We were approaching Big’s birthday, and he had been building a list of “things-to-do” when the big day arrived. Somewhat surprisingly … much of the list was focused on food. His list was wide ranging and included everything from Lucky Charms to soup dumplings.
What’s a mom to do when the options for soup dumplings in NYC are endless and the quality is equally variable?
My go-to favorite for dumplings is Din Tai Fung, a Michelin starred chain of restaurants specializing in soup dumplings. The dumplings are consistent. They are beautifully crafted with care, perfectly sized to fit into your mouth in a single bite, and full of flavor. Alas, Din Tai Fung has not yet made it to NYC, and I have not yet found a restaurant that is quite the same.
Through the brilliant matchmaking skills of Google, I was introduced to Pinch Chinese, a restaurant that opened with Charlie Chen, a former executive chef with Din Tai Fung. It looked promising, and I agreed to a first date.
Pinch Chinese did not disappoint, and a second date is guaranteed.
Both the pork and chicken soup dumplings were beautiful to behold and created a party in the mouth. A word of warning, the inside of a soup dumpling is often quite hot. I highly recommend you set the dumpling into the soup spoon and pierce the side to allow some of the heat to escape.
