Rickshaw lagging behind in dumpling wars

Feeling fried from school work? Blow off some steam over a selection of tasty dumplings.

Few would disagree with Rickshaw Dumpling Truck’s slogan “dumplings aren’t something you need to learn to love, because there is a dumpling in every culture.” In fact, Italian favorite, tortellini, are actually a reincarnation of the dumpling, brought back from China by Marco Polo in the 1200s.

But whether or not Rickshaw offers such easy-to-love dumplings is a matter of debate. The recently launched street food experiment Rickshaw Dumpling Truck (disappointingly—but understandably—not a rickshaw) is up for the Vendy Awards next week as “best street food,” with its declared purpose of spreading the dumpling doctrine beyond the confines of Chinatown. Columbia students can find the truck at 1 train stops, on Wednesdays at Columbus Circle and Sundays at 75th Street and Broadway.

Rickshaw is gaining popular attention due to its Vendy nomination. In addition to the eternal appeal of commitment-free street food, it makes the whole experience a little more hipster (as if eating from a truck named “Rickshaw” isn’t ironic enough) by selling $15 American Apparel “Who’s your edamame?” T-shirts and offering an online dumpling haiku contest. But all this spice surrounding Rickshaw cannot make up for the fact that its dumplings are, put simply, bland and flavorless, which is not helped by the dearth of chili sauce available.

Students looking for their dumpling fix would be much better off trekking down to 106th Street to the recently opened East Dumpling House (whose dumplings are also available microwaved at Cafe East). With no clever T-shirts and painfully obvious “Dip me” stickers on every sauce container, East Dumpling House focuses its energy instead on making strong, flavorful dumplings.

The ambience is calm, with zen background music and attentive service, meaning no shortage of iced tea. The presentation is simple but tasteful, and the dumplings are great. Well cooked dumpling skin plays host to the simple but true combination of juicy pork and a perfect hint of chive, a parcel which lives up to Rickshaw’s stated motto “It’s what’s inside that counts.” The flavor is only accentuated by liberal dipping in scallion vinegar sauce and chili sauce upon request.

The best part? They deliver. Pork, chive, and vinegar are flavors that need no manifesto to explain their appeal. Good dumplings stand alone. And they’re currently being steamed only a short walk from campus.