A hidden gem in the maze of restaurants across from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館), King of Dumpling Haerbin Restaurant is a well-kept secret among gourmets searching for a real taste of northeastern Chinese cuisine.
Walking into the modest joint with seating for about 20 patrons, first-time customers are likely to be surprised by the thick menu featuring 394 dishes and over 30 kinds of dumplings. Depending on the seasonal ingredients available, the joint offers 50 dishes and 12 kinds of dumplings a day to ease the confusion.
“Noodles and dumplings are our staple food, while salad is the essential part of our diet,” said proprietor Chung Tung-hai (鍾統海), a licensed and experienced chef from Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, China.
The importance of salad in the cuisine is apparent by the over 160 varieties on the menu that include the representative chiang yu (熗油) salads. The joint's self-made specialty, chiang yu is a type of seasoning oil mixed with herbs. The crispy potato slice (熗土豆絲) is a recommended dish to savor the scent of chiang yu, while pig ear cucumber noodle (豬耳黃瓜拉皮) is a savory mixture of marinated gelatin and cold noodle made of green tea and potato.
As for the exotic dumpling variations, popular choices include pickled Chinese cabbage, white radish beef, onion lamb and sailfish mixed with basil and squid. The dumpling wrapper is made according to Chung's secret formula, who stays up till 2am every night making fresh dumplings along with his wife and partner Tsai Fu-mei (蔡富美).
Their popular side dishes are smoked chicken wing (NT$30) and lamb brochette (NT$40). The tasty chicken wing is blessed with the smoked flavor of tea and sugar, while the brochette is first fried then grilled to make the meat crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.
Crystal sugar-coated sweet potato (拔絲地瓜) is a must-try dessert famed for its strenuous preparation process. The harmonious union of the crisp, cold sugar coating with a tang of sesame and the warm soft starch brings pleasure to the stomach.
Even though Chung is usually exhausted by the end of the day as the culinary art in the region requires meticulous preparation and complicated cooking steps, he still insists on making all the ingredients from scratch.
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