Sitting on the sidewalk, as content as can be

For breakfast on day two in Ha'erbin, we were craving dumplings. And our craving was more than met with, perhaps, the best dumplings of the trip.

We set out from our hotel and began wandering, looking for a place that looked cheap and tasty. We were also looking for the mythical monster dumpling man, a man selling very large and very delicious looking dumplings that we had only encountered when already very full. Though we didn't find him, we did find a nice little sidewalk cafe where several patrons were already well into excellent looking meals.

The street itself felt like nothing so much as Brooklyn. Tree lined, with fruit vendors, 2- and 3-story buildings, and narrow streets, it could've been an eastern cousin.

Our first dish was a selection from the cold bar. This bar had over 20 different dishes, mostly vegetarian and all tasty looking. There was also the odd pig's foot, if that's what you were hankering for. We got some textured strands of beancurd that were delicious. These firm and chewy strands were scored and so had a texture that stayed with them. They also had the right amount of chili oil, to bring a bit of heat the built over the course of eating the dish but did not overwhelm. This went quickly.

Our second dish was fava beans and mushrooms with beef in sauce. This was pretty good, though could've been better. Each of the individual ingredients was nicely done, especially the thin strips of beef. The sauce was a bit gummy and the fava beans a bit limp.

That didn't matter, though, because then we turned to our pork and green pepper dumplings. These were superb, nearly flawless. Max and I spent an hour after the meal trying to find any fault with these that we could and we were unsuccessful. The wrappers were perfectly cooked and the perfect thickness, neither too dense nor easily breakable. They also did a fantastic job of staying shut but not sticking to the other dumplings. The meatball inside was so rich and juicy with flavor it must be an ages-old secret recipe. The green pepper added a delightful crunch to the dumpling bite. The dumpling size was spot on, small enough to be eaten in one go but big enough to explode with flavor. The soup inside was layered and paired perfectly with the meat. Finally, the temperature was excellent, not too hot so we weren't scalded but warm throughout the meal. The sauce complemented the dumplings tremendously. A mixture of vinegar, soy, ginger, and a lot of chillies, this coated them in delicious spiciness. These dumplings were something else.

We happily each ate all 16 of our dumplings. We then found out they only cost 6 kwai for an order. That means that all 16 of these wonderful and magnificent dumplings were ours for the princely sum of 95 cents. I am still stunned.