Toronto :: Dumpling House & Tea Shop 168

Rats frolicking in the window aside, Dumpling House remains to be a popular spot for late night feasts. While many are turned off from the less-than-pristine Chinatown lurks, I’ve noshed from enough dives, stalls, and sketchy blankets to say when it’s good it’s good without too much paranoia.

Dumpling House Verdict: Cheap, tasty, and epic dumpling feast Meal: Dinner Price: $6/dozen! Location: Chinatown, Toronto

When you have a visitor from the Netherlands ask for something that he can’t get back home – what comes to mind? Never having been to Europe (yeah yeah I know), the ideas weren’t pouring out – until we discovered that he hadn’t tried bubble tea! So it became a bubble tea and dumpling night.

We waited outside of Dumpling House and watched the dumpling assembly line at the window, which is an experience in itself! When we were finally seated…we began the intense feast…starting with 36 dumplings.

I always love the classic Pork & Chives…


On top of that, we ordered shrimp and beef dumplings. Pork and chives will always be my favourite, but others liked the shrimp – at $6 per dozen, nobody minded a few extra orders ;) They’re delicious steamed and pan fried, so I encourage you to try both!

We also ordered a doughy onion pancake…a classic favourite, but I didn’t find it memorable. Probably because I was too busy ploughing through the dumplings

The pan-fried dumplings are fun, presentation-wise. Flipped upside down from the pan, a golden net of deep fried crunchiness sat on top of the bed of dumplings

You wish your bed was like this

To make it interesting, we also ordered the above with a deep-fried “net” on top.

...and just because we love carbs, a plate of noodles were zipped over:

mmmm. Nicely done, Dumpling House! Oh Toronto, how I’ll forever love your cheap late night eats.

We capped the Asian-themed night off with a game of Big 2 and bubble tea at Tea Shop 168. As I am not a fan of bubble tea (unless if it’s made from a real fruit slurry, because I’m a snob like that) I decided to get a mango slush. Green Apple and the classic tea with bubbles and milk were also ordered…bleh. I've never been a fan of Tea Shop 168 - overpriced powder-flavoured drinks, seating charges, and spending money for a deck of cards...eh. I don't get enough out of the surroundings to say it's worth it for a fun night out with friends - call me a cheapwad, but I'd be happy buying fruit from the local grocery store and playing poker at my apartment. Sometimes I wish these places would just serve me a good old bowl of fruit :-) I miss Real Fruit - when the Yonge St location closed, I was forlorn as I looked at my drink card, ready to be redeemed for that elusive free 8th slushy.