Dumpling Bar Ballito — Restaurant in KwaDukuza Local Municipality

Their menu states Peking Duck requires one day notice to prepare. We made a reservation and ordered the Peking Duck 4 days earlier but when we arrived we got vacant stares and three different excuses from our waitress and the manager as to why they had not prepared our order. As we were discussing our options the manager informed us they could prepare the Peking Duck for us just now but it would take one hour. Very disappointed, hungry and not willing to wait an hour, we decided to order off the menu so we began by ordering several starters. The salmon roses were very good. The duck in the pancake starter was acceptable but the pancake was dry. Two different dumpling orders were tough and not served hot and the mains were all as unimpressive as the starters. We asked to speak to the manager and told him why we were unhappy with the food. Totally underwhelmed by our meal we were preparing to order dessert but they informed us they were now closed and they were waiting for us to pay our bill and vacate the premises. It was 8:10pm and they close at 8:00pm on Sundays. Shocked by this rude ending to a very disappointing meal we finished our drinks and left, but on the way out we assured the manager we will never return. If this is their standard, could be why we were the only...

So...... I have been hunting for good dim sum in Durban for the longest time. So much so I resorted to trying to make it myself🫣 But, my search is officially over🎉 Being a true sceptik, we tried a few things. The dumpling den surely did not disappoint. To start we had the prawn bao buns, theses were delicious. I would recommend adding a touch of sweetness and maybe a reddish slaw, but that aside, the buns were steamed to perfection filled with crispy prawns. We had to try sushi, so we opted for their version of a prawn avalanche and this was the bomb. Now for the main event.... Dim sum time🥟We went with the beef dim sum and the prawn dim sum. From the dumpling skins to the fillings and let me not forget the chilling sambal and the garlic sambal..... It was the best I've had by far. Dipping into the chilling, then the garlic and a touch of soy sauce, what a beautiful combination.

The staff were also super friendly and effortlessly changed our take out to eat in. Needless to say we left with some frozen pre packed dim sum which didn't last the day as I could not help myself. They also sold us the to condiments in decent sized bottles.

Moral of the story, we shall be back, and...

We have gone to the Dumpling Bar in Ballito twice to eat in and, if you are familiar with good Asian cuisine, it is rather disappointing. The first time we ordered cauliflower tempura as a starter, which they had listed on their menu, only to be told they had none available. The second time we ordered 2 portions of crispy tofu as a starter, and it was the most disgusting thing we ever received. Rather than properly preparing the tofu, the person in the kitchen simply cut a tofu block into strips. The outside was crispy and the inside was soppy raw tofu. We also only received one small bowl of sweet and sour sauce for two orders, being told that they accidentally poured both servings into one. Doesn't help much if two people on opposite ends of the table both require a bowl for dipping purposes. Perhaps they knew the crispy tofu they prepared wasn't really edible in any event. Another drawback is that the Dumpling Bar doesn't serve zero alcohol beer. Not sure this place will survive in...