A family-run Chinese dumpling house and sake bar that started life as a pop-up, My Neighbour The Dumplings has now blossomed with two very popular outposts: one in Clapton and its successor in Victoria Park. For those not based in the East, it’s worth the journey over. With a dim sum dining style of shared small plates given a hip east London twist, reservations are full in Clapton throughout the bank holiday. And for good reason: a lively and friendly atmosphere, a great range of dumplings made fresh on site every day, along with some knockout dishes to accompany, it’s a winning formula. The service is also warm and inviting – not least, Danny in their Clapton site who kindly managed to shuffle things around to seat my companion and I on a couple of stools in the wonderful glasshouse-like hidden area behind the back.
The specialities are of course their hand-crafted dumplings made fresh every day and inspired by flavours spanning Asia. There are steamed ones, there are fried ones, and even steamed ones with hazlenuts and a banoffee sauce. Most of the dumplings come in portions of four, and at £5 or £6 a pop, it’s very easy to grab your table’s biro, scan down the short list, and confidently scratch a ‘1’ next to each on the menu.
But before you get to the dumplings, it’s worth a drink over some crackers, specifically the Nori Seaweed Tapioca Crackers (£5.50) with a lime mayo. Crunchy, umami and fun to break and share, these certainly get the appetite going.
On the drinks front, there’s a wide range of sake and sake-based cocktails from small family-run Japanese breweries. I went for the special of the day: the vegan chilli Pisco Sour (£11). To the point, punchy and the just the right level of bitterness, it was pure perfection.
Onto the dumplings, vegetarians (and vegans) are very well catered. The standout plate of the night were undoubtedly the Peanut & Mixed Veg dumplings (£6.80). These juicy pan-fried potstickers are not to miss. With a melt-in-the-mouth interior, a gentle sweetness and a crispy exterior, they’re everything you could hope for.
The special of the day were the Jackfruit Dumplings with a mala sauce (£7). Given this is a dumpling house, it’s certainly worth a try – even for those suspect of jackfruit. They were very easy to devour and infused with wonderfully fresh and fragrant lemongrass.
We also steered ourselves away from dumplings to the other small plates: a plate of Steamed Broccoli with toasted cashews, tamari glaze, chilli and garlic oil (£7.90). This is fabulous, not least the sweet spicy puddle of tamari.
The other special of the day were also the very seasonable Vietnamese Wild Garlic Spring Rolls (£8). These are another knock-out. Served with a citrusy chilli and lime dip, the crispy finish is like no other spring roll I’ve sampled.
My Neighbour The Dumplings is a stellar little restaurant with a wonderful ambience and that would be certainly be my got-to if on my doorstep. It’s great for a mid-week fix and a lovely place to gather a few friends for a celebratory feast.
My Neighbour The Dumplings, 165 Lower Clapton Road, London, E5 8EQ
Website: https://myneighboursthedumplings.com/
Rating: *****
Yumtini 