Dim Sum at NingTu

Whenever I go to NingTu for lunch, there are two items that I just have to order. The Siu Loong Bau (steamed soup dumplings Shanghai style) and the Chee Fan (sticky rice stuffed with Chinese donut, pork floss and preserved vegetables). Everything else is gravy. This time, we rounded out the meal with Green Onion Pancake and Pork Chop in Noodle Soup.

First to arrive was the Chee Fan. A little disappointing in appearance, since the two end pieces were falling off the edges of the plate, so it wasn’t as “rolled” as it should be. Most Shanghai dimsum places serve their rolls still wrapped in saran wrap, to avoid this. Appearances notwithstanding though, the roll was perfect. Crunchy donut (some places cheap out and give you stale ones), lots of pork floss for the salty flavour and diced preserved veggies for added crunch.

The Green Onion Pancake was next, and there were two golden rounds of flour with loads of green onions…perfect for a green onion lover! Not as oily as I expected, thankfully, but still piping hot with a doughy chew softness.

The Pork Chop in Noodle Soup came and they were the only mild disappointment in the whole meal. The pork chop was fried well, nice and golden in colour but the noodles and soup were bland. But never fear, hot sauce to the rescue!

The Siu Loong Bau came last, and there were 8 cute little dumplings sitting atop of thinly sliced carrot, to prevent bursting as you peel it off the bottom of the steamer with your chopsticks. Gently dip the dumpling into the vinegar, and then carefully bite through the skin, releasing the juicy soup inside. Oh wow…delicious!

We only had the green onion pancake left and one section of the Chee Fan to pack home. Comfort food, Chinese style.
Note: this place is Cash Only...something my dining campanion will attest to as he had to go grab cash so we didn't have to wash dishes...