Sammi & Soupe Dumpling — Restaurant in Ottawa

My husband and I were really looking forward to trying out this restaurant.

However, our experience ended up being incredibly disappointing. Not only did the food fail to meet even basic standards, but the manager also attempted to make excuses for the issues with their establishment instead of genuinely listening to customer feedback and making improvements.

To start, we ordered both steamed and pan-fried dumplings. The steamed dumplings took over 20 minutes to arrive, and even though we were really hungry, we found them to be pretty bland.

Then, after waiting another 20 minutes, we finally got the pan-fried dumplings. And that's when the nightmare began. We ordered lamb pan-fried dumplings, but with the first bite, I could taste raw dough. The dumpling skins were undercooked, with a clearly visible layer of raw dough in the middle. I called the server over to show her, and she quickly took them back to the kitchen. However, within a minute, she returned, insisting that they were cooked. I explained that they weren't cooked through; the dumpling skins were still raw, and even the lamb inside was undercooked.

At this point, the manager stepped in, claiming that all their dumplings are frozen and cooked directly from frozen. Even if they were cooked through, she argued, there would still be this layer of white color. However, the problem isn't the color but the texture. We've had well-made pan-fried dumplings before, and the bottom should be golden brown and crispy, with the rest of the dumpling skin cooked through, not raw. Furthermore, the manager mentioned that she had been transferred from the Montreal head office and was well aware of the product standards there.

This really frustrated me. These excuses just don't hold up because the pan-fried dumplings at their Montreal flagship location don't look like this. If you Google what pan-fried dumplings should look like, they shouldn't have this white or burnt bottom. With this kitchen standard and management approach, I doubt I'll give them a second chance.

I didn't want to waste any more time listening to her excuses, so I asked for the bill. However, after waiting for about 30 minutes, nobody brought it to us. We felt completely ignored.

I'd rather buy frozen dumplings from T&T and cook them myself than go...

I was excited to finally try the famous soup dumplings after seeing online that they had shrimp ones available, only to be told while I was ordering that the entire soup stock for all of them is the same pork broth. I had also asked about the meat supplier to see if the chicken or beef were halal but they're not, which is fine but kind of upset that what I thought was a seafood option and shown online as being a seafood option was in fact not. Went ahead with the pan fried dumplings (half shrimp half tofu egg). When the first batch came, my friend got both of her orders and only half of mine came. I took a bite out of it and was disgusted because it was NOT shrimp, rather meat (lamb, which I can't eat and tolerate). The server came with the orders not knowing herself what each plate was, which was shocking. We realized that they had switched up our plates and I had received my friends order and she had my shrimp order. It then took me an HOUR to receive my veg dumplings (which they took the wrong order because they had put in for steamed when I had asked for fried) and I followed up twice and they said it was coming. I understand it was the grand opening but it was very poorly managed and shocking that they could get that careless with orders especially when it comes to food allergens and intolerances and not knowing what's in what. Even after all of this they weren't really apologetic, I was really disappointed and wanted to enjoy it but it was just a bad experience for me. My friend enjoyed her dumplings and I enjoyed the hot and sour soup and the shrimp dumplings, the tofu ones were so so. Would be nice if the owners could develop a veg or seafood based broth for the soup dumplings so many people who can't have pork can also enjoy the...

We visited as a group of 7 on Saturday early afternoon; the restaurant was packed, but we were able to be seated immediately.

Total after taxes and tip was approximately $160. It’s noted that we weren’t too hungry, so we didn’t order that much. (Note that not all food items ordered are pictured.) For big eaters or those who are famished, expect a higher bill. Some notes on some of the food:

The hot and sour soup was a bit thin, but was seasoned well and tasty. I would’ve loved a bit more soup though; it was a small bowl.

Peanut butter cold noodles were a bit disappointing, as it was under seasoned. The noodles used also tasted and felt almost like spaghetti; I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what they used.

For soup dumplings, we ordered normal pork, sweet pork, crab & pork, and lamb & coriander. The dumplings tasted and looked like they were made fresh on location, and had an adequate amount of soup filling in each. They were very satisfying to have, as soup dumplings are just a phenomenal food item.

However, the dumpling skins were just a tad lacking on chew and texture, and some were steamed too close together, leading to a few broken skins and spilled soup. The normal pork and crab & pork ones were the best, but were a bit on the sweet side for some reason. The sweet pork ones were just way too sweet. The lamb dumplings were interesting, but led me to the conclusion that lamb and soup dumplings don’t go well together.

If you’re craving soup dumplings, this place will satisfy that craving, but there are many improvements that could be made (better skin, better seasoned filling, more soup, more careful placement in...