Northern Dumpling Yuan has some of the best dumplings in town

Dumplings: they’re little bite-sized portions of well-rounded goodness, offering the perfect amount of carb wrapped around a lump of succulent meat (or veggies). For some reason, in Hong Kong you’re much more likely to find a sushi joint or a McDonald’s than a restaurant serving good old-fashioned Chinese dumplings. Enter Northern Dumpling Yuan, located on the western edge of the increasingly hip and popular Sai Ying Pun neighbourhood.

There are no bells and whistles here: they offer authentic, fresh, homemade dumplings with 10 varieties of filling: pork with five different vegetables (from cabbage to watercress) along with more complex options like asparagus, abalone and pork and a single vegetarian option. Dumplings can be ordered five or ten at a time. 

Cheap with plenty of options!

The pork and cabbage dumplings, a classic choice, were juicy and delightfully savoury with the cabbage offering a nice crunch. The vegetarian ones were surprisingly tasty with their combination of black fungus and green leafy vegetables, though less satisfying than the meat dumplings (at least for non-vegetarians). Finally, we had the mutton and green onion dumplings. These were much too gamey for our taste, though lamb lovers will be sure to approve.

Fresh, steaming, homemade dumplings.

For our sides (because man cannot live on dumpling alone), we ordered the celery and tofu dish, and the spicy jellyfish. Be warned: this place likes their food hot to say the least! The menu does, however, kindly warn you about each dish’s spice factor with up to three chili pepper symbols.

Tofu and celery

The celery and tofu was kind of plain as expected, but still tasty, well-marinated and refreshing on a hot and humid night. The jellyfish was also nicely flavoured, though the spice overwhelmed the dish a bit.

Jellyfish

Our dinner for two hungry people cost less than HKD200. Even on a late weekday night the restaurant was full, with people queuing up for seats. Service is fast, the food is good, and prices are extremely reasonable, meaning this place can always be relied upon to fulfill your dumpling cravings.

Northern Dumpling Yuan: 1 Water Street, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong (Google Maps)

You heard them! First come, first serve.