Good Fortune

A guide to some of the best dumplings in Bucks County, Pa.

By: Amy Brummer

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PHOTO: AMY BRUMMER
New Plum Tree Garden and Lemonleaf Grill in Langhorne is one local spot serving up Chinese dumplings.


   Living in close proximity to Manhattan as a child, good Chinese food was not particularly difficult to come by. There were several nice restaurants in the region, and the promise of a meal in Chinatown was not out of the question.
   In keeping with the trendy domesticity of her suburban peers, my mother began taking Chinese cooking classes, which shed light on the multiplicity of ingredients involved with the cuisine and exposed the family to a wider variety of traditional dishes. To this day, I still harbor a passion for slippery, glutinous noodles spiked with chewy wood ear mushrooms and savory roast pork buns. But without question, no dish has commanded my attention like the dumpling.
   I am sure that this stems from the elusiveness of a good dumpling and the prevalence of so many mediocre ones. I usually make a point of ordering the dish when I go to a Chinese restaurant for the first time, and I will make a point of returning to a place if they are good, if only to enjoy that single thing. If they are not to my taste, there is usually no point to eating there ever again.
   To ring in 4072, I went on a dumpling hunt, seeking a savory treat wrapped in a delicate package as a gift to myself in celebration of the Year of the Rooster.
   Our first stop, A Little Dragon in Lower Makefield, Pa., was comfortably crowded on a Friday evening. Our order was short, pan-fried pork dumplings ($4.25) and steamed vegetable dumplings ($4.75), and we tried to contain our hunger as tempting plates of food were delivered to nearby tables.
   The dumplings arrived six to an order, the pork ones formed into crescents, the vegetable ones in the shape of a teardrop. The vegetable dumplings were filled with a mix that was heavy on mushrooms yet retained a good texture with the addition of rice noodles. The pork ones were delightfully spiked with ginger and scallion, imparting a clean, lively taste to the meat. My preference is for thin wrappers, and the ones at Little Dragon are fairly thick, but the pan searing of the dumpling tempered the dough, and the fillings were flavorful enough not to get lost.
   Ending with a fortune cookie, the future seemed promising: "You will conquer obstacles to achieve success"; "The best times of your life have not yet been lived."
   Unfortunately, the latter statement did not apply to our next stop, Golden China, a Yardley, Pa., restaurant tucked off the main road in an office park. Unfortunately, we were seated with a family with one poorly behaved child, and this set the tone for the whole meal. We ordered steamed vegetable dumplings ($4.75) and pan-seared meat dumplings ($4.75), enduring the escalating tension coming from the neighboring table as we waited.
   This wouldn’t have bothered us as much if we had enjoyed the food. Both dumplings (six to an order) came in a thick, almost undercooked wrapper, while the fillings inside were overcooked, and both were watery from boiling. The vegetables were mushy with a strong celery flavor, the meat was musky, and the accompanying sauce was salty from too much soy.
   We tried to get our check, but when it didn’t arrive after asking twice, we went up front to pay, needing to escape from what had become an all-out tantrum. Out in the car, I realized we never got any fortune cookies.
   Our next venture proved more rewarding. On a Saturday night, we stopped by New Plum Tree Garden and Lemonleaf Grill in Langhorne, Pa., a combination Chinese and Thai restaurant. It is a welcoming and serene place, with a friendly, accommodating staff and extensive menu. Not only did they have pork and vegetable dumplings (both $4.25), chicken ($4.25) and seafood ($6.25) options also were available. In a diversion from our previous orders, we ordered both the vegetable and meat dumplings pan fried, saving the steamed option for the seafood.
   Arriving at the table, we were pleased with the attractive presentation. Our meat and vegetable dumplings arrived six to an order on pretty ceramic dishes and our seafood dumplings in a steamer, tossed with a sprinkle of bonito flakes. The wrappers for the meat and vegetable dumplings were similar, though the vegetable had a slight green hue, and they were thinner than others we had tried previously. The meat dumplings had a nicely seasoned filling with a loosely chopped texture, and the vegetable dumplings were stuffed with a crunchy chop of celery, carrot and mushroom; both varieties had a fresh, bright flavor.
   The seafood dumplings came eight to an order and were light and mild with a silky texture, and the bonito flakes added complexity to the flavor. The sauce was a standout — sweet, spicy and thick, it built on the traditional combination of soy and rice wine vinegar with the addition of hoisin sauce and hot chili paste. Our fortunes: "You are deeply attached to your family and home"; "Your present plans are going to succeed."
   A weeknight meal brought us to Charming Garden in Yardley, Pa., an aptly named restaurant serving Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Seated in the handsome dining room we returned to our standard order, pan-fried meat dumplings ($4.95), steamed vegetable dumplings ($4.95) and added an order of Szechuan dumplings ($4.95) as well.
   The Szechuan dumplings arrived first, six fat packages wrapped in wonton skins, bathed in a peanut sesame sauce. Inside, they contained minced pork and a singular piece of shrimp, which lent sweetness to the nutty, spicy sauce. The vegetable and meat dumplings came next, wrapped in thin, almost fragile dough. Now we are getting somewhere, I thought, as I enjoyed the simple yet tasty filling of the vegetable dumplings and the chunky, juicy filling in the meat ones. The sauce was also a standout, as the addition of Chinese five spice gave it a little kick. Our fortunes were more of a directive than a prediction: "You are capable, creative, competent, careful. Prove it."; "Get your mind set… Confidence will lead you on."
   Lastly, lunch at Duck Sauce in Newtown, Pa., was a perfect end to my quest. The decor of the restaurant is lovely — black-leather banquettes, carved wood chairs, deep-maroon drapes — and we regretted that we were not staying for a longer meal.
   In addition to steamed vegetable dumplings ($6.95) and pan-fried meat dumplings ($6.95), which both came eight to an order, we had the crab and shrimp sui mai ($6.95). The sui mai came out first in a steamer and consisted of four tasty morsels accompanied by a refreshingly light, sweet red pepper sauce that carried a hint of ginger. The vegetable dumplings, wrapped in a paper-thin, bright-green wrapper, were a well-balanced combination of mushrooms, noodles, carrots and celery. The meat dumplings contained a rich, deeply savory filling, laced with long pieces of dark green scallion, in a whisper of a wrapper. Our fortunes: "You have a deep interest in all that is Artistic."; "Plan for the many pleasures that lie ahead."
   As for the latter statement, that would probably include return trips to Charming Garden and Duck Sauce to delight in their delicate dumplings.
A Little Dragon, 670 Stoney Hill Road, Lower Makefield, Pa.; (215) 321-2388.
Golden China, 119 Floral Vale Blvd., Yardley, Pa.; (215) 860-8181.
New Plum Tree Garden and Lemonleaf Grill, 2034 Old Lincoln Highway, Langhorne, Pa.; (215) 752-9699.
Charming Garden, 1591 Big Oak Road, Yardley, Pa.; (215) 321-8668.
Duck Sauce, 127 S. State St., Newtown, Pa.; (215) 860-8879.