Restaurant: Qing Hua Dumpling
Date: Wednesday January 31st 2018
Table of: 3
A few weeks back, I went to see one of Sugar Sammy’s Secret Shows and it was hilarious. However, before the show, we decided to grab some dumplings for dinner, since we’d be near Concordia and all the asian restaurants (aka China Town 2.0). Liz suggested Qing Hua Dumpling, as she’d already been multiple times and loved it.
Based off of Liz’s recommendation, we ordered the lamb dumplings and the pork and shrimp dumplings (my go-to choice). We also chose to get them half-half; so half steamed and half fried. Alex on the other hand, who isn’t the biggest fan of dumplings (I still don’t understand why not) chose to get a dumpling/wonton soup and a cabbage salad.
The cold cabbage salad came first and was actually quite nice. There were vermicelli and carrots in it too and the dressing was very good.
For the dumplings, I was pretty disappointed with the service, as everything came out at random times (my photos!!! lol). To be fair, the waiter had warned us there would be a delay because we chose fried dumplings, but he never said the food would come at random times and besides, there really weren’t that many people in the restaurant so not sure what the deal was. However, the dumplings more than made up for the service (although not for my photos hehe).
We got the steamed pork and shrimp dumplings first, which were delicious. The filling was nice and moist and flavourful, while the wrapper was of the perfect thickness and consistency.
Next, we got the steamed lamb dumplings, which I didn’t really like, but I’m not the biggest fan of lamb. I find it has quite a strong and gamey taste to it, so I let Liz have them and focused on the other dumplings.
Finally, we received our half orders of fried lamb and fried pork and shrimp dumplings, which were my favorite. They were nice and crispy and fatty on the outside, while staying moist and yummy on the inside. Even the lamb ones weren’t so bad once fried up! I mean, everything fried is pretty delicious.
As for Alex’s soup, no pictures, but he ate it all, so it must have been good too 🙂
Overall, the meal was very good, with just a minor setback with regards to the service. I really liked the dumplings, especially the fried ones and would definitely recommend them to all dumplings lovers. I have my own criteria when it comes to reviewing restaurants, which I also use on my Instagram account (@elisebgravel). It’s very simple, there are only three points: the quality of the food (on 10), the price (from $ to $$$$$) and the following question: would I go back?
So, here is my review of Qing Hua Dumplings:
Food: 8.5/10
Price: $$
Would I go back?: Yes, but I’d like to try out a few more places in Montreal before coming back!
*All photos and opinions are mine
