Northern Dumpling Kitchen 興隆軒 — Restaurant in Richmond Hill

I have visited Northern Dumpling Kitchen at Highway 7 before, and today's visit was my second time visiting and really disappointing when it came to trying to pay for the bill. The food was reasonably priced and not bad in taste, it was okay. The scamming: Before ordering and while entering the restaurant, before even sitting down I asked the lady working there if debit/credit cards were accepted and she said of course but if you pay cash, there's a discount. After finishing up and going up to the front counter to pay the bill, the same lady told me to pay by debit card so there wouldn't be a service fee tacked on (I paid by debit card although I originally wanted to use my credit card and I don't know how much but she charged an added fee regardless). Even furthermore to disappoint, she asked me for my card, took it from me and added her own tip amount to the purchase amount on the machine without asking me, showing me, or handing me the machine, tapped my card, and basically charged me around $15 more than what was on the receipt after taxes and after mentioning it to her and asking for a refund for the extra amount she tipped herself, she refused and was giving me attitude. I mentioned to her that she's not supposed to choose a tip amount for herself, the customer chooses. We were only 2 people, not even a large group or large order of food. DO NOT hand your card over to them, they will scam you and enter whatever tip amount they want and do not actually deserve and will not refund your extra charges. I wish I could have spoken with the manager but I doubt they would have done anything either. I do NOT recommend this restaurant because of the inappropriate behavior during paying, scamming their non-Asian customers. This could very well be...

Would I Return? - ✔ YES Would I Recommend? - ✔ YES

It's a small restaurant serving up a good selection of dumplings - Steamed and Pan Fried, as well as chicken, beef, lamb, pork, seafood, soup, rice and noodle dishes. More often than not I always order the dumplings...I mean...you just gotta have dumplings from a place that's calling themselves a "Dumpling Kitchen" right?!🤷‍♀️.

Dumpling Notables: 🔹️The soup filled dumplings (6 per order) are definitely worth a try. A silky thin dumpling skin encasing a slurp of hot savoury broth and a little pork meatball. It's a yummy package of perfection but, apply caution (and a bit of careful restraint) when biting into one...it has hot liquid in there!🌡🔥 🔹️Pork and Leek Pan Fried Dumplings(5 per order) - These are fairly large, crispy on the outside with a flexible chew and a very juicy interior. Note: Just be careful because they're a bit slippery to pick up with Chopsticks...so ya might lose one in the war! They're also very juicy...so be careful when you bite into one because savoury liquid might go flying everywhere and you might hit someone in the eye👀. 🔹️ Beef Pancake Wrap Bbq beef slices are rolled up with sprigs of green onion in a soft wrap. It's pretty tasty and by itself can make a quick lunch bite. I've had this from a few places and Northern Dumpling kitchen makes it better. I find that alot of restaurants make the pancake dough too oily and too thick or, the meat is too dry. This joint does a good job on this one.

I've just got 2 issues with this place: Cash Only (But there is a bank in the Plaza) It's small and crowded during lunch times so you may have to wait for a seat.

Bottom Line 👉It's not fancy, it's not fine dining... but the...

Glad to report, this award winning Richmond Hill, Northern Chinese Cuisine icon is still as ‘ Great ‘ as before, offering incredibly tasty food at an amazing price point served by super friendly staff.

Our party of 5 ordered 9 yummy dishes for a mind blowingly cheap $115!!.....Unreal!!

Some notable dishes we had included: ‘ Award winning ‘ sliced pork in spicy garlic sauce and cilantro. Still as uniquely delicious as before. IMHO, nobody does it better in town! Double smoked Pork belly, Scallion Pancake wrap. The smoky aroma of the pork?! Wow! Paired with the sweet bean paste and crispy pancake and a gorgeously delicious bite was conceived! Double Cooked Pork. Perfectly executed traditional dish, well seasoned with nice wok-hay. Degree of spiciness was spot on Northern Style Tea Smoked Duck. Fragrant and mouthwatering. Talk about finger licking good! So good, we even chewed and down some of the flavorful, crunchy bones! Pork and Bok-Choi Pot Stickers. Crispy bottom. The dainty and well crafted dumpling was packed full of umami filled broth.

Other main and side dishes ordered include: Stirred fry Taiewanese A- Vegetable with minced garlic, Stuffed sticky rice roll, Hot and Savory Soybean milk, Stirred fry Cabbage with Chinese bacon. Dessert of Fried Egg white doughnut with homemade red bean paste stuffing……so good!

Now that this visit reconfirmed the quality and our faith of this place, we will definitely...