Dumplings and pan fried onion pancakes make me nostalgic
about my childhood, when my grandmother would prepare them while I eagerly
awaited dinner. It was a long affair starting with prepping the dough for
wrappers and allowing it to rise – not unlike an Italian nonna preparing pizza.
So, when I find a restaurant that makes great versions of it, they’ll have a
delighted customer. With tons of options around Toronto, New Northern Dumpling’s
offerings stand out.
Their dumpling’s wrappers are ultra-thin yet has an
elasticity that resists picking up. Each encapsulates a decent mound of filling
and plenty of juices. If you like the Shanghainese soup dumplings, xiao long bao, these are very similar
and much more budget friendly.
With twelve steamed varieties, New Northern offers a mixture
of meats and even vegetarian choices. Although they all look alike from the
outside, their fillings were indeed distinct. The three fresh delicacies ($5.99
for 15) were the most traditional with pork, shrimp and leek. There’s something
about the combination of savoury meat, succulent seafood and vegetables that
makes for the perfect filling.
The pork and leek ($4.99 to 15) were also delicious and
likely a better choice for those who don’t like a seafood essence. Although the
pork and pickled cabbage ($4.99 to 15) sounded delicious, the tang from the
vegetable was a tad overpowering for me, but for diners who normally dip their
dumplings into vinegar these may naturally have the acidity they’d enjoy.
Although it doesn’t come close to my grandmother’s version,
New Northern’s green onion pancake ($2.25) is the best I’ve had at a
restaurant. Folded into a doughnut format, there’s more surface area to develop
a crusty exterior. The thin creased layers create fluffy air pockets filled
with a respectable portion of fresh green onions and is nicely seasoned.
Their braised beef noodle soup ($5.99) has amazing chewy
thick noodles and a decent tasting hot broth. However, the braised beef would
be more aptly described as fat than meat. For those who like a well-marbled
pork belly, you may enjoy this.
Despite looking as if it lacked sauce, the minced pork and
soya paste noodle ($4.99) proved to be well flavoured as even with a thin
coating, the noodles were salty enough. A dish generally eaten during warm
weather, the julienned cucumbers add a cool juiciness and crunch.
If you’re budget conscious, I can’t think of a better place to go, as they have plenty of filling dishes for $5. And luckily, unlike the childhood me, I don’t need to wait all day before tucking in.
Overall mark - 9 out of 10
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 633 Silverstar Boulevard
Address: 633 Silverstar Boulevard
Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
Other Gastro World posts similar to this:
