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Categories: Ethnic Food, Grocery [Edit]
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
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Delicious mommade dumplings at a great price. The water dumplings are fantastic, and the xiao long bao are all humongous. If you're not a fan of dumplings, eat these. If you are a fan of dumplings, eat these. They will convert you and provide a provocative argument for why its ok to just boil water for dinner and make it count as a downhome meal.
I recommend sharing a bag of dumplings with a friend and dipping it into a sauce of chopped garlic, red vinegar, white rice vinegar, soy sauce, and two drops of sesame oil. and if you steam some choy before in the water, you got a fully substantial meal any chinese mama would be proud of.
it might seem a bit pricey to spend around $8 on a bag of dumplings, but 1. home-made 2. cheaper than buying it at a restaurant 3. frozen for use when you are exhausted 4. easy to get tons of different kinds and make a potful of different kinds 5. i'm recommending them. DO IT. its out of the way, but just go and grab $50 worth.
kinda salivating just thinking about it...
This place feels like a secret society. Knock three times on the first freezer and pat your head twice for lamb dumplings. Knock twice on the second freezer and then make 4 clicking sounds with your mouth for beef pancakes.
Ok, ok, I'm just kidding. But that's what it FEELS like you should do. Instead if you don't speak Mandarin, point to the item you want on the menu on the freezer, hold up your hand to show how many you want.
In my opinion the best item they sell is the Beef Pancake. I could eat one every day and still never have enough. Luckily this place is on my way home from work so I can come here all the time. If you love dumplings, beef pancakes, chive pancakes, etc. skip the TJ's frozen aisle and come here instead. Often times cheaper and I guarantee you they are way better. Once you go inside you'll know you're about to hit the freezer jackpot watching the ladies in the back make the dumplings.
Be sure to read their website on how to cook each item. My first one was a major fail and I wound up with a pile of beef pancake parts. But you know what? It still tasted awesome. I think my problem may have been that I didn't hit the pan hot enough in the beginning. http://kingofchinesedu...
PS- CASH ONLY.
PSS- Their website has their Food Inspection card posted, 100!!! yay clean dumplings!
this is the place to go for fresh handmade dumplings. our favorites are the pork with chives and the pork with chinese spinach.
next time we are going to try the steamed pork buns and a few vegetarian items for me such as the steamed vegetarian buns and the all veggies dumplings. oh and probably order the green onion pancake too!
Such a cool secret spot. I love the group of old ladies behind the hanging beads working away! The prices are right, the selection is great and the dumplings are fresh. The corn and pork is unique and yummy. Shrimp dumplings = o face.
Buy a few bags and steam them when you are too lazy and or cold to leave the sunset!
This is where they have their work force of cute Chinese ladies working in the back room, hand-making every lovely dumpling that they sell frozen (in this store) or at their Kingdom of Dumpling restaurant down at Taraval.
I've never been to the restaurant, but I live within a walking distance from this factory. I had a hankering for some dumplings to include with my SPAM fried rice.
I had $8 with me and I wanted to be resourceful with my money since I am no longer working. I bought a bag of the pork with napa cabbage dumplings (below $7).... In my bag, I counted twenty-two (22) pieces of delicious goodness. I'm sure there are other places where I can get a cheaper deal, but 22 pieces for $6.50-$7 is a pretty darn good deal to me.
The lady who helped me was super nice (she just had this pleasant aura about her) and gave me instructions on how to cook the dumplings.... from frozen....once they float in the boiling water, wait 8-9 minutes and they'll be done.
I am now cooking my 2nd batch... and there are still 11 left in the freezer. I am reconstituting the leftover pho broth I also have in the freezer and adding some veggies to create dumpling soup for my lunch.
I'm gonna have to return to this place to get some XLBs.
( | )
I ****LOVE**** DUMPLINGS.
I can eat them everyday and not get sick of them.
If I don't eat them at least once a month, I have withdrawal.
This place is quite nondescript and there's only a tiny printed-on-paper sign that says "King of Dumpling" but once you find it, dumplings galore!
4 huge fridges FILLED with dumplings of all kinds.
The girl in the store who helped me get my dumplings thought it was hilarious how I was so excited about this dumpling heaven. "They're just dumplings..." is what she said. BUT NO, THEY ARE SO MUCH MORE.
The Veggie Bao/Buns that Ken K. mentioned are SO GOOD. Probably the BEST I've EVER HAD which is AMAZING because I thought the ones I had in Shanghai were awesome. Like Ken K., I was also lucky enough to get these before they were put into the freezer. Yumyum. Since they weren't frozen, all I had to do is pop them into the microwave (with a wet paper towel on top) for 40+ seconds and they were ready. These things are HUGE and stuffed to the max with fresh greens, mushrooms and chopped tofu. I think they use sesame oil liberally which makes it so tasty.
Handmade, authentic, and high quality for an affordable price. I'm not really into "fancy" dumplings that have shrimp and lamb and corn and whatnot... I'm a Shanghainese purist. Pork and veggies (any kind... napa cabbage, chinese greens.. bok choy... etc.). If you stick with dumplings of that variety, you'll definitely be satisfied because I was!!
The reason these dumplings are so amazing is because of the quality of the outer shell. These thick skins can only be made by skilled hands with great recipes, and you can't beat that special texture that only comes when it's fresh. Not to say the innards aren't tasty (because they are) but yummy insides are often shrouded by only average outsides.
Truly lives up to the King of Dumpling name. I need to come back to stock up. Only 22 dumplings per bag... but totally worth the $5-7 price!!
CASH ONLY!
See my first writeup for more general info of this place, which I believe is now officially called KINGDOM OF CHINESE DUMPLINGS.
But I'm not writing about those today.
Spotted here sometime last Sunday, in a corner outside the refrigerators, on a tray:
~^^^^^^~
{ o o }
{ o }
{ \xxxxxx/ }
~~~~~~~~~
No no no
Not Cha Shizzle Bao's. Those are Cantonese dim sum items
While I was trying to pick out my frozen bags of dumplizzles, the young cashier informed me of some freshly made tsai bao (vegetable steamed buns) and pointed to a tray on top of one of the ice boxes.
These are also available frozen, but I just so happened to have lucked out getting them before they hit deep freeze.
There is also a pork and veg version which you can get from their cold storage.
So I got an order (4 of them, just a tad bit under $4). Microwave, or steam for 3 mins (the latter is the better choice). The outside is a nice gentle fluffy looking white doughy bun (yet firm enough and pleasantly tasty) and the inside is a cornucopia of very finely chopped vegetables, ranging from tofu strips, some kind of chinese greens, bean thread vermicilli noodles, all very likely prepped from scratch and made by the A$N granny types in the back.
This is one of the most delicious tsai bao I've had to date in all of SF Bay Area (then again my alternate choice$ are limited to frozen A$N $upermarket deli or freeze box version$ that are le$$ than $extacular).
I didn't take a picture, but the finesse and love and care used to prep the veg (contents) of the bao were amazing. Really delicate and skilled knifework....normally you'd reserve this to critique the skills of your sushi (or pseushi) chef, but knifework is really under appreciated in any form of
Chinese cooking, comfort or upscale level. I've never seen such finely diced vegetables, tofu, and the ilk for a bun. Hell even I can't cut that fine, let alone 10% of that. Maybe they used a machine? Doubt it.
Bottom line, the grannies who made this stuff in the back room, got some major knife skillz and kick SERIOUS ass. Sure they make Northern comfort food and look harmless and homey, but be careful! Or they will whoop your ass too.
