From the loud music to all the crispy chilli oil, Little Dumpling King is punching well above its weight
At Little Dumpling King in Stoke-on-Trent’s Hanley, they make their own crispy chilli oil, which is much more crispy chilli than oil. This is a smart move, partly because it indicates a commitment to doing things properly and partly because they use so much, they’d go bust if they had to buy it retail. There are fat piles of the stuff across the dumplings, and in drifts around the deep-fried chicken wings, and as part of the “gnarly seasoning” on the sticky rice. The curious thing is that it doesn’t get repetitive, this clash and batter of heat and toastiness. It ends up feeling more like a signature; a mark of the place and its determination to beat you into happy submission with plate after plate of huge, banging flavours.
Not every restaurant is for everyone. Initially, I wasn’t convinced Little Dumpling King would be for me. They make much of their reasonably priced natural wine list. They are enthusiastic about their loud music. After lunch I asked about their playlist. “2000s indie,” owner and head chef Rob McIntyre told me. “A bit of heavy metal. Some American sad Midwest emo.” I asked if the latter is an actual genre. Rob said it was and I decided not to check, because I’m 58 and have no business knowing one end of a sad Midwestern emo from another. In the evenings, it’s loud depending on mood. At lunchtime, it’s just a dull roar. The music “helps with my anxiety” said Rob, who has dark, twinkly eyes and the kind of beard that probably saves time in the morning. The floors are bare. The chairs are red. The walls are black and, according to the framed posters hung upon them, “The working class strikes back” and “We hate the fucking government”. The menu carries the legend “pure graft”.
