I ordered the fried Kimchi dumplings at The Ugly Dumpling at the new ‘We Are EGG’ concept store in Cavendish (Floor 1, Dreyer Street, Cavendish Square, Claremont, Cape Town, 7708). I haven’t had the dish before, so got quite a fright when I bit into it and it had a mince-type substance in it. When I took it back to the Ugly Dumpling employee to check on the ingredients and whether I was mistakenly given a meat-containing product or if this is how the product is sold. I expressed surprise as the description on the menu only lists Kimchi as an ingredient. The employee didn’t know for sure but also was extremely dismissive when I asked for her to check with the owner/manager. She pulled out the ingredient list of the dumplings to show me how wheat, salt and flour etc could explain the mince. I explained that this more likely accounted for the actual dumpling wrapper. She also told me it’s exactly what Kimchi looks like. I’ve attached a picture of the kimchi they had on display at the stall, it doesn’t seem to have any mince in it at all. I graciously waited around for 15 minutes for her to contact and hear back from the owner, left my contact details for her to get back to me, but so far haven’t heard back. I still paid for the meal, but didn’t eat it. It more than likely a soy/seitan based mince type product, but it needs to be documented and in the very least the employee needs to know what’s in the product.
Fried Kimchi Dumplings
