A friend of mine recently moved to the Lower East Side and had been raving about Vanessa's Dumpling House. He told me the location and I couldn't believe that it was unfamiliar to me. I'd lived in the Lower East Side from 2003-2005 and had oft frequented a dumpling house on the same block as the haunt he was mentioning. In fact, I'd written up my favorite shack for Time Out. When he and I finally made it to his dumpling mecca, I was flabbergasted - it was in the same spot as mine. My mind instantly jumped to a take over; had mine gone out of business due to health code violations (it was a very tiny hole in the wall) and this shiny, expanded version had come to take it's place? As I walked through the doors though - and into the throngs of hungry-hungry-hipsters - I saw the trusted Chinese dumpling magicians behind the long counter to whom I'd grown accustomed at my dumpling house. Indeed, Vanessa's was my Dumpling House. It's an expanded rendition. I guess a lot can change in 4 years. Word can spread and people can capitalize on a formula that works. When I was a regular at DH, there was a mixed clientele. If I went early in the morning or during the weekday, I'd be surrounded by Chinese. I would always get cut in line because I wasn't speaking Chinese. If I went at night, on the weekend, I'd be in the company of a few hipsters living in the area. These days, it is mobbed by every kind of LES hipster - starving artists and NYU kids alike. Luckily, though the food has gone up in price quite a bit percentage-wise (50¢ sesame pancake up to 75¢), each dish is just as good.
I am partial to the vegetable dumplings in soup and the chive and egg pancake, which is a Chinese breakfast burrito of sorts. It's only good fresh and on this last visit, it had clearly been made a few hours earlier. Heating it in the oven if this happens to you will do the trick. The seasame pancake (the giant circle of fried dough cut into wedges) is tasty as ever and they've added a Peking duck variation, which is quite delicious for the pennies you pay.
All in all, even though my Dumpling House is history, I am glad that Vanessa's has risen from it's grave. VDH offers the same quality and authentic flavor for a similar cheap as it's previous iteration. It's probably more sanitary now and they certainly get you in and out more quickly. Sometimes change isn't a bad thing.
I LOVE DUMPLINGS... which is why I dedicated 2 whole days to make the shanghai soup dumplings.
ReplyDeleteI made a soup and turned it into aspic. Made dough, and formed hundred of little dumplings! SO MUCH WORK. Trust me, they are sooo worth the price!
If you're interested in the process!
http://kitchensidecar.blogspot.com/2008/11/xiolngbo-shanghai-dumplings-soup.html
This place is hipster heaven! I went there recently as well, but made the mistake of going in the place 118 next door where they speak no english and wouldn't take my order. Finally someone said I think you want the place next door and when I went to Vanessa's Dumpling I realized what I was seen as another hipster in search of the magical dumpling house. I should have stayed at the place next door.
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