Auckland Cheap Dumplings Walk

I did an impromptu Auckland dumplings walk on my last visit to New Zealand, though it’s not as excessive as my Melbourne dumpling walk (yet). Here are some of the best ones worth multiple visits.

Sumthin Dumplin Dumplings

Let me start with my current favourite dumplings in the whole of New Zealand, a frequent order on Uber Eats when I am doing overtime in Auckland: six pieces of Sumthin Dumplin Beef & Cheese dumplings drizzled with their Sumthin Chili sauce.

These dumplings are, for lack of a better word, orgasmic! The dumpling skin is chewy, almost crunchy. The meat inside, with a hint of cheese, is soft and packed with flavours. The best way to eat it is to bite into the skin a bit, pour a generous amount of sauce (I highly recommend getting at least one extra serving of Sumthin Chili sauce), and then enjoy it in another bite or two.

There are four branches of Sumthin Dumplin all over Auckland, and I have tried the dumplings from two of the branches — for quality/ taste tests. Happy to report they taste consistently good. If you are in Auckland and looking for a quick bite, try Sumthin Dumplin dumplings. FYI the CBD branch doesn’t have a seating area, so it’s either eat on a public bench in front of the place or, my preference: walk back to the hotel to eat the dumplings uglily (there is a high chance your face will be dripped with the delicious sauce) and peacefully.

Sumthin Dumplin is 🥟🥟🥟🥟🥟🥟/6 stars with an additional 🥟 just for the Sumthin Chilli sauce.

Sumthin Dumplin: Corner of Lorne St & Wellesley St 18-26 Wellesley St, Auckland, 1010 New Zealand.

Eden Noodles Cafe

I stumbled upon Eden Noodles by chance. I was about to queue for Sumthin’ Dumplin’ (again), saw the restaurant sign two doors down, and decided to check it out instead as they have a seating area, which means I could eat my food quicker — always a win in my book.

After reading the never-ending menu, I chose and paid NZD10++ for Wonton with Pickled Pepper in Spicy Soup with a side of Spiced Quail Eggs — because there won’t be a Universe where I don’t get quail eggs if it’s on the menu. The food came soon after, served by a friendly Asian teenager.

It was yummy, especially for the price.

I added the quail eggs to my wonton soup and ate it alternatively with the wanton. The pickle was an interesting flavour-enhancing addition to the soup.

I visited Eden Noodles one more time before I left Auckland. This time I went a bit overboard and got Yum Yum Tofu for $6 on top of the repeat order above. No regrets, though. That spicy soup-soaked tofu was glorious.

While Sumthin Dumplin wins for being niche and having a semi-secret sauce, Eden Noodles wins for being affordable and offering excessive options to choose from, which means if you are on a budget while visiting Auckland, you can visit Eden Noodles every day without having the same meal for a long while.

Eden Noodles Cafe is 🥟🥟🥟🥟/4 stars.

Eden Noodles Cafe: 105 Dominion Road, Mount Eden, Auckland 1024, New Zealand.

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