Deal Alert! 5 Dumplings for $1.29!

After a day of classes, I was making my way to Trader Joe’s to get in some cheap grocery shopping before heading home. I hadn’t eaten in about 6 hours and I was getting really hungry, but I only had $2 in my wallet. I had limited choices, but I was happy to see that I did have a few options. There was a pizza place where I could get a slice for under $2 and much to my delight I walked by Vanessa’s Dumplings on E. 14th Street (I’m assuming it’s by the same people who run Vanessa’s Dumpling House in Chinatown) and saw a lovely sign touting $1.29 for 5 pork-chive dumplings from 3-5pm. Bingo!

The dumplings here are cheap at any time of day (traditionally 5 fried pork-chive dumplings run $1.99), but I sadly wouldn’t have been able to afford it because with tax it’d be over $2 and I didn’t have any change with me. Thankfully it was around 4 pm so I could get in on the deal. I’ve tried their dumplings before in Chinatown and wasn’t exactly impressed, but I had them boiled and thought that getting them fried could make all the difference, and it did. (Note: this deal only applies to fried pork-chive dumplings)

Now I am not a dumpling connoisseur, but I liked them quite a bit, certainly more than last time. Although maybe it was because I was so hungry. I thought they were good enough on their own, but they were much better with some Srirachi sauce that was provided on the table. All in all they did the trick: they were tasty, filling and one heck of a bargain. It was also nice to have something substantial enough to satisfy me since I was really hungry, but it wasn’t too much that I wasn’t hungry for dinner a few hours later. So if you’re in the area, particularly during 3-5 pm, definitely stop by for a nice appetizer (or buy a few orders and make an early dinner of it!). Also, after 8:30 pm, the sushi is buy two, get one free. Enjoy!