Chinese New Year: I went to one of Lancashire's top Chinese restaurants and had the best dumplings of my life
I had the best dumplings ever at a Lancashire restaurant in honour of Chinese New Year
Ahead of Chinese New Year next week, I decided to try one of Lancashire’s top-rated Chinese restaurants. I ended up having the best dumplings I’ve ever eaten.
Sometimes the weather in the north of England is so foul that only food, rather than more layers of warm clothing and waterproof accoutrements, can fix things. I recently experience one of those days.
The mizzle was so fine and yet so persistent and drenching that a steady stream of icy rainwater had, after running gradually down my arms, started to seep into my pockets and moisten my hands, despite them being thrust deep into my coat to ward off the bitter cold. It was wholly unpleasant.
And so, as I’m sure you can imagine, I was very pleased to see King Dumpling emerged from a morass of roadworks. Well-reputed as one of the best Chinese restaurants in Preston, I had decided to try the fine establishment in honour of the impending Chinese New Year, which takes place on Wednesday January 29.
Little did I know that I was about to enjoy one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten in the city.
Greeted by a pair of friendly and helpful staff who took my order, complained about the weather with me, and brought me a pot of steaming Chinese tea, I settled in to dry off and wait for my food. It didn’t take long - I was soon sitting in front of 12 sumptuous looking beef dumplings and a heaped bowl of chicken fried rice.
Now, the best measure of how much I enjoyed this meal is the simple fact that I completely forgot to take any notes - I was enjoying eating the food far too much to think about writing anything down to reference at a later date. It was perfect; the warm rice heated me up from the inside, the tea was fragrant and tasty, and the dumplings were flawless.
Sometimes, beef dumplings can be soggy (I had gone for the friend dumplings to avoid this) and slightly dough by dint of them being steamed, but in this case they were exquisite - seasoned expertly with plenty of garlic and ginger and cooked to tender perfection. I would eat another 12 of them right this second without hesitation.
The rice was similarly delicious - all peas, spring onion, and generous amounts of chicken. It was light but had a definitely flavour palette to it as well - a perfect combo of carby goodness and airy lightness. I loved every bite and, after cleaning my plates with a smile on my face, left the restaurant feeling undoubtedly more positive, despite the weather.
What more can I say about King Dumpling? Go and try it for yourself, maybe even for Chinese New Year. You won’t be disappointed.
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