Dumpling House

I have been craving dumplings lately so my mom and I took a little journey into Chinatown and landed at the "Dumpling House".  We walked in wet with snow and it was packed.  It seemed that a lot of folks decided on the same journey to eat the home made dumplings that are on display being made in their front window.

We finally got seated and my mom and I set off to order our feast.
The menu has an abundance of dumpling options from pan fried to steamed and various ingredients used as the dumpling stuffers from the standard pork and chive to fennel and pickled vegetables.

We just ordered the classics which were steamed pork and chive dumplings and pan fried pork dumplings called 'waaar tip'.  We also couldn't resist ordering one of my mom's favourite dishes which was a pan friend onion pancake.  Oh, and we didn't stop there as the menu also highlighted many favourite Chinese dishes that I don't typically eat anymore for dinner so we ordered a soup noodle dish with pickled vegetables - it's a childhood favourite of mine and a spicy tofu dish called 'ma po tofu'. 
The steamed dumplings came first - 12 for only $5.99 - what a value and they were so flavourful and delightful.  I usually dip my dumplings in a mixture of Chinese red vinegar and chilli sauce and OMG, it's a party in my mouth!  These were extremely well done even though the dumpling skin was a little thicker than what I'm used to.  You can actually see them make the dough in the front window as well so I was alright with that.

The plate of pan fried dumplings did not disappoint either.  They were presented upside down and loosely bounded together by a golden fried net that crumples, I have never seen it done this way but geez, they were delicious. The texture was just right, not too crispy and not too flimsy and the filling was juicy.

The fried onion pancake was also home made but lacked the flavour that we were used to at our regular spot (Peking Man), it definitely seemed a bit bland compared to our dumplings and unfortunately so did our huge bowl of soup noodles and tofu.   To add more flavour to the bowl of soup noodles; we put the 'spicy' tofu in it but still it lacked the punch and flavour we were used to.
I would recommend definitely sticking to their core competency and you won't be disappointed; don't stray and start ordering items that are on the menu for the sake of it.
I would say the staff were very friendly and my mom conversed with them in Mandarin but they were extremely busy and running around.  We did have a spill with our tea and the restaurant was skimpy on the napkins and so lucky for us my mom always has a stack of napkins in her purse.. always prepared!!
I would ensure to bring your own napkins when coming too.

However this place definitely satisfied my dumpling cravings !!
*** 1/2 stars
Dumpling House Restaurant

328 Spadina Ave. (North of Dundas)
416.596.8898