For those Japanese Yelpers living in SF, try this one out and see if it reminds you of Butaman (you may want to try the pork and veg version, ask when they make it fresh so you don't get frozen kind)
4.5 rounded to 5 $tar$ (or 5 Bao's) for this $excellent kickass Northern Veggie Baogasm Steamed Bun! Oh yeah 5 Bao's also go to their baked shredded daikon pastry flakey bun with sesame seeds on top (luo bor si bing) - best version in all of SF Bay Area (get a bag of these frozen and steam or bake at home)!
HAPPY BAO
~^^^^^^~
{ o o }
{ o }
{ \___/ }
~~~~~~~~~
ORGAZM BAO
~^^^^^^~
{ \ / }
{ o }
{ O }
~~~~~~~~~
USEFUL FUNNY COOL BAO
~^^^^^^~
{ O O }
{ o }
{ \/ }
~~~~~~~~~
CHAIRMAN BAO
~^^^^^^~
{ O--O }
{ o }
{ ---------- }
~~~~~~~~~
COMFORT FOOD BAO
~^^^^^^~
{ v v }
{ o }
{ V }
~~~~~~~~~
In the 90s this place was nothing more than a grocery store selling run of the mill items that you… Read more »
This place is great. I drive all the way from Daly City to buy dumplings from them. Their chicken and corn dumplings are amazing. I bought a bag and finished it in 2 meals. The dumplings are well worth the extra $ - well wrapped, thick homemade skin, and filled with lots of delicious fillings.
I love the leek pockets and their onion pancakes too.
This place only takes cash. The service is always nice and friendly. Last time I went in, I only had $20 with me and the woman behind the counter said not to worry if I go over.
The xiao long bao are perfection. Brings a tear to the dear husband's eyes, as they are as good as his granny's.
I love the vegetarian shui jiao dumplings. The dough is hand made and expertly tucked -- impervious to a roiling boil.
This place is hard to find. When you find the Boomerang bar, it's right next door.
The dumplings here are pretty darn good. The variety is pretty great too. I haven't tried the Shanghai dim sum they're supposed to have also but for the most part all the dumplings taste pretty authentic. You can even see all the old Chinese people in the back room furiously making them. Make sure you ask them for the fresh dumplings of the day since they are not yet frozen and they usually have 2 given types at any time when they are wrapping the dumplings. That was when I decided to try the chicken and corn dumplings. They sounded quite gross actually but I'm a sucker for fresh dumplings so I got them. Turns out that they are now my new faves. Don't forget to bring cash though since that's all they take!
Oh my.
So after six months of living in San Francisco and not having dumplings in my freezer for "ugh, it's late, i'm hungry, i don't want to cook but i don't want to go out" problem solving, I finally broke down and did a little Yelping for dumplings, just in time for Chinese New Year.
Thank you, thank you, thank you (even though I walked right by it when I finally found parking).
This place will beat the pants off of any store-bought frozen dumplings, hands down. How could it not? A small army of Chinese grandmothers, mothers, daughters, cousins, aunts, and who knows who else sit in the back and appear to do nothing but make them all day. The fillings are plentiful and have the right ratios of meat to veggies, seasons perfectly; the skins are thick (but not too thick!) and chewy and hold their own against a roiling boil or sliding around a plate straight from the pot.
So I served up a bag and a half for a couple of my friends for CNY dinner, which was supplemented by noodles from...Brandy Ho's. Hmm. Yeah. I suppose not the proudest moment for me, but hey, I couldn't find the things for "ja jiang mien" in time.
Now I'm down to a bag and a half in my freezer, which means soon I'll be making monthly/bi-weekly/weekly drives out to the Sunset from the Castro to keep myself well stocked with dumpling-y goodness to the tune of about $7 a bag...not the cheapest, but so worth it. And maybe this time they'll have the "tsong yo bing".
Oh, and just a warning...if you can break out your rustiest of rusty Mandarin (like me), it'll help. I was lucky in that the girl who helped me when I went spoke both Mandarin and English, and I kept switching back and forth, but listening to the conversation in the back, it's definitely more non-English than so.
