Ugly Dumpling - Edison, NJ — Restaurant in Edison

I stopped by today with my Chinese dad. The renovation / design is definitely on the modern (millennial oriented) side (compared to old school Chinese restaurant.

We got situated in a corner close to the party / group room, which has pros (away from the super super busy lunch area and the associated conversations / noise) and cons (a little harder to get service since the space is halved-ish and the party room - which was full - can have startling noises - like a popped balloon).

My server was very nice and the food came quickly, but, as like I said above, water came after I got my 1st two ordered items (and I to ask again for water) and, as mentioned above, it was hard to flag down a waiter again. The annoying part was there were multiple food runners and another waiter perhaps who saw me waiving and decided not to help or notify someone else. So team work is not that great. Haven't encountered this at other places, but the restaurant is pretty big and (again, seems weirdly segmented / halved by the design layout). Personally, I think the internal layout makes it hard for servers to spot certain tables when they are far away.

With regards to the food, as a Chinese person, the ratings are as follows:

Signature xiao long bao variety platter - mid - would not order again. There was nothing wrong with them per se, but I have had better (even I have had frozen ones that I rebuy and like better). Each color does taste different and I did like some more than the others, but really this is only on a relative scale to each other. The problem is that umami (xian) is missing essentially in these. The dim sum at the Asian supermarkets (when fresh out - but kind of rare / hard to catch) can be better than this.

Pork Chop Fried Rice - OMG amazing!!!! - the server recommended it and omg amazing!!! My parents liked it too. Everything was perfectly seasoned. The pork was tender and juicy inside and crispy outside. Seasoning was through the whole bite and not just on the outside. The rice particles were separate and you can see egg threads. Haven't had fried rice like this in awhile. Definitely getting again. If you like spicy, there is chili crisp at the table (along with soy sauce and vinegar.

Braised Beef Noodles - okay, but would not buy again - it's fine, but it really really tastes like a Chinese instant ramen brand I grew up on (kang shi fu niu rou mian) and love (tbh prefer over this - but that could just be me being biased). Like of course the store is not selling instant noodles or instant soup, but it is essentially a non-fast food with meat version of the KSF. To be fair, the KSF also calls their flavor braised beef noodle (LOL).

Cucumber salad - pretty good - light garlic taste. it's very refreshing as it is served noticeably chilled (a detail that I liked and gave bonus points for). it's more of a palate cleanser. If you like to eat food with a lot of salt, you may not like this. I think it pairs well with the pork chop fried rice (which again - AMAZING).

To summarize, this place is pretty good for large groups as they have the space, but if the group is older Chinese / Asian, they probably wouldn't enjoy it as much. I'll give the other items a try and I will try to grab a table in front of the dumpling making area next time. If you have super high standards for Chinese food (like super legit Chinese food) - probably also not for you - there are enough alternative options in the...

My husband and I love eating out, so it is natural for us to try new restaurants and the name of this one caught our eyes. We are also Chinese so the word dumpling has a special meaning to us, and naturally also carries certain expectations. The space and decor of this place was a pretty pleasant surprise, not so much the music, more of that for later. Once we were seated, and I knew this was another idea by some Chinese entrepreneurs similar to Din Tai Fung - introducing authentic Chinese food to Americans - and hopefully do a good job about it. Judging from the clientele seating around us, it seems they are pretty successful in attracting mostly Americans. In fact, around where we sat, we were the only Chinese. Most of the waiters are non Chinese too, but the menu is done bilingually with English and Chinese. I would say the food is not bad and some are on par or above average. Pricing wise - many Chinese people will think they are a bit high because if you go to places like Shanghai Bun (the good one near Princeton Junction Station), they have better scallion pancakes and dumplings for lesser prices. I am not sure how healthy the ingredients are as they have those modern icons on the menu for different dietary needs, but I did develop a mild indigestion feel in the afternoon. (For me, that is a sign that I will only go to this restaurant rarely). The ambient is worth the money if you want to sit comfortably, but older folks like us would find the music too modern, too young and too loud. I personally also prefer restaurants that play a variety of music, not just one kind. Service wise, also expect to be like any big American restaurants where one server will take care of specific tables, that means longer wait for each request, and depending on who you get, some seems to be more courteous and attentive, ours was just okay. She was always doing too much and we had to grab her attention. She also got one of our order wrong. Again, personally Chinese people prefer shared services, when you call, the waiter comes, and they share the tips equally at the end of the day, everyone will do their best. Customers are happy that way too, no need to wait and search for that one server. One last suggestion for management - we were seated near the inner parking lot where there are 4 or five tables right near an exit. During the time we were there, several people went out using that door. Every time that door was opened, we were hit by a gust of wind. Thankfully, it was still mild today (October 27). It would not have been okay if it was winter, and I certainly would have asked for moving to...

EMAILED CORPORATE TWICE AS PER MANAGER AND NEVER RECEIVED A RESPONSE!

Looking for dinner out with the family and thought we would give Ugly Noodles a try. Hoping to find a new favorite noodle and dumplings place, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. We waited 15 minutes to place our order, afterwards only to experience dishes coming out sporadically. After waiting 15 minutes one of our two baskets of dumplings arrived, followed by my husband’s soup. Followed much later by daughter’s entree of noodles which were very cold. Still my vegan dumplings hadnt arrived. Finally our son’s entree arrives still no vegan dumplings or my husband’s entree at this delivery! Give it another 5 … got cold dumplings! Each item was bought by a different person, who basically dropped and left. Our waitress was nowhere in our area . After another 15 minutes waiting for husband’s noodle dish , I found our server, who had no idea that the entree wasn’t delivered. So they gave her someone else’s order, as our went to another guest.At the same we ask for beverage refills , as our table was never checked after our order as taken. Even that took time! Missing items, cold food, food delivery timing and service overall - is clearly mismanagement! When we had to ask where our entrees were, management should have stepped in. Had I seen a manager on the floor, had I seen a manager on the floor, I would’ve called them over, it was hard enough finding our server ! Apparently there is an issue at this location as we saw many people in the same situation . We don’t blame the server, she was doing her best to cover all her extra tables. Yet, it is concerning that entrees don’t come out together and dropped at our table by different staff. Unfortunately, we didn’t find a new favorite place and we are giving this restaurant a very generous 1. Had we received our entrees at the same time , hot and fresh, allowing us to enjoy dinner “together” , it might have been higher. Although I much say, the dumplings were disappointing as were the portion sizes...