Second attempt at writing this post.
I don't know why it's so difficult.
It shouldn't be.
Not when the post all about dumplings and wantons which are my favorite food, and which have been for a very long time.
My first attempt began with me writ the first time I'd eaten homemade, hand-wrapped dumplings, legit ones from the Northeast side.
Perhaps this attempt I should just jump into it straight and write about Yuen Kee.
This isn't a post for Yuen Kee.
This is, however, a post about the wantons and dumplings that Yuen Kee serves, and which, let me tell you, I have (only in recent days, don't ask why) come to appreciate, and love.
It is easy to get lost amongst the array of dumplings and wantons at this place.
It is even more difficult to choose.
When we went to Yuen Kee for the first time, I had to take some time to choose.
The Cabbage & Pork Dumplings looked interesting, the Chives & Pork Dumplings didn't look too bad either. Then there was the Shrimp & Pork Dumplings, the Corn & Pork Dumplings, and the Shiitake Mushroom & Water Chestnut Pork Dumplings.
On one hand I wanted to try the Water Chestnuts ones- they seemed interesting. On the other hand, however, the Cabbage & Pork ones were appealing too.
I've always wanted to try cabbage with dumplings- they remind me of the Russian style ones. At the same time, I'm also interested in the Corn ones. Corn makes everything look so cheerful, don't you think?
In the end I think we chose the Cabbage & Pork ones.
Same way too it was a bit of difficult choice for the wantons.
Yuen Kee serves up a similar variety when it comes to their wantons.
For this, I think we decided on the Corn & Pork Wanton Noodles.
And we loved it.
We loved both dishes, actually.
Didn't matter that we found ourselves feeling more full than we usually did.
Because, if there's one thing you must know, it is that dumplings and wantons fill you up easily.
They make for a great snack, but when you've got 18 dumplings shared between 2 people, that's quite a fair bit.
I am not complaining though.
Dumplings are one of those foods that I can eat a lot of, actually, and I can easily have at least 12, or 13 at one go.
My criteria for dumplings has to be the skin.
The skin must have a very distinctive chew that differs it from elsewhere. I don't mind if the dumplings I eat have a more chewy skin than my typical coffee shop Wanton Noodle. But I must have the smoothness, and the chew.
So particular am I about this one fact that it doesn't matter to me if the dish doesn't come looking aesthetic when I collect it from the counter.
It don't matter to me that my plate of dumplings or wantons come looking like they have been unceremoniously dumped on the plate.
I'm not paying for aesthetics.
I'm paying for quality, quantity, and fill.
All of which, Yuen Kee has.
I mean, I can do my own aesthetics. I know how to work my chopsticks. I can go to the counter and get whatever condiments I want and put them all inside my dish, no need the person in the kitchen to do it for me.
What I cannot do, however, is wrap the dumplings and wantons myself.
I don't know the right marination.
I don't know the right amount of filling.
I also don't know if I have the skill to fill up the skin to its max before sealing it together without it all falling out.
That's also probably why the show kitchen of Yuen Kee is so popular.
To be sure, the idea is not new- other restaurants have installed show kitchens in their outlets for some time now- but there is a little bit of difference between the one here at Yuen Kee versus the rest.
Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong- I don't know- but the one here seems to have the feel of a factory floor more than a show kitchen. I can't quite tell why it feels that way to me, but it might have something to do with the speed they make their dumplings, the way they have it all on trays straight at the counter, and the way they don't really chatter to each other.
After a bit of trial and error, I have now locked down on my favorite meal here at this place.
Instead of two separate dishes of dumplings and wanton noodles, I choose the wantons. (They give me a more full feeling).
So far I've chosen the Corn & Pork wantons, even though the Shrimp & Tobiko Pork wantons are also always calling out to me. I then make an additional order of noodles- the choice is always ramen. And for the final touch after, I ask for the Peanut Sauce.
Peanut sauce is probably one of those sauces I never thought I would have with wantons, but they go together surprisingly well and make the wantons taste somewhat lighter, more fun, than if they were to be with vinegar, or any of the usual condiments.
I like the slightly salty, slightly sweet taste of the sauce with the smooth, savory flavor of the wantons.
I also like the crunch.
As an additional bonus, I throw in a bit of chili oil.
Sometimes we get a separate bowl of the oil- you can help yourself as much as you want and he likes dipping the wantons inside instead of slathering it all over the noodles.
Me, I don't mind either way.
Perhaps next time I shall see if I can have this entire plate to myself.
There're moments when I don't feel like I want to share.