Dumpling Darling

The atmosphere at Dumpling Darlings is very interesting. From the moment you step inside your eyes immediately drawn to the exposed brink and ceiling, in a word Urban. We were immediately greeted by a young woman, who I assume is the hostess. The waiter was attentive and friendly and was willing to give a lot of recommendations that we actually used. There was a slight wait for the food but when it did make it to the table everything was fresh and hot. We ordered the Avocado Rangoons and they were the star of our lunch. Very creamy and delicious. We did notice that not all the descriptions in the menu reflect the spiciness of the dishes. Case in point my wife had to ask for her Coconut Fried Rice to be remade, which they were happy to do. After the small change the dish was more to her liking and delicious. We will definitely be back to try other unique items on their menu.

Good things first: I had the lamb dumplings, chicken steamed buns, the seasonal fried rice and the “craft” soda. (Can’t believe we’re calling Tractor soda craft, but I digress). Everything tasted good, I enjoyed each and every bite off my food. I recommmend coming here several times to try all of the different types of dumplings and steamed buns. There’s only one reason I wouldn’t like coming back is the obnoxiously loud noise levels. Ambience is just as important as the taste of the food and I can hear my friends who sit next to me, I can’t hear myself appreciate the food.

Tried all sorts of dumplings and tasty foods! The fried Avocado Rangoons were delicious and crispy! Normally I am not a huge fan of brussel sprouts but their Fried Brussel Sprouts with sea salt were FIRE! My favorite thing though was Tuna Tartare! So freshh and yummy!! Besides not being greeted and standing awkwardly in the lobby for a good while, service though was not up to par. I understand the restaurant went to full service instead of self serve (without knowing that my expectations were on full service) however you need to adapt quickly. One of the dishes I shared was a little spicy so my water was disappearing quickly. The counter next to us that had jugs of water which I needed and extra napkins had many signs clearly indicating it was "Employees only" are. As a customer I must respect that. It was several minutes before I was able to get someones attention to get us more water, which the staff ended up just leaving a jug of water for us to pour ourselves.

The wait staff was great and very friendly but.. The food was meh at best. By local standards it's probably considered good but if you've been pretty much anywhere else in the world you'll likely be disappointed. We tried several items and the Bah was pretty good at least. Location is cool and the outside seating is nice.

They have a great modern atmosphere, but it was really loud. We stopped in at 7 pm on Labor Day and they were still really busy, so I was excited about trying the food. We ordered our food and proceeded to try to find a table to accommodate our group of 10. We ordered the Korean BBQ platter, Pork & cabbage dumplings, Lesley's Lamb dumplings, Thai Chicken buns, Bulgogi Beef buns, and sea salt edamame. Oh boy, where to begin.... After anxiously waiting 30 minutes our food arrives. The dough in the Thai Chicken buns were undercooked and doughy, and the center of the Bulgogi Beef buns were cold. So I sent these 2 dishes back. After another 40 minute wait I ended up cancelling these 2 orders. One of the other couples in our group also had undercooked buns, while the other couple had hard buns. Either way they were uneatable. The Lamb dumplings were a little gamey, but I didn't like the sauce at all. The Pork & cabbage dumplings were ok, the sauce is what saved it. My dumplings loving son was unable to eat either of them. My son ended up eating most of the meat from the Korean BBQ platter, the meat was pretty tender, but that is all he ended up eating. The kimchee tasted weird, like it wasn't fermented correctly or something. And I am not sure what I was supposed to do with all of the roasted garlic on my plate. Needless to say we all left hungry and disappointed. I try not to leave such bad reviews but it was an extremely dissatisfying evening for all of us. My son ended up eating most of the beef from the Korean BBQ platter, I thought it was pretty good too, but that is all he ended up eating. The kimchee was bland and we thought it wasn't fermented correctly. Not even sure why there is so much roasted garlic on the plate. My entire group was seriously disappointed with everything we ordered and we had to get something else to eat.

The dumplings are wonderful here. They have a selection of 5 steamed and 5 fried dumplings. We had a steamed flight, which I'd recommend for more traditional flavors. They also have a tofu during for the meatless crowd, as well. The night we went was busy, but the staff was quick and friendly. They also have a decent list of craft beer, wine, and specialty cocktails.