Dumpling Galaxy - Flushing, Queens, NY

We visited New York in February 2020 and knew we were going to go to Chinatown in Flushing again to get some Chinese food. So I found "The Absolute Best Chinese Restaurants in Flushing" by Joe DiStefano from August 29, 2018 on Grubstreet and made notes about some restaurants I wanted to try. At the top of the list was Dumpling Galaxy which he rated as the clear number one. He recommended some specific foods and we ordered every one of them, but the platter of fried hot peppers that I'd forgotten to put into my notes. 

Dumpling Galaxy is located inside a mall, up some stairs and to the back. We got there early, about 11:30 a.m. and were the first people in the restaurant. We were ushered into a small booth and made our order.

The first item we got at our table was duck meat and mushroom dumplings (6 total). The concept sounded wonderful, but reality was different. They were good, but would not bring me back. Neither the duck or mushroom stood out. 

Next was beef curry dumplings (6 total). I would never have ordered it without the recommendation. This dumpling would not bring me back either, but the taste was very distinctive, definitely had a curry taste, and was good. 

The next item, which was by far the best we had, was lamb soup dumpling, also an item I would not have ordered on my own, and the first soup dumpling I've had, at least that I can recall. It was incredible. Not really understanding the concept of a soup dumpling, I opened it up for a photo and watched the soup spill out onto the plate. Then I ate the dumpling and tilted the plate to get the lamb soup into my mouth and was over come by a strong lamby flavor, nirvana. I love lamb and this was potent, strong lamb. This dumpling will bring me back (when we visited Flushing a couple of days later, I was tempted to go back for an order of these dumplings, but was too full). 

Next was braised pork, described as "red cooked pork belly that falls apart at the mere sight of a chopstick." The fatty pieces were quite good and juicy. The just-meat pieces were quite dry. I would consider ordering it again, but it  would not bring me back just to eat it. 

The garlic spare ribs were actually pretty awful. They were overly crispy, over-cooked and hard to eat. I felt like a dog gnawing on a bone.

The last recommended item was crisp pan-fried sole. The presentation was fabulous. Two flat breaded soles lined up on a plate with reddish peanuts and chilies. The crispy, bony fringes were okay and the surprisingly meaty white-meat center was quite good. It deserved to be recognized. 

Finally, Judy wanted some Chinese pancake. It was okay. It was a little stiff for my taste, but she enjoyed it. 

I likely will go back for the lamb soup dumplings and would like to sample some more things from the menu, but Dumpling Galaxy is not at the top of my list for Flushing Chinese food.