DUMPLINGS MAI XIANG YUAN

I visited this restaurant, Mai Xiang Yuan, last week when my brother came to visit, and stayed in Shaunessy Village at a Sonder apartment for the weekend.  The food in that area has exploded, and is starting to give Chinatown a second site. The restaurant has a different name on top, and we were reminded that the “french” term for dumplings is the Italian word Ravioli, plural being a mishmash of language Raviolis!

We had not great service, what with tea being offered, then taken away when we also asked for water. In the end, wanting both tea and water, it cost $1.50. Very strange that it would be worth the trouble to take it away instead of offering the both for such a nominal cost.

The place was recommended on a list of original lunches that I hope to continue to pursue. There was an open faced sui mai with a pink spiral that they were out of when I was there. There also looks to be a sister location in china town.

I would definitely return here, and can recommend that the dumplings are plentiful to feed a crowd, or my brother, who does a great job of increasing our choices with his high metabolism requiring higher than average food consumption!

I am usually a big fan of boiled dumplings, and you can make your own dipping sauce with soya sauce, chili sauce and vinegar on the table, but the best ones were the fried dumplings that looked like adorable little open folded tacos. We tried pork, shrimp and mushrooms #18, and pork and coriander #32A. They come in big quantities of 15. Quantity is more important than quality. The dumpling dough is perfectly made but don’t expect the usual fancy folds. The sui mai come in a beautiful steamer with handles in fours. We loved the pork and mushroom #74, and my brother ordered another round for second dessert!

I can also recommend the cucumber salad #54, It was a welcome side to more meat than I used to eating. We then ended with the fried bread that was served in four perfect buns with a custard dipping sauce #62. Yum!

So save yourself the aggravation and just order tea, and don’t expect good service. But the restaurant is nicely decorated, seats small groups only, and is fast and delicious.

You’ll have to go to instagram or the menu website to see pictures. We were enjoying eating so much that we wouldn’t have anything to photograph but empty plates!