cooking

I'm so seldom in love with restaurants that I'm feeling a little dizzy. Ping Pong Dim Sum has turned my head. I don't even need to write a review really, the motto on their website, "Little Steamed Parcels of Deliciousness" pretty much says all that needs to be said.

Personal favorites include the chive dumpling, in its pretty green wrapper and the scallop and shiitaki mushroom dumpling which is just exquisite. Spicy chicken and vegetarian dumplings proved tasty. My husband enjoyed a king prawn dumpling in a black squid ink pastry. We also gobbled a bunch of crispy asparagus and some fantastic tiny spring rolls some vegetarian, some chicken. Oh, just go and order everything!

We went to the Dubai Mall branch.
The decor is simple, dark wood offset by white plates and accessories.
Service is pleasant and efficient, no weird Dubai hovering and seems genuinely friendly.
Dinner for 7 (with one person who didn't eat very much) cost around 500dhs but it might be worth going to their Lazy Friday promotion (unlimited dim sum for 132dhs per person, kiddos for 65dhs).
Ping Pong also offers a large variety of tasting menus which seem like a cost- efficient way to go for one or two people.

I have three teeny tiny little complaints.
1. I feel like a bit of a piggy eating there because the dumplings come three to an order. For a family like ours (5, all dumpling fanatics) I wish they would break out the large steaming baskets. And I acknowledge this is my only possibly legitimate issue with this place...
2. The lack of beer . There is nothing better than a cold beer with your dumplings, but not my country and all, I shan't complain, very much.
3. The lack of pork. Again, not my country but I would love to see what the chefs at Ping Pong would do with pork (something magnificent, I'm guessing).
*** $$