Mimi Cheng's Dumplings

The warm, golden, breezy Fall days have quickly transitioned into battering rain, howling winds, and the odd clap of thunder here in NYC. I'm still not quite prepared to admit to Summer being over, and so left home in not nearly enough layers yesterday morning. After warming up with too much coffee at Two Hands, venturing back outside soon had me shivering and soaked. Fortunately, Mimi Cheng's was just round the corner. This was definitely the right day for some dumplings.

Stepping into this bright, sunny room was a little explosion of happiness in the middle of a grey day. Pops of yellow and dashes of green turn this restaurant into a happy, smiley place. That happiness only increases with the knowledge that within minutes of walking inside, you'll be eating the most delicious plate of dumplings, made following a secret family recipe, and cooked to order.

6 veggie pan-fried dumplings were all mine as I sat in the window and watched the rain pour down. Perfectly crisp on the outside, these little pillows were stuffed full of kale, courgette zucchini, shiitake mushroom, egg and carrots, making every bite a light, fresh and crunchy mouthful. These organic, handmade little nuggets are a far cry from the oil-soaked, grease-filled dumplings that leave you feeling slimey and sticky. This is dumpling heaven. Next time, I'll be ordering the dessert dumplings too.

Mimi Cheng's Dumplings, 179 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10003