Du Du Dumplings

Chanced upon a rather unfamiliar sight whilst going around Tiong Bahru Plaza — located in the second level where one would find other F&B establishments such as that of Sakon Thai Village, Shi Li Fang Hotpot, Lee Lai Jiak etc. is a relatively new addition to the mall named Du Du Dumplings 嘟嘟饺子; these folks had taken over the former premises which the outlet of Nana Curry had once occupied there. From the outside, Du Du Dumplings does look like just another dining establishment that is set-up in such a corner of a shopping mall; one that is very much expected for a casual dining establishment with the interior of the place exuding a somewhat modern vibe whilst retaining an oriental touch — there is a large use of furniture and fittings that feature wooden and rattan-esque elements with yellowish lighting that is easy to the eyes. While the seating space in the shop unit itself would cater to larger groups, the seating located outside would work well for those dining in table sizes of two (2) to four (4) pax; those seated outside of the main shop unit would also get to view the action from within the kitchen via the glass panels that segregate the two areas. Du Du Dumplings is one establishment that is similar to the likes of other establishments serving up Mainland Chinese-style dumplings that had sprouted up around of the late (think Yuen Kee Dumplings / Yuan Ji Yun Jiao 袁记云饺 and ZHANGJIYUNJIAO / Zhang Kee Dumplings 张记云饺); Du Du Dumplings focuses on its freshly made-to-order dumplings; the menu sees their dumpling offerings being split into categories such as Steamed (available in portion sizes of six or ten pieces), Boiled (available in portions of ten pieces) and Fried (available in portions of six pieces). Apart from dumplings, one can also find a number of side dishes available; also available would be a small selection of desserts as well. Whilst not listed in the printed menu, we also note that there is a single plain vegetarian noodle offering for those looking for some carbs to go along with their dumplings.

We were skimming through the variety of dumplings that Du Du Dumplings have to offer on the menu and the Beef with Radish Dumplings were the one that seemingly stood out — after all, it is rare to see beef being used as a filling for dumplings even though there are some similar establishments that is serving up the same around the island; for our order of the Beef with Radish Dumplings, we went for the steamed variant. The difference between the steamed and boiled dumplings at Du Du Dumplings will be how the steamed dumplings are being served steamed being prepared in a dim sum basket, while the boiled ones would be served in a plate with the dumplings as-is without the liquid / soup that they were boiled in. Considering how it is being steamed rather than boiled, the Beef with Radish Steamed Dumplings does come with a slippery and smooth skin while the insides come with beef and radish filling. This is the first time that we are having beef fillings in our dumplings and we were surprised by how tender the filling is without being as firm as what one would expect out of a dumpling that is filled with pork — whilst we were initially expecting a savoury and perhaps even slightly gamey note given the use of beef here, we were actually impressed with how it is meaty with a slight note of natural sweetness here likely from the radish. With that being said, the inclusion of radish doesn’t add an element of crunch to the dumplings; the element wasn’t quite detectable when it came to the texture of the dumpling. We also thought that these came with a decent portion of filling per dumpling, though the dumplings here also aren’t the one filled with as much soup as what we had come across at other establishments as well.

The Fried Dumplings at Du Du Dumplings are how they refer to their pan-fried dumplings / Guo Tie (锅贴） — the same line-up of dumplings which are also offered in steamed and boiled options are also offered as fried dumplings as well. We liked how the fried dumplings at Du Du Dumplings are done with that extra layer of webbing on its base; whilst crisp, we did find it being slightly on the saltier side which also impacted the flavours of the dumplings itself. The Prawn and Pork Dumpling at Du Du Dumplings does seem to be one that comes with a mix of prawn paste and minced pork — the filling featuring a slightly pinkish hue with both elements being seemingly evenly mix into each other. That being said, we did find the fillings to be slightly more on the savoury side and did not necessarily carry the natural sweetness of the prawns; the fillings also came with a firm consistency that is rather reminiscent of pork dumplings. We also felt that they could be more generous with the fillings for the Prawn and Pork Dumpling that we have had.

Wanting to give a non-dumpling item a try, we went for the Assorted Vegetables which also came with beancurd skin, coriander, shreds of greens and carrots, chili oil and garlic. This was one item that we really liked and would have went well if there was a bowl of rice that came on the side; the chili oil helping to gel all of the elements together whilst giving a slight hint of spiciness that should be manageable even for those whom have lower than moderate tolerance to spiciness, while the garlic does add on to the overall fragrance to the dish. It does seem like Du Du Dumplings do also suffer from the same teething issues as most freshly made-to-order dumpling establishments faces; the kitchen being unable to keep up to the number of orders at some point that causes the waiting time of the food to drastically increase during meal peak hours — that being said, it does seem to us that the front-of-house staff at Du Du Dumplings are on top of everything that is happening within the establishment and are consistently keeping things in their control. This does make the dining experience at Du Du Dumplings feel a little more bearable than some of the other establishments that we had been to. Prices of one portion of steamed, boiled or fried dumplings at Du Du Dumplings range between $7.80 to $15.80 — a little bit on the steeper side. Nonetheless, they do add on as a rather interesting dining option in Tiong Bahru Plaza that those whom are into freshly made-to-order dumplings may want to check out if in the area.