The Chinese dumpling is said to date back to the Song Dynasty (960-1280 A.D.) in ancient China. Fast forward to the avenues in modern day SF & the dumpling tradition is still going strong at this small store front shop. The dumplings are made fresh each day, either served ready to cook that day or packaged and frozen, to eat later. They have a wide selection of dumpling offerings, as well as other fresh made food, such as steamed buns and Chinese pancakes . I recommend checking out their website before you go, so you get an idea of what the dumpling options are. http://www.kingofchine...
When I went, I purchased both the fresh and frozen dumplings to try. Both were fantastic. The dumpling cooked perfectly and didn't get soggy or hard. The shape was so consistent that each one looked perfectly identical. When I bit into the cooked dumpling, it was very juicy and had a good portion of vegetable and meat. The filling was marinated properly, nice and savory and not bland. A couple weeks later, I tried the frozen dumplings I purchased and they still tasted delicious - juicy and flavorful. This is a great place to stock up on dumplings when you're in the area.
When I was growing up, my parents were adamant about speaking Chinese (Cantonese) at home. When a word of English came out of my mouth, I'd get beat down like a Mao dissident. Now, that I'm all grown up, I find it quite handy...sometimes. I enjoy the opportunity to be able to whip out my Cantonese. It's rusty nowadays so It's good practice.
I needed to replenish my dumpling supply at home so I came here. When I walked into this store, no one was in the main area which was filled with freezers. After about a minute, a lady walks out and I asked if she had any xiao lung bao in Cantonese. Then, I saw it...her hesitation..and I knew she was a Mandarin speaker. She didn't even speak English.
From that point on, I resorted to pointing and grunting to the various types of dumplings they had on their menu so she would gather them up for me. I felt like a tourist in my own peep's store. Totally sucks.
The dumplings here are awesome. It's great to stock up and they're super easy to make. I walked out with over $20 worth of dumplings. Their restaurant, Kingdom of Dumpling, on Taraval is pretty good if you don't want to make it yourself.
OH YEAH!!! You know it's good when your parents start leaving bags of store-bought frozen dumplings in your freezer instead of ones they made themselves...YUM!!!
I am a huge fan of dumplings and this place is definitely "thumbs up".
The dumplings here are really good! A pack of about 22 dumplings is about 7 bucks, which is not bad. We got one bag of pork w/ chives, one bag of potstickers and one bag of plain buns. The potstickers are bigger than the average Ling Lings and I love how it's super juicy when taking a bite!
I will definitely be back!
Thanks to Roger K. for the introduction to this place.
1. Select a bag of frozen dumpling goodies from their wide selection
2. Boil a pot of water in the comfort of your own home
3. Throw them in for a few minutes and *ta-da*.....there's your meal.
*dip in a sauce mixed with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, pepper and chilli sauce to perfect the meal.
This the other half of the "Kingdom of Dumpling" Empire. The wife and the rest of the family run this nicely kept store that is filled with refridgerators packed full of all the amazing dumplings that you can find at their restaurant on Taraval, Kingdom of Dumpling. They are very helpful with providing cooking directions and recommendations on various other goods like noodles or soup base. Go nuts like me and order everything that sounds good and eat dumplings for the next two weeks.
Recommendations:
Lamb and Chives
Chicken and Corn
Pork and Shrimp Wontons
Bye-bye and Sayonara to Ajinomoto Gyoza! Hello AAFC!!!
You might be wondering, what is this place? Is it a food distributor? Until Yelp friends told me about this place, I also had no idea. They chose a terrible name.
Think of this place as an Asian grocery store specializing in homemade dumplings. Obviously, it is open to the public. The store signs were written in Chinese, so you might want to look at the pics of the store front I uploaded before you go.
