RedFarm

If you wonder why should you pay more for Red Farm’s high end dumplings when you could get more authentic, cheaper ones in gritty Chinatown? Well, first of all, don’t mistake a clean, modern dumpling place as inauthenticity. In fact, here is the scoop: “In the '60s, we had a generation of elite Chinese cooks who were cooking in China when they were in their 20s and 30s, but have since moved to New York and are now in their 50s and 60s. That's where the food at the first refined Chinese restaurants came from. This wasn't street food or the food your Chinese grandmother makes—which can be great—but something more subtle and technique-focused." What chef Ng does at RedFarm is to combine those old school techniques and the best ingredients money can buy, but refine it a bit so you could taste each dish’s true flavors. Everything tastes more elegant and is cooked with mild-mannered. Even the dipping sauces are refined, not your typical soy sauce & chili oil. We had Shrimp & veg dumplings; fresh corn, chive and shrimp dumplings; pork & crab soup dumplings; pan fried pork buns. No wonder it won best dumplings in NY.