Dish of the Day: Dumplings @ Dongbei Four Seasons Dumpling King
Every few days our team will scour Shanghai's dining scene for scrumptious dishes that'll fill your belly without emptying your savings. Not to discriminate, we'll search everywhere from bicycle carts to chic venues with twenty-course tasting menus, knowing that any spot could have the next Dish of the Day.
For months, colleagues had badgered us about trying Dongbei Four Seasons Dumpling King, dubbing its fare "the pinnacle of Dongbei food in Shanghai," and after viewing the joint's bazillion plugs on the web, we were finally persuaded to stroll in and see what the riot was about.
However, at first, we failed to see to what the riot was about. The staff were about as accommodating as junkyard Rottweilers and the place was overrun with westerners, something that even as proud westerners, we'd always associated with the decline of any respectable Chinese food establishment. Our fears seemed to be confirmed when we sampled their pork bone, a stale, shrunken, almost-mummified version of the vibrantly juicy bone at Hei Tu Di. But then we had the dumplings.
It's hard to describe what makes a great dumpling, but trust us, Dumpling King's got it down pat. To start with, their dumplings' have an immaculate wrapper that's not so thick it suffocates the filling's flavor, but that's still hardy enough to prevent the package from tearing and expelling the juices at the touch of a chopstick.
This is no mean feat when considering their fillings are so densely packed with taste that they threaten to mushroom out of their skins like the Big Bang of dumplings. And yet these pillows of deliciousness remain surprisingly non-filling. Even still, we managed to cram our bellies so full that they were ready to rip like overstuffed jiăozi.
When ordering, mix and match your plate of dumplings from the kaleidoscope of flavors ranging from vegetable to donkey, all of which come by the liang or six dumplings. We're pushing the pork and cabbage (4RMB) and the bok choy and mushroom (4RMB).
Dongbei Four Seasons Dumpling King - 1791 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Wanping Lu (淮海中路1791号, 近宛平路). Tel: (0)21-6433-0349. Hours: 10:30am-10:30pm daily.
Last time on Dish of the Day: Fish head @ Xiang Quan Xiangcun
See a complete list of our Dish of the Day series here.
Win a Trip to Belgium: Vandergeeten Beer Challenge
Brugge, Belgium
A trip here (photo above) is well within your reach.
Yes, you can win a FREE trip for two to Belgium, 5 nights in a Belgian hotel, free entry to the Belgian Beer Weekend (August 31-September 2) and private tours of famous Belgian breweries. And thanks to the popular brew distributor Vandergeeten, all that's required of you is the completion of 30 beer-drinking/beer pouring and Belgium-knowledge related challenges spread across 4 weeks at 3 different beer serving venues around Beijing: Beer Mania, Brussels Bar and Nearby the Tree.
Not exactly a piece of cake, but your efforts will be duly rewarded with a vacation to Belgium, home of arguably the world's best beer.
Belgians Know Beer, even their monks produce beer
As I said, the event is spread across the month of June at three different venues, here are the dates and the schedule of venues:
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June 7-8, 2012 from 8-10PM at Beer Mania
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June 14-15, 2012 from 8-10PM at Brussels Bar & Restaurant
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June 18-19, 2012 from 8-10PM at Nearby the Tree
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FINALE: Friday, June 29, 2012 from 8-10PM at Beer Mania
Considering this event's ultimate goal is to educate both local Chinese and foreigners in Beijing about Belgian beer and culture, you will be wise to brush up on your Belgium geography, history cultural events and famous attractions.
If I were you, I'd also start mastering The Stella Artois 9 Step Pouring Ritual and start educating your palate to distinguish the unique tastes of different Belgian beers through blind taste tests. No doubt you'll also have to perform challenges while balancing (and not spilling) platters of beer.
To sign up, just turn up to any of the three participating locations. Each venue will host two qualifying rounds and 12 lucky winners will be invited to participate in the Final Challenge on Friday, June 29 at Beer Mania.
Whether you're in it to win it or to cheer on the sidelines, everyone is entitled to Happy Hour prices and buy-1-get-1-free deals on select Belgian beers during each night of this event series.
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