DUMPLINGS: As you walk into the store, freezers full of dumplings sit in the middle. Toward the back, you can see the people diligently making those dumplings, so you know it's really homemade. The key is zero transit time from production to sales, which means they freeze the dumplings fresh, so no preservatives are needed. The store owner is very nice and helpful, so you can tell him what kind of dumplings you are looking for and he'll tell you where they are. We brought frozen ones, but I saw another customer buying fresh ones. I guess if you know you'll eat it that day, you might want to ask for non-frozen ones. They had steamed and fried dumplings.
Gyozas? No, these are Chinese kind with thicker skin. I must admit that I still like those crispy Japanese style gyozas more, I do also enjoy these dumplings with chewy skin.
PRICE: Varies depending on what's inside. I didn't count how many were in each bag, but there were plenty.
$6 - Pork Pot Sticker
$6 - Pork Dumpling with napa
SEATS: If you are looking for seating recommendations, you found my review to be way too long to read, so skipped ahead. I understand. This is a store, so you cannot eat these delicious dumplings onsite.
I love homemade dumplings, and sometimes make them myself if I'm not too lazy. I'm not an old Chinese lady, so I haven't had much practice in the art of folding dumplings and am quite slow at it. Buying dumplings at AAFC might not be good for my dumpling folding skill level, but they taste as good as homemade and they're so cheap.
The man who was working on the day I stopped by asked me if I knew how to boil the dumplings, to which I said no, and he explained to me step by step, what to do. Bring water to a boil, add dumplings, wait for them to boil, then add a little bit more water, and wait for it to boil.
For a lazy girl like me, there's nothing better than homemade dumplings for dinner. All you need is a pot to boil the dumplings, and a bowl to eat them in.
To be clear, I don't like Chinese food. Yet, I went here because my companion loves Chinese potstickers (i.e. gyoza).
So why five stars despite I dislike Chinese food? The reason is the owner (I think that's who he was) was extremely friendly in helping us. I told him that I don't really like Chinese food in general because it's oily. I could tell I was being very picky and difficult. Yet, the man was still so kind. He recommended me to get dumplings instead of potstickers, which are pan fried, and to choose a beef or vegetable kind because they are "less oily". He asked if we knew how to make them and we said no. Then he explained in every detail how to prepare dumplings and potstickers.
Whether I ended up enjoying my beef dumpling is another story. Just love it when the store owner is so enthusiastic in serving customers and proud of his business.
Logistically speaking: Dumplings are the only thing I can speak for --they come 22 / bag, at around $7 / bag. The store doesn't have much inside, but is situated nicely with good parking and a spacious interior and quick, pleasant service (store owners speak Mandarin).
Taste wise: Such good dumplings that make a quick meal --boil water, put some in, stir to ensure non-sticking to the pot, and devour with homemade sauce. Yum! :D
Only downside: Location --taking public transportation here isn't ideal.
How many times have I gone into one of those giant asian groceries, telling myself I'm going to buy all sorts of new and adventurous food items and learn to cook them, only to chicken out and retreat to the safety of the frozen pot stickers.
Asian American Food Company saves me the trouble: they sell nothing but pot stickers (well, mostly). They're all hand-made in the back, and there's tons of flavors and types to choose from. Plus the very friendly owner actually came over and helped me decide what to get. And best of all, prices are still very reasonable.
So, why go anywhere else for dumplings? I guess now I'll have to find a new "safety" food at the big asian groceries.
Simply put, these dumplings are some of the best dumplings you will ever have.
A row of freezers in the middle, sauces on one wall, snacks on the other, and cigarettes for sale behind the counter. What else do you need? Oh, that's right, a room for real chinese moms and grandmas in the back making dumplings by hand all day.
We just cooked up some stuff from here for the fourth time now? We had pork and chive pot stickers, pork and leek dumplings, and a beef pancake thing. This place is the real deal. In the past we've had their green onion pancake... also amazing.
Try the sauce they sell too: it's just called "Dumpling Sauce." It's the best. I would just add some chili sauce because I love spicy food, and maybe a little sesame oil.
