DD Soup Dumpling opens in Jericho
Soup dumplings with crab meat and pork are a must-order at DD Soup Dumpling & Hibachi in Jericho May 1, 2024. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
In a lavish bar area decked out with glowing blocks of marble, a woman in a chef's hat stands over a bowl of what must be raw meat, shaping little pucks into fresh dough. This makeshift dumpling station, complete with a pile of wooden steamer baskets, would be a familiar sight in any family-owned Chinese restaurant, but the new DD Soup Dumpling & Hibachi has grander ambitions. (And some pretty fantastic soup dumplings.)
The multistory banquet hall is the third location of a NYC outfit with restaurants in Times Square and Hell's Kitchen. DD's marries Chinese soup dumplings with Japanese hibachi fanfare. But this suburban building on Jericho Turnpike feels like an even bigger move for the business, one with magical stairs that light up as you ascend to the second floor.
General manager Richard Chan said he got into the restaurant business during the pandemic after working in the travel industry as tour guide operators. One of his partners lives in Syosset, so Long Island was a natural choice for a next location.
Opened last month, DD Soup Dumpling is putting the finishing touches on its renovation from previous tenant Kobe Hibachi Steakhouse. The lower level features a high ceilinged dining room with marble tabletops. There's a separate cove of hibachi grills featuring a panorama wall of screens playing videos of humpback whales and Vegas cabaret dancers. A private dining area will be added on the second floor.
The hibachi experience is comparable to other restaurants, with prices ranging from $19.95 a person (for chicken) to $31.95 (for filet mignon). But DD stands out with an additional, extensive menu of regional Chinese dishes. The tablet-style menu includes everything from sesame chicken to spicy chili hot pot fish, pig knuckle and lima bean soup and Shanghainese dumplings.
The restaurant serves a substantial amount of Sichuan fare from chef Jiang Cao, a native of the province. A dish of sliced beef in hot chili oil ($19.95) is beautifully plated in a shallow white bowl, but practically swimming in oil. The deep-fried chicken with dry hot chili ($16.95) features tasty nibbles of zingy popcorn chicken, perhaps overcooked but fierce on flavor.
Sliced beef in hot chili oil at DD Soup Dumpling & Hibachi in Jericho. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
The standouts, besides the righteous soundtrack of '80s songs, are the dumplings. DD's pan-fried pork buns ($8.95) are exquisite. A Shanghai specialty known as sheng jian bao, these doughy dollops of heaven are seared on the bottoms and steamed just enough so that the edges are firm. Each puff is bready, meaty and brothy.
Soup dumplings are popular everywhere these days, but these are worth traveling for. One of three varieties, the pork and crab dumplings ($8.95) are more delicate than the typical xiao long bao. It's a challenge to pick them up on your spoon, because there's a substantial amount of broth swishing around the supple dough wrapper. Remember to pierce the dumplings with a chopstick and hit them with vinegar before you slip them into your mouth.
DD Soup Dumpling & Hibachi, 111 Jericho Tpke., Jericho, 516-333-5588, ddhibachi.com. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.
