only in ny #10: dumplings & things.

snack: spicy beef & kimchi dumplings
drink: thai iced tea

last year, i was pretty much the king of dumplings. after moving within walking distance of a chinese supermarket in february, i began eating them at every opportunity. it didn't take long before i learned how to make my own fresh dumplings at home & by year's end, given the number of times i'd snacked on them during the year, i had no choice but to declare dumplings my #7 snack of 2010. since then, i've sort of burnt out on them, but i still occasionally pay my old snacking buddy a visit.

this past weekend, i was out & about in park slope looking for something to munch on & decided to grab something at dumplings & things, a smallish restaurant with minimal seating that opened up in the space next to bar reis back in mid-may. it's sort of a cursed space, as every business that opens up there seems to fail relatively quickly, so since the moment it first opened, i've had it on death watch. before this weekend, i'd stopped in once before & sampled a few things on their menu, which is made up of dumplings, noodles & soups, and baos, items that are all quite affordable, as most of them are in the $2-3 range.

since "dumpling" is in the name of the place, i figured that, for blog purposes, i should get an order of dumplings. they've got five kinds--chicken, shrimp & cilantro, pork & chives, pork & napa cabbage, spicy beef & kimchi, and vegetables. these days, i've been getting more dishes with kimchi in them, so i opted for an order of the spicy beef & kimchi ones (5 for $2.50). on a related note, i swear that the kid who took my order had at least a year or two before he hit puberty. is that even legal?

as much as i want to love dumplings & things, the simple fact is that i can & have made better tasting dumplings myself. for starters, the dumpling wraps are thick & doughy, a consistency that's closer to pierogis than dumplings. i've had them both steamed & fried, but this time i chose fried because the doughy outsides are quite flavorless when they're steamed. 

the insides of the spicy beef & kimchi ones are basically a beef paste with some spices & a tiny amount of kimchi mixed into it. they're a bit more manufactured than i prefer & qualitywise, they're on the same level as what you'd find in a bag of frozen dumplings. the "spicy beef" isn't all that spicy & if i didn't know going in that they were made with kimchi, i never would've known.

for my beverage, i ordered up a cup of their nuclear orange-colored thai iced tea ($3). i've ordered thai iced coffee from other places a bunch of times, but i'm pretty sure this is the first time i've ever gone the thai iced tea route. from what i can tell, their thai iced tea is made from brewed tea leaves mixed with sugar, spices (cardamom maybe?) & condensed milk before having evaporated milk poured in. i'm not sure how it ends up looking as bright orange as it is, but i'm guessing there's some sort of coloring in there as well. overall, it was sort of refreshing but the spices gave it a weird aftertaste that's probably steered me away from ordering another one any time soon.

to be blunt, after giving it a couple tries, i'm pretty much done with dumplings & things. sure the food's inexpensive & i can get a snack & a drink for $5, but the quality's sorely lacking. in the end, i'd rather just make my own.

dumplings & things, 375b 5th ave, brooklyn, 718-768-2200