BEHIND DOOR NO. 2 (Kai Feng Fu)

Kai Feng Fu sounds to me like a form of martial arts. I hope I’m not being offensive and I certainly don’t want to piss off anybody who is well-versed in the fighting style.

From my limited research, it seems that Kai Feng Fu is a destination in Northern China. Well, it’s also a destination (although not nearly as exciting, I’m sure) in New York. It’s the name of a dumpling house in the least convenient Chinatown in the city.

Brooklyn’s Sunset Park is quite a trek from Manhattan, but well worth it if you’re looking for authentic Chinese food and are tired of dim sum at Jing Fong. Sunset Park also has a big Mexican community and you can make a day of trying different cuisines if you’re willing to walk a few avenues (as we did). The dumplings at Kai Feng Fu came after a little appetizer of a Mexican torta.

I’ve become more comfortable with the language barriers and unfamiliar ordering customs in the tiny spots in Chinatown in Manhattan. But for some reason, I was a little lost and intimidated when we stepped into the divey Kai Feng Fu. All the tables were occupied with families and solo diners slurping soup or eating dumplings. I spied another dining room through the kitchen and inquired whether it was the same restaurant with the same food. Both the employees and some of the other patrons assured me it was. It looked brighter, warmer, and much more comfortable.

So we walked outside and turned to find the entrance. But the only door we saw looked like a private entrance into a residence or garage. It was black, shut tightly, and rather unwelcoming. Could this be the entrance? Georgaphically it made sense, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out what was behind the door.

Well, at the insistence of the employees, we opened it and discovered just what we were looking for – that secret more spacious dining room. Once I stepped in I realized this was more of a back room with tables and chairs than a restaurant outpost. So I ran back to the other room, ordered the dumplings and brought them back into the secret door. I’m not sure if this was the proper process here (there were no “Seat Yourself” or ‘Wait to Be Served” signs), but the business was done and we got to try the dumplings.

The deal is pretty much the same here as all the dumpling houses in Manhattan. You get a handful (four in this case) of fried dumplings for a dollar. And eight boiled dumplings for two dollars. So for three dollars, we had a pretty filling snack and got to taste both types of dumplings.

We started with the fried potstickers (since they’re always ready first). The wrapper was rather thick and I was disappointed to find a lack of filling inside, like a winter coat that was comically too large. It did have a nice charred skin without being too greasy.

The steamed dumplings arrived shortly thereafter and were monstrous compared to their smaller fried brethren. I was also pleased to discover they were stuffed more generously with a juicy pop. However, both fillings (the same pork and chive mixture) were rather bland without much excitement aside from the odd green onion. No wonder there were three huge bottles of sauces to choose from (soy sauce, vinegar, and sriracha).

Besides the lack of flavor, the dumplings took a turn for the worse. The more gigantic steamed pot stickers I ate, the less appetizing they became. They were too big and the more pork/chive mixture I tasted, the less confident I became in its freshness. Also, toward the end of the meal, I bit down on something hard that reminded me of a tooth. Dumplings don’t have teeth, do they? If that’s the case, we all should learn the art of Kai Feng Fu!

Does Kai Feng Fu have the best dumplings in NY? They’re either two big or two small and the fillings are not as fresh or flavorful as they should be. A 5 out of 10.