[REVIEW] RED TIGER DUMPLING HOUSE – UNDERSTATED, YET TASTY!

Best Soup Dumplings on Long Island

Red Tiger Dumpling House is located at 1320 Stony Brook Road in Stony Brook, LI. I must say it’s nice to find a little gem in Suffolk County.  The old adage “You can’t tell a book, by its cover” has never been more true. From the outside, you would pass this place over and over again. And, I mean that literally!

The front door has a Disney movie poster blocking out the interior of the restaurant. I was the first Mee to arrive, and watched as one person after another, walked right past the front door. The inside looks like a typical diner with only nine tables. Nothing fancy going on here!  Except for perhaps the best soup dumplings on Long Island.  Though that should be qualified by the fact that Red Tiger Dumpling House has been the only Chinese restaurant we’ve found on the Island that serves soup dumplings.

Mee Har Vee brought us a few bottles of wine to sample (look for his review coming very soon), and the restaurant staff graciously allowed us to drink our own stuff. Without a wine glass in sight, we had to settle for beer glasses. Such are the perils of being a food & wine critic. Robin (our waiter), explained to us that the menu is primarily from the Shandong province in northeast China. The food of Shandong  is one of the eight great traditions of Chinese cuisine. Look for our future articles that will explain these cuisines in more detail.

We started the meal with what else? DUMPLINGS.  First up, was the “Red Tiger” version of Soup Dumplings. We tried the pork and the  pork and crab. The problem here is that they will naturally be compared to Joe’s Shanghai. In that regard, they did not hold up well. Don’t get me wrong, they were tasty, but not as good as Joe’s. The dumpling was a bit doughy, with not enough soup inside. The flavors on the inside were tasty, but not tasty enough. Next, we tried the Pork & Vegetable Pot Stickers. The outside of the dumplings were crispy and delicious, the inside meat was good; I actually enjoyed these more than the soup dumplings.

Now for the entrees, and this is when it gets interesting!! The food here is not your typical Long Island Chinese. We ordered Shredded Beef with Hot Green Peppers (M25), Cumin Chicken (M17), Big Meatballs with Brown Sauce (M34), and Three Vegetables with Garlic Sauce (M10). The Shredded Beef was delicious. The meat was cooked great, and the shredded peppers gave this dish it’s FIRE. It was spicy, but not overly so. The Cumin Chicken, however was a Five Alarmer. The seasoning was intense. It tasted more like Indian food than Chinese. If I keep eating like this, I will have to keep my Gastroenterologist on speed dial! The Meatballs were amazing. Not spicy, and served in a delicious brown gravy. Once again, not something that is usually found in Chinese restaurants. The veggie dish (snow peas, string beans, and broccoli) with garlic sauce was superb with a little spicy kick to it. This was actually my favorite dish of the evening. Overall, this meal was very enjoyable.

We had a lot of great food, that was different than your normal L.I. fare. Now for the best part; the entire meal cost only $75.00 for four people, and we ate like we were going to the electric chair!! On top of that, they even let us bring our own wine. In summation, I think I am finally learning why us Jews have a love affair with Chinese food.

One final discovery. We skipped dessert at the restaurant, and went to Carvel instead. Do you know that they now have Nutella soft serve ice cream? Mama Mia! I only wish Tom Carvel was around to see it.

That’s all for now,

Mee Tsu Yan