I am almost ashamed for writing this review and being the last person in SF to know about this place. I was at my bank last week waiting at the ATM (for an unusually long amount of time). I just happened to turn around and see this place. There were a lot of customers coming in and out and my curiosity got the best of me. Dumpling heaven!
I have recently been on a quest to find a good dumpling place in LA (where I am temporarily). But I have been forced to y the cheap frozen kind from Ranch 99. While "the Ranch" has OK quality, this place makes it seem like restaurants get their stuff from here. Extremely good prices and I'm all about making my own sauce anyway. Good quality and price and a great location!
Hmm...I don't know what happened to this place. The last time I went and bought some potstickers was when I was heavily preggers with Kid #2. Went back this weekend and bought my potstickers. Although they raised the prices last time (understandable given how everything is more expensive now), they've now shortchanged the ingredients.
Although the potstickers are still the same size, the inside is about 1/2 full. So no matter how you fry those suckers in a skillet, you can't get it to cook evenly because the center does not lay down flat (blame that on the less than full filling). The potstickers aren't cheap. For $6+ I expect it to be full as in the past. If you're going to raise the prices, don't skimp on the ingredients. Otherwise, skimp and don't raise the prices. You can't have it both ways!
The lady (I think she's the owner's wife) was a real sour Nan when we went this time. She didn't even bother to help us.
I'm so disappointed!
YUMMY (I am shouting!)! Visited here based on all the glowing reviews on Yelp. They are located… Read more »
This place is fucking awesome. I didn't realize how awesome this place was until this year. I didn't realize how much other dumplings sucked compared to theirs. Their green onion and beef pancakes must be laced with crack because they're so fucking good. They have a great variety of dumplings and you get to see the little sweatshop in the back so you know you're getting the good stuff. Bad thing, they only accept cash and you're essentially paying like 50 cents a dumpling... whatever they rock.
The best dumpling find in San Francisco- HANDS DOWN.
It is one of those weekends that you feel like staying home and just relax. Life is good when you still got food in the freezer which could be ready in less than 30 mins!
So I took some frozen potstickers out and put them in a pot of boiling water, add a teaspoon of salt and a little bit of oil and let it boil for 10 mins. I didn't break any wrapping this time since I learned my lesson well. Drain all the water and pan-fry it with a little oil.
I love potsticker! Especially the part that is golden-brown and crisp. Add a bit of vinegar and soy sauce and I am a very happy woman :)
Thanks to the King of Dumpling who makes great dumplings for us!
PS: vegetarian potstickers are $6.49/bag but pork potstickers are only $5.99/bag, any idea why?
No colorful anecdotes: Ed to the M. was right -- we tried three frozen won ton varieties they sell and all were excellent.
Highly recommended.
Our school PTA hosted a wonton night and purchased wontons from AAFC- they were a hit! I can make a pretty good dumpling and wonton myself but had to stop by to see for myself what all this 5-star business was about...I got a package of almost everything they made, and especially liked the Shanghai Dumplings and the Pot Stickers. They beat the crap outta the Panda brand from Costco. :)
It was really nice having close to homemade back stock in the freezer without having to slave in the kitchen. I have a feeling that I will be back again and again...The staff was also very friendly and helpful.
I am not a Gyoza lover...not like my mom and brother. I didn't understand why my mom was into searching for the best pot sticker / dumpling. (She thinks best Gyoza is from Min Min in Kichijyoji, Tokyo http://www.good24.jp/s...)
I didn't expect too much from AAFC since I had good pot stickers / dumplings before from many restaurants but none of them WOWed me. But I was wrong... Their dumplings were AMAZING! Now I am in love with AAFC napa cabbage pork dumplings! I bought fresh (non-frozen) ones. I had to promise to the lady I am eating them on the same day, otherwise she was not giving to me the fresh one.
They were so fresh with a great dough texture. It was the best dumpling I ever had. It totally changed my view about Chinese dumplings.
* I didn't care for their wan-tan or sho ron po though...
