We just tried dumplings from the 2 most hyped dumpling eateries and here the place that won the dumpling wars! Read on for a full review on dumplings from Mariyah’s Den & Sai’s Pantry.
Dumplings have earned their place as a beloved culinary delight for a multitude of reasons. The temptation lies in the diverse and delectable fillings they offer. Furthermore, dumplings are exceptionally versatile, prepared through steaming, frying, or boiling, each method providing a distinct texture and flavor profile. They hold a special place in our hearts as comfort food, evoking feelings of nostalgia and warmth. The soft, doughy exterior harmonizes perfectly with the flavourful filling, creating an irresistible texture contrast. It’s the perfect food to share with friends, family and loved ones and super fun too!
While their roots are traced back to China & Tibet, the dumpling craze has landed well in Pakistan. Recently there has been a surge of interest and demand for dumplings. From many new, home based chefs to fancy restaurants, they are all competing to perfect the most wholesome, flavourful and comforting dumplings. We agree, we too love dumplings! So we went on a virtual search, of the best dumplings in town! Our options were narrowed down to the two most talked about eateries; Mariyah’s Den and Sais Pantry. Reviewers on food groups and everyone we asked around recommended both these places. So we thought to ourselves, if there’s no one designated winner, does this mean it is time for a dumpling war? So foodies, this shall be the the battle of the two most popular dumpling places in Karachi.
Read on to know what we thought and who won:
Chicken Dumplings From Mariyah’s Den
Mariyah’s Den is a woman owned business, they started with a pop-up and have recently launched as a dining, delivery and takeaway restaurant in Zamzama, Karachi. You can even order through Foodpanda. (Rated 4.2 stars)
We ordered the chicken dumplings which are described to be fresh chicken meat blended with garlic cloves, onion, zucchini, sesame oil and mild spices for splendid flavour. Served with their house sauce. The delivery was quick and quality wise, everything was good. The 8 dumplings costed Rs.1280 including delivery charges from Foodpanda.
The dumplings for us were the perfect texture, not too soft and not too chewy. The sauce was an interesting mix of spices, ginger and herbs, it reminded us quite literally of the hot-pot flavour. Sprinkled with some more grated ginger and chopped green onions. So if you want hot-pot flavours without the struggle of cooking for yourself, these are literally the perfect alternative in place. They were though, smaller in size, so they seemed to be a bit too pricier for the serving we got. But they definitely were full of flavour with a moderate level of spice and were delectable. The filling was also nicely flavoured but all in all, what left us just a tad disappointed was how less the oil/sauce was. One point some of us in the team had was, we did not really love the fact that it was drenched in oil and that the spices and herbs just sank in all that oil. We would have liked some extra sauce to pour on top.
Steamed Chicken Dumplings From Sai’s Pantry
The second most suggested Dumplings were from Sai’s Pantry – A home based business which started in the pandemic, they now have 3 branches; one in Clifton, Gulshan e Jamal In Karachi and one in Johar Town Lahore. It is available for a curb-side pickup, delivery and Foodpanda orders.
We ordered a relatively similar item to judge fairly and got the steamed chicken dumplings with 1 box of sauce which had 6 dumplings and costed us Rs. 580 with delivery.
They were at first glance, bigger than the first. At first bite, more chewy (but not in a bad way.) They were not drenched in oil or sauce, just had some garnishing on top of green onions and red chillies. Their dipping chilli sauce by far, is THE SPICIEST we have had. Unaware of its scathing level of spice, we comfortably dipped the dumpling all the way in and soon in a minute, our mouths were on fire as the spice hit. No amount of water helped! It was a frantic scene at the FUCHSIA office as all of us ran fetching for something sweet but you know what was surprising? We all went in for another bite of the dumpling doused in the chilli sauce. The spice was incredulously powerful but we tortured ourselves again (willingly), there was something about these dumplings! Even on their own, they weren’t completely bland which they did appear to be but woah what a mistake that thought was. Also, the filling had ample flavouring too.
Which Dumpling Place Won?
So which of the two Dumpling greats won? Honestly, this was a tough one! We actually really liked both and both were quite different in flavour also. The Mariyah’s Den ones were soothing, comforting with a tinge of spice. But when we round up the price, quantity and flavour – Sai’s Pantry leads! Simply because they were bigger in size, served more people, was more economical and had ample sauce. And the intense, unexpected hit of spice that kept you coming back for more was the final deciding factor.
You need to try these dumplings out! Both eateries have a couple more interesting flavours, do you want us to try them out next?
