Prosperity Dumpling and Vanessa's Dumpling House are pretty equidistant from our office, each with a big fanclub and extremely big cast-iron pans that fry up impressively large quantities of dumplings and sesame pancakes all day. Which did we like better? More

The sesame pancakes are light and spongy, with so many sesame seeds they practically form a second crust (this is a good thing). More

What happens when you take a pancake, stud it with sesame seeds, and stuff it full of silky meats and fresh vegetables? More

I remember my first visit to Vanessa's Dumpling House a few years ago when it was simply named Dumpling House: it was dingy, low on sitting (and breathing) space, and mosh pit-crowded—not exactly a place you'd want to hang... More