Mmm.... I hit up this place based on the recommendation of you Yelpers. I was looking for some XLB and after asking the lady at the register how to cook them up without a steamer basket, she suggested putting them on some cabbage leaves or on top of carrot slices. She actually gave me a small bunch of cabbage to use (extra star for that!) These potstickers aren't the typical Costco or Trader Joe's you get. These things are MONSTERS! I can normally fit 10-12 potstickers in a pan, but I could only fit about 7 or 8 of these. They tasted great and I can't wait to go back for more...
Definitely going to be coming back here next time I need an XLB fix or just feel like cooking some up at home.
Finally got a chance to try this place out. After careful research on yelp, I went in with my choices ready. We bought:
pork and shrimp with chive dumplings: 1 bag (not a fan of chives, but wanted shrimp filling)
pork potstickers: 1 bag
xiao long baos (they call them marinated buns): 2 packages
Total: ~$23
The owner was very helpful and not pushy at all. He asked us if we needed any instructions on how to make the dumplings, and if we did have any questions later, we could look on his website where they had cooking directions.
We eagerly went home and cooked everything up. We steamed the xiao long baos, boiled the dumplings and fried the potstickers. Our favorites were the baos and the potstickers. Even though some of the juice had squooshed out of the baos in the steamer, they were still very juicy and flavorful when we bit into them. The dumplings, I have to say were average. The skins were a bit thick and the filling o-k. But, I am a bit biased cause my father in law makes the best dumplings in my opinion. Overall 3 stars for food, extra 1 star for service and convenience.
Oh benevolent King of his mighty Kingdom of Dumpling, I thank thee for establishing thy throne on Noreiga and 22nd Ave, just a few blocks where I reside. I gladly count myself among your most loyal of subjects.
Seriously, how can you walk by a place called Kingdom of Dumpling and NOT want to know more about it? As most people here have noted, all you do is walk in and talk to the friendly Chinese ladies and they'll walk you through all of your options. I opted for two bags of frozen potstickers, a flat of fresh wontons and four steamed pork buns and only dropped about $13. Days later I was stretching my imagination to fit potstickers into virtually every meal. The pork and napa cabbage variety are especially good.
I look forward to going back to try the onion cake and the other 743,000 varieties of potsticker that I didn't try the first time. Long live the Kingdom! Between this and Tutti Melon, the Sunset is turning into Snack Central.
Handmade, fresh dumplings made lovingly by Chinese women on the premises - what's not to love?
Well, I do wish they cooked the dumplings too (this is a store, not a restaurant) since I might mess up the boiling...but one can only dream. I can appreciate how they are focused on basically one thing: making the best dumplings in town. I think they make batches of one type of dumpling per day (which they call the special of the day) and if you show up after 11:30 AM that day, you can get the fresh dumpling of the day. Otherwise, your dumplings will be frozen and not made that same day. They are open from 8:30 AM - 6:30 PM 7 days a week.
The store is dominated by massive freezers, in which they store over a dozen different kinds of dumplings. They have interesting varieties ($5.99 - 7.99 for a bag of 22 dumplings), like beef with carrot, chicken with Chinese spinach, pork with corn and even a vegetarian one. Plus they sell three kinds of Chinese pancakes, several types of buns, red bean cake (with sesame crust - the Shanghai style kind), and more. They also have some candy and snacks.
Back to the dumplings, they sell bottled sauce (spicy or regular) and they carry the Trader Joe's insulated bags to help you transport your dumplings back home. The website has cooking instructions for all their frozen foods: http://www.kingofchine...
I had the lamb with Chinese vegetable dumplings. The dumplings are won ton size (smaller) with thicker skins (which I prefer). I was impressed by how juicy they were - as juicy as I've ever had. I didn't taste the Chinese vegetable because it was like zucchini, mild in flavor, but the lamb flavor was lovely.
I also bought the pork with string bean. Those were also very juicy and very flavorful. The string beans are mild like the Chinese vegetable in the lamb dumplings, so you mainly taste seasoned meat + meat juices. These dumplings are GREAT.
