Before I let you participate in the documentation of the feast we had for Christmas, I wanted to tell you about my favourite place in Berlin to have dumply dumplings. The road leading there was a long and winding one. The first great dumplings we had were in London – where else? – at Ping Pong, a fancy place, quite pricey, but great dim sum and dumplings in all kinds of varieties, each served in a individual bamboo casket. Their drinks were particularly fancy with teas from single flowers that open during brewing. So we came back from London and wanted something similarly amazing here in Berlin.
Our first stop was at Yumcha Heroes at Rosenthaler Platz. What a disappointment. The dumplings were even more expensive, small in numbers and shitty in taste. The stunningly looking Black Beef Dumplings were just coloured black standard beef dumplings that tasted of salt and cheap instant broth. The service was shit as well, the waiters already walked away before we finished ordering, the wine was served with an attitude of „Fuck you and your wine, here fill your glasses, it’s not my job to serve you“. Friends of us who also made the mistake of going there had dumplings so chewy and full of gristle, they could not finish their meal. To sum things up: Don’t go there. Save your money, eat a Currywurst at Rosenthaler, and avoid Yumcha Heroes at all cost.
After this disappointment Doro found a new promising restaurant on this site. The Wok Show is conveniently close to our place. It is a cozy little restaurant in a side alley from Schönhauser Allee. In summer it is possible to sit outside, while they offer enough space inside to snack some dumplings during winter. The menu is quite minimalistic, about ten varieties of dumplings, some starters, soups and the standard drinks. We tried several things but until this day we preferred the traditional Sanxian dumplings with pork, prawn, cabbage and egg filling. The dumplings come either steamed or steamed and fried for an additional euro. Speaking of euros: the dishes are really cheap, 20 fried dumplings for 8 EUR. You would get about 4 dumplings for that prize over at Rosenthaler Platz.
As a starter I would suggest the cucumbers with garlic. They offer exactly what it sounds like. Fresh cucumbers with lots and lots of chopped garlic, oil and some dried crispy chillies. Sometimes we order this starter twice because it is such a refreshing side to the dumplings. Below is a picture of a plate of 20 fried sanxian dumplings with the remains of the cucumbers in the background. Mmmmh, I want to eat them right now, but I doubt they open between Christmas and New Year.
You don’t have to eat them just plain like they are, although they are already delicious. With every order you get a small bowl to mix your own dressing for them with some soy vinegar, soy sauce, chilli paste and chilli oil. I usually just mix everything together with lots and lots of chilli paste and vinegar. Then the dumplings get dumped in the dressing and pushed in my gob. Delicious.
So if you look for good place to get some classic dumplings without the fancy surroundings, with great taste and fair prices, go check out Wok Show. They are closed on Wednesdays, so watch out that you don’t bump into a closed door with an empty stomach and eager to engulf lots of dumplings.
We have finished our small quest for dumplings in Berlin and so far none of the people we dragged there came out disappointed. I can’t wait to go there again.