Montague Street in Dublin is one of those tucked away little passages connecting two streets, in this case Camden Street and Harcourt Street, that seems primed for pedestrianisation. It has evolved into quite the buzzy stretch with La Gordita, Green Bench Café, Two Faced and, more recently, CN Dumpling. For those keeping an eye on this spot, you’ll know that two more restaurants are soon to emerge, one with a pizza oven (because we really need more places for pizza) and the other, it would appear, as a bar and restaurant.
CN Dumpling is a venture from the owners of CN Duck, which had a brief but wonderful BYOB and Hong Kong roast duck sojourn in Ranelagh before closing in March 2023 to make way for a fourth restaurant in the Zakura group, which they also own. It’s a smart room, in a low-budget sort of way, with a wall of exposed brickwork behind a wire grill, and a colourful, neon CN Dumpling sign glowing from the ceiling, should you forget where you are.
As expected, the menu features plenty of home-made dumplings, which can be ordered steamed, grilled, boiled, in Sichuan chilli broth or snowflake style. There are six options for fillings: chicken, pork, beef, prawn, duck and vegetable. Small plates (xiao chi), sides and desserts make up the rest of the menu.
The Sichuan hot girl (€12) is just the sort of cocktail to go with this food, a spicy take on a Margarita, with a rim of tingling Sichuan pepper to stimulate the senses, and we also order a Tiger beer (€7.95). If you prefer wine, bottles start at a reasonable €23 but I don’t see anything I would pair with Chinese food; there are no Rieslings or aromatic Gewürztraminers.
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Our dishes arrive as they are ready, but it works fine in terms of timing. The steamed scallop (€6.50) is cut into pieces, served on the shell, sitting on vermicelli doused in soy sauce and garlic and topped with chopped spring onions and red chilli. The chilli brings a bit of heat to each mouthful, the vermicelli adding texture.
Five pork and cabbage steamed dumplings (€9) are served in a basket with a soy and vinegar dipping sauce on the side. The pale green wrappers are a bit on the thick side, but the filling is juicy and light. More successful are the duck dumplings (€9), which are stuffed with a nicely seasoned farce (meat moussed) of duck meat and served in a puddle of chilli broth.
The cucumber and jellyfish salad (€8.50) from the xiao chi section has a touch of sweetness to the sauce. It is deliciously refreshing, with strands of lightly chewy jellyfish mixed through with carrots, green peppers, red onions, spring onions and a sprinkling of white and black sesame seeds.
Our dish of cumin beef (€10.50) is generously sized with plenty of meat with carrots and green leaves. It is, however, very mild and does not have the expected kick of cumin that would give this dish its character.
For dessert, it’s a sweet dumpling ice cream (€7.50). The glutinous rice balls are not made in-house, have a slightly chewy texture and are quite restrained in terms of flavour. It’s a refreshing, not overly sweet dessert, with vanilla ice cream, fresh mango, sliced strawberries and a sprig of mint. Our waitress suggests we also try the Hey bun (€5.50), which is lots of fun – three warm bready doughnuts (like fried mantou) that we dip into a thick sweet sauce of condensed milk.
Service is absolutely charming. Our water glasses are refilled judiciously and more napkins are brought to the table, which is wiped clean as we splatter sauces on numerous occasions. It is a relaxing approach to Chinese dining, where the tapas style menu allows you to dip in and out, and try a cross section of tasty and reasonably priced dishes.
The wallet-friendly price perhaps reflects the lack of provenance mentioned on the menu. Checking afterwards, I discover that the duck is from the Asia Market (not Silverhill as was the case in CN Duck), the chicken is from Boylan Frozen Foods, which typically originates in the Netherlands, and the pork is from the same supplier, so unlikely to be free range. This, of course, is not unusual for similar operations but is a factor worth considering.
Dinner for two with a cocktail and beer was €76.45.
THE VERDICT: Tasty, well-priced Chinese dishes but food provenance is an issue.
Food provenance: Chicken, beef and pork from Boylan Frozen Foods, fish from Seastar, duck from Asia Market.
Vegetarian options: Vegetable dumplings and sides of green beans, lady’s finger, enoki mushrooms and wok tossed greens.
Wheelchair access: No accessible room or toilet.
Music: Loving Caliber, Victor Lundberg and indie pop.