I met the owner who proudly pointed to his Best of the Bay award (framed). Very cute. You can also see the women in the back room making dumplings (behind a beaded curtain). What a great place - whatever it's called: Asian American Food Co.? Kingdom of Dumpling? King of Chinese Dumpling?
It's cash only.
If ever there was a reason to move to Sunset, it would be to live within walking distance of this easy-to-miss hole in the wall place. The dumplings are the shiz and are made so ever lovingly by the Chinese women in back.
I'm not a big fan of their xiao long bao (but that's probably my fault since I have trouble steaming them and the cover falls off and the juice runs out ....and it just becomes 5 degrees of sadness from there).
The owner is extremely friendly and generous with advice. The man loves his store --- it's infectious.
FINALLY! I've been in search of frozen homemade tasting dumplings for some time now. Nothing compares to the freshness and the taste of love put into making each one. Back in the days, we'd spend a whole Saturday with my mom making dumpling wrappings and filling from SCRATCH. Those days were long gone when she started pushing Ling Ling packages on me. You call these dumplings?!? When I asked if I could help her make some dumplings from scratch again, she replied, "It's alot of work!" Homemade dumplings ARE a lot of work, but the first bite and a month's supply in your freezer are worth the sweat.
The owner was super friendly ensuring that I knew how to prepare them before I left the store. He also referred me to their user-friendly website. Nothing compares to the taste you grew up with, but AAFC's pretty darn close. The best part is I can have them anytime...anywhere...even at home in my underwear.
This is why Yelp is so cool: I would have never ever look at, let alone step into this inconspicuous store for dumplings or food in general. I would have guessed it to be a Chinese Medicine store. And even if I knew they sold dumplings, I wouldn't in my wildest dreams imagine they'd taste good. All you see are three large freezers; nothing says, I am yummy, try me!
But then there is yelp and all the glorious reviews got me really curious. I finally made a trip and bought two bags of dumplings and one bag of wonton. $26 for some frozen treats; seems pricey. So far we have only tried the pork and corn dumplings. They are delicious! I don't know if it's cuz they are fresh or have some sort of secret ingredient (not MSG as I suspected because I didn't get thirsty afterwards), but they are definitely not your average bland grocery store frozen dumplings. And they are huge: we each had 12 and were so stuffed.
And yes, they ask if you know how to cook them. Which is a bit strange to me. If you like dumplings, how can you, like, not know how to cook them? And the lady working there pointed at my boyfriend and said in Chinese, "he might like it pan fried." I got really defensive and said, "no, he likes them boiled too" and quickly left the store. I still haven't decided if that was endearing or annoying to me.
If you're a fan of chinese dumplings, you have to check this place out. The dumplings are terrific, haven't had a bad one yet, and well priced. the pork/shrimp and chives are one of my favorites, along with the shanghai steamed soup dumplings. I've also tried the multi-layer beef pancake, which is terrific!
On top of the great food, the owner is very friendly and really seems to care about the customers. He makes sure you understand how to cook and eat the dumplings before you go, going over the simple instructions with you carefully so you get the best experience. He even told us to be sure to call if we thought of any questions. And when he overheard us talking about grabbing a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant as we were walking out the door, he insisted on putting our bag in the freezer for us while we ate! It's that kind of a place....
Awesome dumplings, potstickers, and xiaolongbao. Service is friendly. It is not always English-speaking, but all the food is clearly labeled with English signage.
You gotta pay for the quality.
You need $7 to get your grubby hands on a bag of 20-25 dumplings or 12 XLB, compared with $4-5 for a bag of 30-35 imports at Ranch 99. But at Ranch 99 you get this:
http://www.google.com/...
wine time
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
Yelp Eats. $35 A Week !
Neighborhood: Mission
Neighborhood: Parkside
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
Category: Dim Sum
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
Category: Fruits & Veggies
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