Lai Lai Love

As I wrote last week from Milan, in addition to taking advantage of the shoe sales, I also took myself out for a Chinese dinner. And since it'd been a year since I had Chinese food ('torture' - watching Eat, Drink, Man, Woman while living out in the middle of nowhere Italy) , I certainly won't complain; it satisfingly filled the void. But when I long for a hearty Chinese meal, there is only one place I really want to be. Well, two really, but the other is for date night with Mom and Grandma.

Lai Lai Dumpling House out in Chinatown Houston. Now I have had several New Yorkers smugly inform me that the only real Chinese food in the U.S. is found on their streets. Whatever. Houston, like many other U.S. cities has a totally thriving Chinese community and with that of course, many amazing restaurants.

As its name would suggest, the place is rightly known for its dumplings and they are hands down my absolute favorite. The photo here is no joke; they really are that plump and filled with goodness. Go for the assorted steam choice - vegetable, beef and pork - and happily dunk away in the ginger-spiked soy dipping sauce that comes alongside. Dividing an order with a friend is almost enough for a solid meal on its own, but since parsimony is not my strong point when it comes to ordering, I tend to top off the meal with a huge bowl of shredded pork cold noodles in peanut sauce (and now I know what to do with the huge jar of peanut butter that just arrived in the mail). Just as the dumplings win my vote for best dumpling, these noodles are definitely at the tiptop of my list for favorite Asian noodles: slightly sweet and tangy from the creamy sauce, crisp from the bean sprouts thrown on top.

Sure the interior might raise an eyebrow or two for first time visitors, but after your first bite you quickly get that they are just investing their time and energy in the magic happening in the kitchen. And isn't that as it should be?

Lai Lai Dumpling House

9262 Bellaire Blvd.

Houston, TX 77036

713-271-0080