Feng Shui Inn and Dumplings!

Happy Duan Wu Jie! It's dumpling eating day, 5th day of the 5th lunar month, which is today, 12th June 2013! 

I had seen Feng Shui Inn's advertisement for their dumplings, and thought it would be fun to have dumplings there today.

Was I disappointed? Yes I was... with such beautiful photos and good food the last time I visited Feng Shui Inn, I expected the pork in the dumpling to be tender - it was incredibly hard, and it is difficult to believe that they were using Kurobuta pork. Also, for $32++ for one dumpling, I would have expected it to be tastier with more ingredients. More on that later, but here's the dumpling I ordered. 

Kurobuta Pig Trotters Rice Dumpling served with Premium Soy Sauce Dip $32++ per piece
Ingredients: German “Kurobuta” Pig’s Trotter, Japanese Flower Mushroom, Thailand Glutinous Rice and American Yellow Bean

On their site, the photo looked alot nicer, and also, their description of their gourmet dumpling made me expect a taste explosion. My first thought when I bit into their dumpling was, " This tastes like a normal dumpling, but the rice is steamed in the lotus leaves and it is pretty fragrant!"

As I took more bites and managed to uncover the pork, I was sorely disappointed by the rough texture of the pig's skin, the hard fibrous pork and the the mushroom was difficult to find. Fortunately, they redeemed themselves (only slightly) with the tasty dried scallop that was flavourful and the yellow bean that was pervasive throughout the dumpling. 

To overcome my disappointment, I decided to order their roast duck. When asked how big the portion is for $28, the waiter said it is half a duck. I happily ordered the roast duck instead of their crispy duck which I was eyeing in the beginning. A juicy dish of sliced duck with just some bone shards was served. I was shocked. Did they roast a duckling?

I called their manager over and asked why the portion looked so small. The reply was, that's their usual small portion. I told him the waiter said it was half a duck, and he was shocked. He called the waiter over and after some discussion, they told me that he thought I was asking about the crispy duck. So, note to self, never ask too many questions. I had asked the first waiter about the Pipa duck, crispy duck, roast duck and the Beijing duck as well. No wonder the poor guy was confused. Yes, Fengshui Inn has duck in many ways!

I took a slice of duck and it was FANTASTIC! Crisp, really crisp skin set on top of juicy dark meat. They also had sauces for me to dip in, but I was enjoying the clean original taste too much! Sated, I decided:

1) Don't try their dumplings next year unless it is free.
2) Make a point to try all their versions of duck.
3) Eat their Dim Sum - good value for money.
4) Don't order their expensive fruit soups - not much ingredients hence not much taste.

Regarding point number 4, you have to take a look at the next photo... $38 soup with one slice of guava, one cube of pork, one slice of bittergourd. The soup tasted like normal soup, without any hint of the sweetness of pork and while drinking the soup, I kept wondering why it was brown, since none of the ingredients seemed like it would give it that brown look.

Verdict: Go for their Dim Sum and roast dishes. Their birdnest dumpling in soup is tastier and only $11.