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Being it my Mini Mee’s birthday, and being that Mini Mee is THE Dumpling King, what better way to celebrate his birthday than by going out for Dumplings, right? Wrong. Why? Let me tell you. I read about a new authentic Chinese Dumpling house that just opened in Centereach, NY. Yum Yum Dumplings is located at 2432 Middle Country Rd, Centereach, NY 11720.
Now in all fairness to Yum Yum Dumplings, I was expecting that this would be a proper Chinese restaurant. It’s more like a Tea House (think Bubble Tea) with some food offerings, such as Dumplings! And a very limited menu. There are a few tables, that’s really only for eating the food that you order at the counter.
And in further fairness, we really went because they had Soup Dumplings. However, perhaps because we sat at the table and waited to be served, there were NO Soup Dumplings for US! Ok, further fairness, there were no Soup Dumplings for anyone. The lady who makes the Soup Dumplings was out sick that day. Despite our disappointment, I suppose that is better than her coming in sick and make us all sick.
So with Soup Dumplings off the menu, we had to make other choices. Luckily(?) for us, there weren’t a lot of choices to be made.
What did we have? Well of course, Dumplings are Dumplings (don’t tell THAT to the Dumpling King…. especially not on his birthday). Though he took the disappointment in stride, just like he handles all of life’s challenges that have been thrown his way.
The Birthday Feast
Pan Fried Pork Dumplings – These were a little on the dry side, though they did have a little bit a spice that gave it a nice flavor.
Beef Steamed Dumplings – These are the soft buns that I do like. The beef wasn’t very memorable.
As you can see, the dishes were served on disposable plastic plates, with plastic utensils. I was beginning to doubt the choice of restaurant to celebrate His Majesty’s birthday.
Two different entrees were selected from the limited menu (less than a dozen choices).
Beef over Rice with Teriyaki Sauce – SALTY! And the Teriyaki was a little too sweet. The broccoli was incredibly dry. The beef? See note above. The King’s brother polished off his dish. I, however, took half of it home. I will say it tasted better the next day.
Yum Yum Spicy Fried Rice with Chicken – Just a hint of spice. It looked bland from this side of the table. Most of the dish was taken home by The Dumpling King’s mother. I’m not sure what happened to it after that.
The Dumpling King summoned for more Dumplings. What may have saved the night was his choice of…
Boiled Pork Dumplings – This dish was made to perfection. The wrapper was just right. The pork delicious, and very juicy. A smile came upon The King’s Face, and everyone in the restaurant took a huge sigh of relief.
It may not have been the best birthday celebration ever, but there’s always next years birthday which we will try to make extra sweet. After all it will be his 16th birthday!
On a more positive note, I saved The Chinese Quest from taking a long drive out east.
Humbly submitted for your consumption,
—Mee Magnum (“Chop! Chop!”)
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Since we couldn’t try the Soup Dumplings when we went to Yum Yum Dumplings, has anyone tried them? And if so, what is your opinion of them?