It's been a while since our last restaurant review, but that doesn't mean we've stopped eating out! Some new restaurants have popped up in our neighborhood and we plan to try them all. Today's review for our Bellevue real estate students is for Dough Zone, a Chinese dumpling house that opened up the street a few months ago. True to its name, Dough Zone specializes in dough-based dumplings, buns, and noodles, ranging from the familiar—boiled won tons and pan-fried pot stickers—to the exotic—lamb sauce noodle soup and pork feet noodle soup.
On our first visit, we were particularly excited to try the "juicy pork buns" (also known as xiao long bao or steamed soup dumplings), and they did not disappoint. For the uninitiated, xiao long bao are Hershey's kiss-shaped steamed dumplings filled with pork and hot broth. Warning: before eating, use your chopstick to poke a hole in the dumpling's thin skin to let some of the steam escape and avoid burning your mouth. Then pop the entire dumpling in your mouth. Delicious! Dough Zone also offers shen jian bao, a pan-fried cousin of xiao long bao. Shen jian bao's thicker, fluffier dough absorbs some of the broth, making for a less juicy dumpling, but it also has a deliciously crisp bottom.
Another favorite item is the beef pancake roll, a thin flaky flatbread wrapped around thinly sliced beef and green onions. Dough Zone also features six varieties of all-you-can-eat congee (rice porridge) and several different soups. If you're looking for something a little less carb-heavy, turn to the appetizer list, which includes mix-flavor beef, spicy-sauce beef, tofu, and several vegetable items. It's worth noting that the menu's vegetarian options are limited; nonetheless, the non-meat eaters in our group really enjoyed the spiral-cut sweet and sour cucumbers and the green onion soy sauce noodles. (The steamed vegetable dumplings and plain Chinese donut, on the other hand, were less popular.)
All dishes are served in a dim sum/small plate format, allowing you to sample a variety of dishes. Obviously this isn't the place to visit for those on the Paleo diet, but for everyone else, Dough Zone is a great place to try some unusual and delicious dumplings and noodles. Take a friend (or two), try some dishes, and let us know your favorites!
