top 5 Best Soup Dumplings in ATX! Let me know if you’ve tried these places and if you agree or not. If you have any more “Top 5” ideas, please reach out and tell me!
-Ari
Resting Munch Face 