My Neighbours the Dumplings, Victoria Park 

My Neighbours the Dumplings sound like a name borrowed from Studio Ghibli. They are a family run Chinese restaurant with two sites in the Hackney area specialising in hand roll dumplings. The site I visited was only moments away from Victoria Park. Their humble beginnings started out in a flat in Hackney, followed by a weekly pop up at a grocery store. Finally opening a dumpling house on the same road. With COVID-19 happening their started to sell frozen dumplings that are only available from their Clapton site. My visit was pre-COVID just a week before the first Lockdown 1.0 happened in March 2020. 

Location 

My Neighbours the Dumplings opened up a second site in 2019, with a slightly different menu to the sister restaurant. Outside it is painted in black with gold Chinese and English lettering. This is the best spot to catch a glimpse of the chefs rolling and stuffing the dumplings by their window. The reservation was booked via Resy and we were quickly greeted and taken to our table. For smaller groups, you will find that you share the long tables with strangers. Just like the restaurants in China/Hong Kong. The chipped painted walls and bright neon lights fill up the restaurant front area. The back area is filled with colourful lanterns and potted plants hanging from the ceiling.  

What’s on the menu? 

For the purists out there, this is not your traditional dim sum parlour, but adopts the sharing small plates and Asian flavours influences. There are all sorts of dumplings on the menu, steamed, fried, and ones with sweet fillings. Cold plates, such as silken tofu, tea leaf salad, smacked cucumber. Hot plates turnip cakes, prawn toast, buttermilk fried chicken. In rice dishes, you find mapo tofu, clay pot rice and finally in the sweets section steamed ma la gao, and jin doi. As of recently, their added a Jianbing wrap stall that’s on pause for now.  

The food at My Neighbours the Dumplings

Har gau £6, Pork kaffir lime potstickers £5.50 and veggie dumplings £5.50 comes in four lots. The great thing about My Neighbour the Dumplings, they make all their pastry and fillings in house. All hand crafted and meticulously wrapped by hand. 

Har Gau is one of the dim sum classics, a plump stretchy translucent skin with minced up prawns, garlic cloves. Veggie dumplings are crammed with a mixed filling. The pan-fried pork dumplings came with a thin crisp bottom. Won ton mein comes in a small bowl, noodles and delicate broth. 

Although MNTD specialises in dumplings, the standout dish for me was the clay pot rice. Rice is served in a hot clay pot and continues to cook on the table. Chinese lap cheung sausages, veggies, and uncooked yolk with sweet soy poured over the rice. A true comfort reminding me of home-cooked food.  

For more information please visit My Neighbours the Dumplings website. 

More information

VICTORIA PARK 

178-180 Victoria Park Road 

 Hackney, London,  

 E9 7HD 

 020 3327 0447 

VICTORIA PARK OPENING HOURS 

 Monday  – Closed 

Tuesday 12pm – 4pm/ 5pm – 11pm 

Wednesday 12pm – 4pm/ 5pm – 11pm 

Thursday 12pm – 4pm/ 5pm – 11pm 

Friday 12pm – 4pm/ 5pm – 11pm 

Saturday 12pm – 4pm/ 5pm – 11pm 

Sunday 12pm – 4pm/ 5pm – 10pm