Marco Polo Fusion Café

When I think of the lines outside Yang's Fry-Dumpling in Shanghai, it's a wonder that shengjian mantou haven't made it big in New York.

What this tiny East Village eatery calls pan-seared Shanghai buns (three for $4.50, or five for $6.95) aren't as brown-bottomed or as juicy as their Chinese counterparts. Their skins may be thicker, too, though it's hard to compare dumplings two years apart, especially when that earlier impression was colored by the glow of my first day in a foreign city.

The nice folks at Marco Polo Fusion Café may never get into the same rhythm as the crew at Yang's, where (as I recall) fry-dumplings were the only item on the menu; perhaps Marco Polo's steamed buns (BBQ pork and peanut-sesame, to name two) will be bigger hits. As for their signature fusion item, if only for the name, I may have to return simply to say that I've tried the moo goo gai panini.

Marco Polo Fusion Café
102 St. Mark's Pl. (First Ave.-Ave. A)
212-228-8456

Comments

[jeu-de-la-roulette]

Ça ne s'appele pas des dumplings, en effet?

[Dave Cook]

According to Google's translation page, this reads:

It is not called the dumplings, indeed?

My answer, first in English and then translated by Google:

Many Chinese venues distinguish buns (which are typically thicker-skinned) from dumplings, but the distinction isn't always clear. For me, it's easier simply to take these venues at their word, at least until I'm better versed in Mandarin.

Beaucoup de sites chinois distinguer des petits pains (qui sont généralement à peau épaisse) de dumplings, mais la distinction n'est pas toujours claire. Pour moi, c'est simplement plus facile de prendre ces lieux à leur terme, au moins jusqu'à ce que je suis mieux versés en mandarin.