We were in Chelsea looking for a restaurant when we stumbled upon Excellent Dumpling House. With the word dumpling in its name, it did not take long for us to decide to eat there, focusing exclusively on their dim sum section. As we entered, we thought we would not be able to get a table as it was packed with one very large table making so much noise that when they left, we felt some sort of relief. I should mention that at some point, a woman sitting next to us as the waiter if their soups contained MSG as she is allergic: the waiter responded affirmatively but told her that they could make a soup without MSG if she’d like, invitation that she declined. As she left, I mentioned to her that cream of tartar is a good help if you have a reaction to MSG (one tablespoon in a glass of water neutralizes the toxins).

Anyway, we decided to order few dishes, some vegetarian and some non-vegetarian. Here is what we tried:

Pork soup dumplings: there were six of them that I found delicious, nicely fatty.

Crab and shrimp dumplings: I was looking for my usual shrimp dumplings but as they did not have it, I opted for this. I did not regret it: the shell was perfectly made, slightly sticky, not too thick, with a nice filling that tasted mainly shrimp.

Vegetable dumplings: Jodi wanted them fried rather than steamed. They were good, but I admit that I tried only one as I already had lot of food to eat.

Vegetable dumplings at Excellent Dumpling House in Chelsea

Scallion pancakes: a must have when having Chinese food. It was superb: delightfully greasy and slightly crispy.

Scallion pancakes at Excellent Dumpling House in Chelsea

Vegetable spring roll: good and tasty, deliciously crispy.

Vegetable spring roll at Excellent Dumpling House in Chelsea

Peking duck spring roll: same as above but with the delicious taste of duck.

Peking duck roll at Excellent Dumpling House in Chelsea

So, overall, we had a nice meal there: delicious and not pricey. In fact, if you pay cash, you get 10% that makes it a good deal. So, Excellent Dumpling House is a good place to know if you are in Chelsea and are looking for a Chinese place to eat at.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Excellent Dumpling House -165 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011

Jean-Philippe Gerbi