Dumplings are a perfect Portland comfort food. In honor of Dumpling Week here are some of the best around. Restaurant critic Brooke Jackson-Glidden, who is now editor in chief at Portland Monthly, shared her three favorite dumpling meals in Portland — and what’s remarkable about them:
Xiao Long Bao at Duck House
“I love, love, love xiao long bao. And there are a lot of intricacies to making them right; A perfect xiao long bao is so hard to do and if people do it right, it's mind-blowing. That first basket I had at Duck House was just such a masterclass: such a delicate wrapper. The broth was piping hot inside. It didn't have that weird nugget of meat in the middle, which happens sometimes; it was just all silky broth. It was just so great.”
Dim Sum at Excellent Cuisine
“In terms of dim sum style dumplings — like har gow and shumai — I feel a lot of affection for Excellent Cuisine. Their har gow is so springy in this really nice way, and the filling remains so juicy, so flavorful. They're not skimping with the ginger and the garlic and all the alliums — so they’re just super flavorful and really well-executed.”
Pelmeni at Kachka
“Like everyone in Portland, I just love the bowls of pelmeni that I've had at Kachka. When I'm really sad in the middle of winter, I will go in and I will get a bowl of the pelmeni with the fancy broth and the garlic.”
Bonus: Kachka sells frozen dumplings. “If I'm depressed, I usually keep a pack of the frozen ones in my freezer, take those out, and it's just straight up, maybe a little dollop of sour cream or yogurt, a little bit of vinegar, a little bit of butter. Stir, stir, stir. Inhale.”
For more dumpling options, you can catch her full list of local dumpling highlights for the City Cast Portland podcast.
