Wings & Dumplings

When I was down in London recently for the Foodie Hub global awards, I heard a tale from New York food oracle Yvo Sin about great dumplings in a little Manhattan hideaway where you get a portion of really tasty little blighters for $1.

Now 6 dumplings for £3 isn’t quite in the same league, but it brought the tale to mind when visiting the George Square Wings & Dumplings stall for a quick Festival bite on the go.

In the little parade that includes Alanda’s and Khushi’s, it’s quite an understated little hut aside from its starburst signage.

The two counter women were incredibly friendly and full of good banter. They’re working long shifts throughout the month, but doing their best to take in some shows during the Festival fun.

As the name of the place suggests, they have two offerings – chicken wings and dumplings. I opted for the latter which comprised the previously mentioned half dozen Vietnamese-style veggie dumplings for £3. They were deep fried to order and soon with me. I chose the house sauce dipping sauce over the sweet chilli option.

Topped with coriander and toasted sesame seeds, they looked quite enticing. They proved nicely crunchy and the flavourful, deeply brown dipping sauce brought good flavour, despite every moment consuming me with potential shirt splattering dread. They were decidedly moreish, too.

However, the filling was really lacking in anything beyond soft texture, which was a real shame. That said, I could see myself eating a big bundle of them before repenting.

So overall, while the dumplings at Wings & Dumplings were quite compelling, there was some room for improvement. Still, I’d recommend them for a good, quick, cheap bite. They were highly addictive in their crunchy goodness even although the flavour was not all it could have been.