lundi 13 octobre 2008

the dumpling effect

restaurants mentioned in this post:

- HIGUMA, 32 bis rue Sainte Anne 75001 
- Sue's kitchen in Palo Alto
- Jas' house around the beginning of february


i love dumplings.  as in, those pork-filled little dough balls otherwise known as gyoza.  but the problem is that generally when you go to a restaurant and get an order of dumplings to share with another person, there's two, maybe four, maybe six dumplings .... whatever, ... but IT'S JUST NEVER ENOUGH.  ya know?  

that's what i call the dumpling effect.  it goes for things like sushi.  and raspberries.  like you buy a small box of raspberries for 3 times the price of any other fruit in the supermarket, and they're finished before you make it out to the sidewalk.  and you're left with a feeling of... wanting more.  ya know?

there are times however, when the dumpling effect is contradicted.  like when a consulting company that wants you to accept their offer takes you out for sushi and order "a sushi-boat for 2" -- for EACH person.  maybe at that point you're like, i think i've had enough sushi. 

or when you go to laurent's house and he's just come back from jouy where his mom went raspberry picking and he has a huge tupperware filled with raspberries that you think he wants to save for the week.  and he's like, no no, let's eat this kilo of raspberries.... now.  

or when you go to sue's house in california and as soon as you walk into the kitchen, there's what seems like a bottomless bowl of scrumptious dumplings sitting on the kitchen table (aka "heaven").  same for when jas makes her chinese new year dinner and everyone's making orgasmic noises over the unending supply of homemade dumplings.

in any case, those occasions are far too rare. 


however, i think i've found a solution - at least, for the dumplings.  

i just came back from dinner with pablo "i know every hot spot in paris" celada who took me to this awesome japanese restaurant, HIGUMA, where they sell more or less ramen noodles (they call them "lamen" noodles, i wasn't sure if that was a mistake or not) and dumplings.  great business model. 

and they have a menu, where you can get this huge soup + seven dumplings for 10,50 euros.  yea, seven dumplings.  per person.   

and they're hand-made.  and DELICIOUS.... the soup was pretty good too.  but shit man, i'd go back just for those dumplings.  

if sue and phil were here, i'd take 'em to HIGUMA.  it's not momofuku. 



but for now, ... an excellent contradiction to the dumpling effect.


thank you pablo.